--warning: long chapter. but good one. thank you for being patient with me--

Baekhyun looks around and decides that this club is decent. Actually, it’s very nice; clean, neat, spacious, high profile. The music is loud –but not the kind of deafening loud where the only indication of music playing is the vibrations you feel in your throat –and people are dancing already under a swim pool of different lights, as the dj moves his head to the modern rhythm. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sit by the bar while they wait and that gives Baekhyun the chance to gaze at others without being pushed and pulled.

He is not used to clubbing. For one thing, there is not enough time for that (he prefers spending his free nights at the movies, a lounge bar, a theatrical performance, an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant or a walk in the park) and, for another, he doesn’t enjoy the activity too much. He is only human, of course, and on certain days he does feel like dressing up and swaying to endless beats all night long, but that doesn’t happen often.

He didn’t have much choice tonight though. Future clients called and their company had to be polite to answer. The clients are Kai and Chanyeol, and their company is being represented by Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Baekhyun has treated Chanyeol rudely in the past and Kyungsoo is treating Kai much worse than that constantly, so it seems their company is trying to be polite to these clients for a change; that’s why they agreed.

Two girls pass by, catching Baekhyun’s attention with their loud laughter. They look suspiciously young to be here, but the majority of the attendants seem of proper age, so Baekhyun will let that one slide. One of the girls is wearing a short, black sequin dress and the other one has so many white fluffy feathers on her skirt that you can’t see any fabric. So maybe, Baekhyun thinks, he is not as oddly dressed as he feels.

Due to his lack of interest in this sort of activities, he doesn’t have appropriate clothes for the occasion. Kyungsoo downright forbade him to wear any of his suits, despite Baekhyun’s pleas that ‘they are really nice suits!’ and so, he chose dark blue jeans, a white cotton blouse and a black blazer. It looked too plain and safe, so he spiced it up with a red handkerchief in the blazer’s pocket, but even so, when Kyungsoo saw him at his door, he face palmed and cried out that they ‘were not going to a book reading or a gentlemen’s club but to a club!’, and he firmly insisted that they needed to quote, rough him up a little, unquote.

That resulted in Baekhyun wearing a bit of eyeliner –which is okay with him, a bit of eyeliner never hurt –, losing his neatly styled hair, handkerchief and his jeans, replacing the latter with black, tight leather pants. He felt embarrassed and wanted to hide behind everything he could find, even though Kyungsoo kept assuring him that the pants look so great that Baekhyun should keep them; but now that he is used to the tight feeling of leather, and seeing all the other people in the club, he feels better about it.

Kyungsoo surely knows about clubbing dress code, which is obvious in his silver jacket, simple black pants and white shirt which has long fringes hanging from the neckline. It looks very nice –but Baekhyun would have never worn something so wild for himself.

His eyes wander around while Kyungsoo is ordering their drinks and then he checks his watch; they should be arriving any minute. But will they manage to find them in such a crowd? He doesn’t spare a second thought about that and proceeds to making mental critique, notes and comments, about the outfits of other people passing by.

“Baekhyun” Kyungsoo calls in a voice which resembles a whisper, given the loud music. Baekhyun feels the nudge in his arm and turns around but Kyungsoo is not looking at him; his big eyes are gleaming strangely in the lights of the club and his features seem surprised. “Shoot me now!” he pleads and Baekhyun follows his gaze, bewildered.

His eyes don’t have to search for too long, given the height of those two people. Kai is walking at the front, striding like a supermodel along the bar. He is wearing grey, ripped skinny jeans, a black t-shirt and a khaki jacket which compliments his olive complexion. His hair is perfectly tussled and his lop sided smirk is as irresistible as is his gaze, which wanders around and occasionally falls on people he knows, who are greeted briefly from the distance with a nod. Baekhyun was a little biased when he met Kai, due to Kyungsoo’s constant complaints about him, but he came to think that Kai is a decent boy.

Chanyeol is following close behind him. He is wearing tight dark jeans that send Baekhyun to dream land again, with a black shirt and a black leather jacket. His hair is neatly styled and, overall, it’s a very simple and smart outfit; but Chanyeol is so tall and he has such confidence and elegance in his strides that it looks more impressive than any other wild outfit would ever look. His smile is the alluring sort of charming, se*y even, Baekhyun might say, and he looks like he is holding the world in his hands like the strings of puppets. Everyone comes closer or stares at him but all they get is the polite amount of attention. When he salutes the barman who seems to be someone he knows and then winks at him, Baekhyun has to check with his hand that his jaw has not dropped too visibly.

--

“Keep calm, okay, Yeol? I need you to be calm and take it easy. Breathe in, breathe out. This is not much, it’s nothing. We have done this many times. Keep calm. Yeah, okay?”

“Are you freaking out on me right now?”

“What? Who me? No way, Mr. Park; I’m Kai. Nothing freaks me out. Just, keep calm okay? Okay, here we go” Kai tussles his hair nervously with his hands and opens the door to the club. Chanyeol muffles a laugh at his friend’s nervousness. Sure, nothing freaks out Kai but Kim Jongin is about to fall to pieces at the thought of having a date with someone as innocent as Kyungsoo. Even if they agreed it was more like a business date; it’s a bit sad, but hey, they are desperate, they would take anything they could.

The loud music and the familiar heat of the club welcomes them inside, where soft or strong lights swirl in the air, according to the music. Chanyeol knows when people stare and the staring starts two moments after they enter the club. He puts his usual act on, smiling the way he knows people love to see and fantasize, walking the way a supermodel would, acting like he fits perfectly in his surroundings but stands out, just the right amount of amazing. He likes people’s reactions to his appearance; it means he looks good and he wants to look good when he meets Baekhyun. Chanyeol has not forgotten why he changed four outfits back home and tamed his hair for half an hour in front of a mirror…

He nods at the bartender, Xiumin, who they have come to know after all these years. They used to come here when they were younger too, even when they were slightly underage, and Xiumin, even though he knew they didn’t belong in there, he never kicked them out; he made them alcohol-free colorful juices instead, so that they would look like they fit in the crowd –they always were too tall for their age anyway. Xiumin was their first mentor at how to pick up women (it was pretty innocent stuff and they have evolved a lot since then, but still, it was their first attempts). The barman with the innocent face notices them and smiles, and Chanyeol winks in return.

“Oh, Yeol, there they are. Holy s…” Kai mumbles and Chanyeol spots easily the object of their attention, thanks to his height. It’s just like Kai said: holy sunflowers!

The innocent little man Kyungsoo has turned into a bad- sparkly butterfly, wearing something that makes him look fashionable, cool, aggressive and impressive, just how Kai likes them. He doesn’t look too thrilled to see them, but Chanyeol knows it’s because he and Kai are still trying to find each other’s buttons. His eyes abandon Kyungsoo and settle on the small brunette next to him.

Chanyeol wants to slap himself just to make sure he is not dreaming (because this bears a suspicious resemblance to one of his dreams). His hair is nicely styled in a wind-blown y hairstyle and his puppy eyes stand out in the dark as if he is wearing eyeliner. His dark blazer hugs his shoulders and waist perfectly, letting a small hint of a white blouse peek from underneath. And his pants…holy mother of all cookies in heaven! Is that leather? Is Baekhyun actually wearing something as tight and sultry as black leather pants on his perfect hips? Chanyeol wants to break down and whale in despair.

“Hey, Baekhyun; looking good” Kai greets casually and Baekhyun blinks a couple of times before putting on a small smile. He looks like an angel, but his body is the devil. “Hello, Kyungsoo; it’s nice to see you” If Chanyeol was not mesmerized by Baekhyun, he would have smacked Kai for how awkward he just sounded.

“Sure” Kyungsoo answers indifferently, looking at the dance floor with a bored look in his big eyes. Chanyeol is not paying much attention to his friend’s struggles after that. He prefers staring at Baekhyun, eating him up with his eyes, until he realizes that Baekhyun is staring back, smiling shyly. Chanyeol swallows once with difficulty.

“Hey” he croaks out and the sound of his voice distracts him enough to turn his eyes to the ground momentarily and clear his throat. Park Chanyeol, you are acting like a creep and you will freak him out.

“Hi” Baekhyun offers back shyly. As torturously good as Baekhyun looks, he doesn’t quite fit in this club; he is too ethereal to mingle with the mortals.

“Have you been waiting here long?” Kai asks, gaining Chanyeol’s irritated attention and a glare. If Kai hadn’t been freaking out for ten minutes outside that door, they wouldn’t have been a minute late!

“Oh, well, let me-” Kyungsoo prepares to bite back but Baekhyun cuts him short.

“No, not at all; we just ordered our drinks” he says with a cheerful smile. Chanyeol starts staring again, starting from his heartbreaking smile and his soft lips, moving to his white, alabaster neck and thinking how it seems like an interesting idea to bite it. What?!

“Excuse me” a girl addressing Baekhyun brings Chanyeol’s attention back to reality. She is pretty; who is she? Is she something to Baekhyun? Is she hoping to become something for Baekhyun? How dare she speak to him? “All my friends are dancing; would you like to dance with me?” she asks with a soft blush on her cheeks. It’s cute, but not to Chanyeol. This is getting slightly paranoid, but, oh well, it is how Chanyeol feels like, and he feels like ripping her head off. She is about to steal his perfect Baekhyun. Baekhyun smiles kindly and panic floods Chanyeol. Oh no, he is going to say-

“Okay, sure” Baekhyun and his irresistible eye smile agree. Chanyeol feels like the ground is swallowing him. Noooo! Baekhyun can’t do that! He has to stay near Chanyeol, where the latter can see him, enjoy his company, hear his laughter! He can’t dance with a cute girl or any other! Why is the universe torturing Chanyeol so much? The girl leads Baekhyun to the dance floor with a happy smile and he follows willingly. The third lingering party is Chanyeol’s watchful gaze.

“Kyungsoo, do you want to dance with me?” Kai offers hastily, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand. That sounded pretty desperate, if Chanyeol may say so himself.

“But, Chanyeol will-” the other starts protesting while being dragged away, but Kai waves dismissively.

“He’ll be fine; he has something to stare at”

Indeed, Chanyeol has something to stare at. He is not sure what sort of expression he is sporting, but he doesn’t particularly care. He shifts a bit to the left so that he can have a better view of Baekhyun in the midst of swaying bodies. The anger and hatred for the girl is soon forgotten and Chanyeol is left mesmerized by everything ‘Baekhyun’ while he is dancing.

He has a sparkling smile on his lips and his eyes gleam in the flickering lights, his cheeks turning quickly flushed in the heat and motion. He is not a great dancer like Kai –but that is good for him, because great dancers usually dance alone –but he is graceful, he has energy and rhythm. His knees bending and his hips swaying to the beat make Chanyeol’s heart thump in quick accordance to the music tempo. Baekhyun is not a creature of the night but he sure as hell knows how to move as seductively as one. Chanyeol will surely remember this moment for a long time and he tries to savor it for as long as he can, even after the air around him gets stuffy and his pants too constricting. He has not had any alcohol, yet he feels drunk in thoughts of Baekhyun’s presence already. This time, Baekhyun has transformed to an alluring, seductive heartbreaker in Chanyeol’s eyes.

The song eventually ends and Baekhyun smiles and thanks the girl. She tries to keep him on the dance floor but he refuses with a polite nod and heads back towards Chanyeol. Chanyeol, who is alone and who has been having all sorts of thoughts about Baekhyun for the last few minutes. Chanyeol quickly rearranges his stance by the bar so that it will not be too obvious that he had been staring and pretends to be busy with his drink –Xiumin knows his usual and he must have served him while he was otherwise occupied. He clears his throat and tries to calm himself before Baekhyun arrives; he doesn’t want to look like a blushing, stuttering mess again.

“Hey, I’m back” Baekhyun says cheerfully, hopping on a stool next to Chanyeol. When he thinks he is calm enough, Chanyeol looks up and finds Baekhyun smiling brightly at him. Well what do you know, hearts can actually shoot through the roof, because Chanyeol is sure that his heart is fluttering somewhere in the clouds, leaving his body helpless to survive at the sight of Baekhyun, so close, so bright. “Did they leave you alone?”

“They are dancing” he nods to where the other two took off and Baekhyun turns his gaze in that direction. Chanyeol is shamelessly staring again; he is so beautiful...

“Oh, found them!” Baekhyun smiles widely again and returns his gaze on Chanyeol.

“You are a very good dancer” Chanyeol blurts out without thinking. He is starting to feel light headed with all the smiles he has witnessed.

“You could see me from here?” Baekhyun asks incredulously and slightly panicked, turning his head and trying to see for himself.

“Well, I…” let’s see how you’ll save yourself now, stupid Chanyeol! Baekhyun turns his eyes inquisitively at him. “I couldn’t see very well but I’m tall so I can see people around” That’s one lame, lame excuse. Baekhyun gives a small smile nonetheless.

“Oh, I see” he mumbles and fidgets slightly in his seat, lowering his eyes and blushing pale pink. He looks so cute!

“Would you like to dance?” Chanyeol murmurs through his teeth without even realizing. When he finally realizes what he said one moment later, he bites his lips in retaliation for letting out something so embarrassing –because it’s a bit off topic and it’s dangerously close to his honest, deeper thoughts.

“What?” Baekhyun asks, looking at him innocently with his puppy eyes. He looks like he genuinely didn’t hear what Chanyeol said.

This gives Chanyeol a choice. He can pretend he didn’t say anything and laugh charmingly or he can repeat his question. The first option would be infinitely less painful, but this is as close to having a chance at dancing with Baekhyun as he can get. And Baekhyun can always say no, say he feels tired or that it would be weird to dance with Chanyeol. And Chanyeol has already said it once, so he is half way there. So…

“Would you like to dance with me?” he repeats, adding a smile in hopes to make the question sound less uncanny. Baekhyun blinks a few times, registering the information. If he says no, it’s okay, Chanyeol tries to convince himself. It will hurt, but it’s okay; he doesn’t want to force Baekhyun.

“Um…Yes; yes, I’d like that” Baekhyun says and smiles widely, showing those sparkling crescents that make Chanyeol’s heart flip. Did Baekhyun just say yes? Really? Is this really happening? Did Baekhyun understand what Chanyeol asked?

The small male hops off the stool and takes Chanyeol’s hand, leading the way to the dance floor –so, he did understand the question...And he willingly agreed. Baekhyun is willing to dance with Chanyeol. Somewhere between the tingling feeling of Baekhyun’s skin on his hand and the amazing sight of Baekhyun’s hips walking ahead of him, Chanyeol thanks all the stars and whatever god there is out there for his luck.

When they reach a spot which seems satisfying, Baekhyun lets Chanyeol’s hand free and turns around to look at him with a small, happy smile. Chanyeol is so lost in that smile, standing close to Baekhyun and looking down at his pale skin and his soft lips and his gleaming eyes, that he forgets what he came here for. The beat changes to a slow one and the couples hug each other to dance. Oh, great, just fantastic. How is Chanyeol going to dance with Baekhyun now, without seeming weird? He lets out a small awkward laugh, glancing at the people around them.

“Maybe that was not a good idea, right?” he mumbles awkwardly, avoiding Baekhyun with his eyes.

“It wasn’t? Why?” Baekhyun asks naively. Chanyeol looks at him, slightly taken aback. So, Baekhyun doesn’t find it weird? He is still willing to slow dance with Chanyeol? If anything, Baekhyun looks like he would be disappointed if Chanyeol cancelled now, like a child losing a toy they have promised him.

“Erm…I’m not a good dancer. Haha. I should have mentioned that earlier, shouldn’t I?” he answers awkwardly. He really isn’t a good dancer –he is too lanky to be graceful –but that is not the real reason. But he doesn’t want to put the ‘weird’ concept in Baekhyun’s head because, what if Baekhyun thinks that it really is weird then, or that Chanyeol thinks it’s weird? Well, Chanyeol has never done this before with another male and maybe he does find it a bit weird on other occasions, but not when he is about to dance with his beautiful Baekhyun; that’s not weird, it’s something he really really wants to do. Baekhyun flashes a carefree smile.

“That’s okay, I’ll show you” he says reassuringly and takes both Chanyeol’s hands in his. Chanyeol goes slightly rigid but Baekhyun doesn’t seem to notice. He leads Chanyeol’s hands around his waist and leaves them there to rest. He feels so small and fragile under Chanyeol’s hands, and it suddenly dawns on Chanyeol that he has never touched Baekhyun before. He likes the way the small male fits under his hands. Baekhyun proceeds to place his own hands on Chanyeol’s shoulders, sending Chanyeol’s heart beating at an unhealthy rate. “I’ll lead, don’t worry” he says casually and slides his pretty fingers above Chanyeol’s shoulders until they entwine behind his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

“It doesn’t look like you’re the lead” Chanyeol says, trying to distract himself, glancing at the other couples around them.

“I’m smaller so it’s easier if you hold me like this. Just follow my moves” Baekhyun advises.

They start swaying from side to side. The rhythm is easy to follow and Baekhyun makes it even easier by doing a strange caressing thing with his fingers behind Chanyeol’s neck, in the same rhythm –which, honestly, drives the taller crazy. The small man keeps his gaze on his eye level, which is around Chanyeol’s chin, sometimes staring at his neck and sometimes glancing at other couples around them. Chanyeol knows it is dangerous to stare, because Baekhyun might look up any moment and catch him red handed, but he does it anyway. He cannot take his eyes off of his little guy; his gentle pink lips, his dazzling puppy eyes, his snow white skin, his rosy pink cheeks, the shadow of his hair on his forehead, the long graceful lines of his neck. His hands seem frozen on his waist, but in reality they are itching and burning, feeling Baekhyun’s warmth, his muscles move with every side step, the soft fabric of his blazer and a bit of his sleek leather pants. Having him so close and holding him seems surreal to Chanyeol. This business date/double date is the best idea Kai ever had. Even if it makes Chanyeol feel like a heart-ill patient.

The song ends and a much faster, louder piece of music takes over, with deep and rich rhythm. Chanyeol pulls away quickly, not wanting to put Baekhyun through the awkwardness of pulling away first, and smiles content. His moment ended but Chanyeol will cherish it forever. Baekhyun smiles back and Chanyeol is glad to see that he doesn’t seem to have found it weird at all. Chanyeol starts making his way back to their seats by the bar but he feels a small hand wrapping around his forearm before he has time to stray further. He turns around and sees Baekhyun giving him a puppy-eye pout. What has Chanyeol done in this life to be worthy of seeing this adorable, heartbreaking expression?

“Can’t we stay for a while?” Baekhyun pleads. As if Chanyeol could ever say no to whatever Baekhyun wants. Wait a minute. Baekhyun wants to stay? For a while? On the dance floor? With Chanyeol?!

“Um…sure, but I’m not a good dancer” Chanyeol is now genuinely concerned about his dancing skills; or lack thereof. Baekhyun smiles again.

“I consider myself warned. But I’m sure we can do this” he pulls Chanyeol closer again.

He doesn’t put his hands around his neck this time; he starts dancing in the beautiful, eye-engaging, seductive way Chanyeol saw him doing before. Chanyeol decides that it’s useless to try not to stare and he tries keeping his jaw in place instead. Baekhyun is soon flushed but he is smiling, closing his eyes every now and then to feel the beat, and glancing invitingly at Chanyeol a couple of times. Chanyeol tries to memorize every detail about the way Baekhyun looks and moves. He is long past having indecent thoughts; he is now seriously considering the crazy prospect of putting some of his thoughts into play. Chanyeol feels Baekhyun’s knees brushing against his legs a few times and someone pushes him from behind, resulting in even greater proximity with Baekhyun. Now Chanyeol feels really frustrated, because Baekhyun’s knees are a constant nudge and sometimes even his thighs brush against Chanyeol.

“Won’t you dance with me?” Baekhyun pouts again, this time just for show, and then changes back into a smile quickly, taking Chanyeol’s hands and placing them on his small waist again. Chanyeol, unable to resist Baekhyun’s wishes, starts to respond to the music and he adjusts quickly.

Before they know it, they have danced away eight songs. It has been the most thrilling twenty minutes of Chanyeol’s life. Watching Baekhyun moving slower and then faster, small moves of his hips or bigger moves of his arms, smiling all the while and having a good time with Chanyeol, keep on dancing even when his face has a deep flush and his forehead is glistening slightly with perspiration; under the influence of all this, Chanyeol doesn’t want to be the one to stop. His knees are starting to hurt and he feels like he is boiling inside and out for many different reasons –99% of which are Baekhyun-related– but he doesn’t want to stop; he will keep on dancing for as long as he can, for as long as Baekhyun wants him to.

“I’m too hot!” Baekhyun says with a smile at some point. Chanyeol can’t argue with that; Baekhyun is hot. “Let’s get back to the bar”

They reach the bar after struggling with many human obstacles on the way. Thankfully, most of the people are dancing by now and there is enough empty space to feel a cooling change of temperature near the bar. Chanyeol motions to Xiumin for two glasses of water and sits next to Baekhyun. Their knees are touching –thanks to Chanyeol’s never ending length of legs –but it feels comfortable after all their dancing. Baekhyun thanks Xiumin for the water, still smiling brightly, and starts drinking his water thirstily. Chanyeol stares again at his white neck and how his Adam’s apple bobs with every gulp.

“That’s better” Baekhyun says relieved after drinking all his water in one go “Let’s dance again later!” he proposes and Chanyeol barely keeps from chocking on his water in excitement.

Kyungsoo and Kai join them after a while, both flushed and slightly intoxicated. They look a bit more touchy than the last time Chanyeol saw them, but he guesses that’s because the alcohol is slowly lifting their defenses. Chanyeol remembers his drink and starts shipping on it while the four men chat and laugh. Who knew that Kyungsoo would be so much fun when intoxicated? Baekhyun laughs and jokes along with them, and he honestly seems to be enjoying himself, but he barely touches his drink once or twice. Chanyeol notes that maybe Baekhyun doesn’t like alcohol in his ‘fact list about Baekhyun’. Kai and Do are the first to set sail for the dance floor again, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun behind. The former is about to ask Baekhyun to dance, but he gets interrupted.

“Hey, Chanyeol, long time no see” a female voice that Chanyeol knows too well reaches his ears. He turns around dismayed and sees Dara sitting on a stool beside him. Of all people, why did it have to be her?

“Yeah” Chanyeol answers simply. Long time no see and for a good reason!

Dara is one of his ex’s. She is still pretty and has her own sense of charm, but Chanyeol is no longer attracted to all that. They were together for two months and Chanyeol, to this day, wonders how and why he stayed in that relationship that long. Those two months were exciting and full of new experiences; because Dara likes to travel. A lot. The girl is so fleeting that she could be watching an opera in Paris, meeting her highness in Buckingham palace, sailing in Greece, sky diving in Switzerland, attending fashion shows in Milan, learning flamenco in Spain and riding camels in Morocco all in one week! Chanyeol was her puppy dog and followed her around for two months, trying to maintain a relationship which only he took seriously. Dara takes independence to a whole new level.

But, when they broke up, like the spoiled brat she is, she blamed everything on Chanyeol and how he had wanted to turn her into an obedient housewife, when all he had asked for was a little attention and rest. He didn’t bother with her much; the chances of bumping into her were not statistically great anyway. So, now that he is with his Baekhyun, it just had to be her!

“I will not see you for a long time either; I am travelling to Bali tomorrow” she continues, trying to sound indifferent; as if Chanyeol can’t see behind her act. But what she is saying is good; the sooner she disappears again, the better. “So, do you want to dance with me for old time’s sake?”

Chanyeol knows Dara; she is not asking only for one dance, she is asking for a whole night’s entertainment, probably including adult stuff, and then a friendly parting the next morning, no strings attached, like she usually does. He knows better than that.

“No, sorry; I’m not in the mood” he refuses as politely as he can, but not too politely. He is not in the mood of being used and discarded, he is not even attracted to Dara anymore; he has his Baekhyun to worry about.

“Chanyeol, please” she leans on his thigh and bats her eyelashes frantically in front of his face, pouting as she can best. He doesn’t even flinch.

“No. Besides, I am not going to leave my friend alone” He is not stupid enough to leave Baekhyun, innocent and dressed like that, in a club full of hawks, who are gradually getting more and more intoxicated, planning on snatching his little guy away. Dara turns her attention to Baekhyun who looks back innocently.

“Please…” she whines, batting her eyelashes at him and pouting again.

“Chanyeol, I think you can give the pretty lady one dance” Baekhyun advises and Dara cheers. Chanyeol would have liked it if Baekhyun had been a little more selfish this time; but he is always a kind hearted cutie (like Luhan has very accurately pointed out), so, of course he wouldn’t want to upset Dara, even if she is a complete stranger to him.

“Will you be all right?” Chanyeol asks concerned before he leaves, Dara already tagging at his arm. Baekhyun flashes him a wide grin.

“Of course! It’s just five minutes, I’m not going anywhere”

Chanyeol checks on Baekhyun with the corner of his eye constantly during those five minutes, much to Dara’s annoyance, even if all Baekhyun does is to moderately ship on his drink and watch other people dancing, nodding his head to the music’s beat.

--

When they stagger out of the club it is well past two am. Well, the only one staggering is Kyungsoo really; Kai smiles a lot and Chanyeol feels a bit sleepy but they are okay. Baekhyun is the best they have to show, still neatly styled, even after all that dancing, and not the least bit drunk. They start walking across the parking lot, the cold biting their skin, with a soft buzz from the club’s music still in their ears.

“Take me home” Kyungsoo whines and then giggles, clutching Kai’s arm for support. “Oh, I can feel some muscles under there…”

“Aw, stahp it, you already know what’s under there” Kai giggles back, patting Kyungsoo’s hands around his arm. Chanyeol finds the duo entertaining and perhaps so does Baekhyun, because he has a small smile on his lips.

“Okay, now, time to say goodbye” Baekhyun tries to detach Kyungsoo from Kai but Kyungsoo only rebels and holds onto Kai tighter.

“No, don’t wonna le’ go” he slurs in a cute, drunk fashion.

“Well, it’s late; we need to get home somehow” Baekhyun tries again but to no avail. The glued duo giggles at Baekhyun’s vain attempts and the latter huffs in annoyance, pouting in thought. Please, can Chanyeol keep him?

“How about Kai takes him home?” Chanyeol suggests.

“I knew you were smart! I lllllike you” Kyungsoo smiles at Chanyeol but it is doubtful whether he can actually see him. Baekhyun pauses in thought, ignoring the pestering pleas of the duo to let them go home together.

“Fine” he decides finally and the two men giggle in triumph, supporting each other to remain standing “You’re grown men, you can make your own decisions” he shrugs casually and takes the car keys from Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun helps Kyungsoo settle in Kai’s car, buckling his seatbelt for him, while Chanyeol makes sure his friend is capable of driving. Kai is not as drunk as he seems, the distance is short and he always drives safely when others are in the car –none of this is an excuse good enough, but Chanyeol has no choice but to let him drive. Kai promises to call him tomorrow morning and then takes off at snail speed –maybe he is being extra careful because Do is involved. Chanyeol can’t say that’s a bad thing.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home” Baekhyun calls, standing by the driver’s door already. Chanyeol smiles at the prospect of spending more time with Baekhyun; today is like early Christmas!

“I can drive; I’m not drunk” he assures Baekhyun, walking closer to the car. Baekhyun smiles and shakes his head.

“I’m sure you can drive but I am more fit for the job; I had three quarters of one drink and you had two drinks. Besides, this is Kyungsoo’s car, he is going to need it in the morning”

Chanyeol can’t argue with his reasoning, so he gets in the passenger’s seat and puts on his seatbelt. His fingers brush against Baekhyun’s when he fastens it and he feels electrified, even if Baekhyun doesn’t seem to notice much. Baekhyun turns on the engine and then the heat inside the car.

“Your fingers are so cold” he murmurs while checking the lights on the board to make sure everything works properly, not even glancing at Chanyeol. Chanyeol on the other hand stares at Baekhyun dumbfounded. So, Baekhyun noticed their fingers brushing too?

They slowly get out of the parking lot and into the street. The temperature is moderately cold inside the car, providing a pleasant cooling feeling after the heat of the club. The silence is also comforting, gradually healing their hearing. The air between them is not awkward; Baekhyun is driving very mindful of the road –even if there are barely any other cars at this hour –and Chanyeol stares dreamily at him. The way his face is lit by the dim flickering lights of the dashboard makes him look mysterious yet somewhat childish. His puppy eyes scanning the road before every turn is the cutest, in Chanyeol’s opinion, and the way he slants his lips every so often, following his silent track of thought, is the second cutest. Chanyeol keeps his eyes high, because he can’t be sure what sort of crazy ideas might wake up in his head if he so much as glances at Baekhyun’s leather clad legs.

“So, which turn to your house, right or left?” Baekhyun asks in a quiet voice at some point, when they stop at a red light. He looks at Chanyeol for the first time ever since they got in the car and Chanyeol looks around for the first time as well. They are at a crossroad.

“Um…left” he decides and Baekhyun nods. Chanyeol cannot explain why his voice came out so deep and velvet; maybe it’s because he is sleepy. Baekhyun makes the turn and continues driving but Chanyeol wants to talk more. “So…did you have fun tonight?” he asks after clearing his throat to make his voice sound normal again.

“Sure, it was fun” Baekhyun agrees cheerfully, smiling at the road ahead of him. Then, a gleam flickers in his eyes. “But you lied, Park Chanyeol” he accuses playfully.

“No, I didn’t! I did? Sorry if I did. What lie did I say?” Chanyeol panics, sitting up in his seat. He doesn’t want to lie to Baekhyun, never, ever.

“You said you didn’t know how to dance; your dancing skills looked pretty decent to me” Baekhyun nods approvingly at the road. Really, Chanyeol seemed pretty decent?

“Nah, I’m average. Maybe a bit below that, actually. But you are really good” he compliments with a smile. Baekhyun snorts –in the cutest way Chanyeol has ever seen.

“Yeah, right” He makes another turn according to Chanyeol’s directions. “Why was the pretty lady upset when she left?” Baekhyun pokes the issue cautiously. Who, Dara? She wasn’t just upset, she almost showered Chanyeol with his drink –she tends to be like that when she doesn’t get what she wants. She almost made a scene and Chanyeol almost wanted to die or at least disappear, because her accusations sounded very close to ‘you are paying your friend more attention than you are sparing me’ and he doesn’t want Baekhyun to find out about his creepy stalker side.

“Dara gets upset with anything. We used to be together but it didn’t end well either, so she was slightly lashing out on me. Sorry about that” Chanyeol tries to make his words light and funny for Baekhyun’s sake. Baekhyun laughs slightly at Chanyeol’s expression.

“That’s okay; she didn’t do anything really” he reassures Chanyeol and then pulls over to the side of the road. “This is it, right?” he glances outside the car and Chanyeol follows his gaze. Oh, they are in front of his apartment building. He feels a wave of disappointment wash through him.

“Yeah, that’s it” he mumbles halfheartedly. He doesn’t want to let go of Baekhyun, even if they have interacted for longer than usual in one night. It’s like a drug; the more you get, the more you want.

“It is closer than I thought it would be” Baekhyun says innocently “But, wow, that’s one tall building! Which floor are you staying at?”

“Um, the twentieth” Chanyeol admits reluctantly. He doesn’t want to make Baekhyun feel uncomfortable, if he makes the comparison to his own apartment. Chanyeol is crazy rich, so he can afford to live in such an apartment, but he never allows himself to look down on anyone who has less than him.

“Seriously?” Baekhyun looks at him surprised and blinks incredulously a couple of times. Chanyeol offers a small, innocent smile. “Wow…okay. If you are living so high, then –oh, wait. It’s late and I am keeping you. Sorry. So…goodnight?” he smiles nervously and apologetically at Chanyeol, fidgeting with the hem of his blazer.

“Actually, it’s not goodnight yet” Chanyeol says holding up one finger, surprising Baekhyun “I have one more question. Are you sure you can drive home? Like you said, it’s late; you must be tired” What if he falls asleep while driving? What if another car won’t see him? Or what if there is a drunk driver? Baekhyun lives far away from this place; many accidents could happen until he gets home!

“Chanyeol, I can drive myself home, I’m not that tired” Baekhyun gives him a strict look but Chanyeol remains pouting, unsure if his fears of what could happen to Baekhyun are actually overprotective or normal. “But, okay, if I get too tired to drive, I will stop somewhere to rest for a while before continuing my way home, I promise” Baekhyun amends. Chanyeol is still not convinced out of his fears. Baekhyun, seeing how stubborn Chanyeol is in this moment, sighs in surrender and holds out his hand. “Okay, give me your phone” Chanyeol follows the instruction quickly and without a second thought, like a devoted puppy.

“What are you doing?” he asks warily after a while of watching Baekhyun tapping the screen. Baekhyun doesn’t answer immediately and returns Chanyeol’s phone, their fingers brushing again.

“It’s my phone number; I will text you when I get home, okay?” What?! Baekhyun’s phone number? He gave Chanyeol his phone number?! And Chanyeol didn’t even ask! And Baekhyun promised he will text him soon! Forget Christmas, this is Chanyeol’s sixteenth birthday in the Caribbean all over again, or even better than that! He blinks furiously at the screen.

“Please, tell me that’s enough for you, I don’t know what else to do” Baekhyun murmurs seriously. A huge grin creeps slowly across Chanyeol’s lips.

“Okay, that’s good” he agrees, maybe a bit too cheerful to be normal. Baekhyun sighs in relief and watches as Chanyeol gets out of the car. “Goodnight, Baekhyun; drive safe” he says and his smile is so big that one of his eyes is twitching and the other is so scrunched on the side that he can barely see through his eyelashes.

“Goodnight, Chanyeol” Baekhyun wishes heartily and smiles before taking off.

Chanyeol hums a happy tune in the elevator, all the way up to his apartment. He pours himself a glass of water and then he decides to take a quick shower. He gets ready for bed with a huge smile on his face, so content and happy with his current situation. He tucks himself in bed comfortably and checks his phone eagerly before going to sleep. One new message from B. Baekhyun. He squirms in excitement under the covers while he waits for the message to load.

“I’m home! I’m tired but safe. Goodnight! :)”

Chanyeol fanboys over the message and everything he can recall coherently from that night until he falls asleep.

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

a/n. End of a long loooong chapter. Sorry for that. I just had to, because…baekyeol, clubbing. Yeah. I hope you are noticing the details, like how I’m breaking tradition by having Baekhyun drive Chanyeol home and not the other way round (even if Chanyeol seems to be the ‘prince charming’ in baekyeol fluff, for some reason). Pay attention people, we are exploring romance here! You must be bored of me now, so I’ll stop. Bye~ kitty