Note: This chapter was based on a tumblr post that I honestly cannot find at the moment. OTL

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Hakyeon hated working early mornings. There was just something about getting up at 2:30am to shower, get dressed, and maybe have time to eat, to be at work by 4 that just didn't appeal to him. But the diner that had hired him for the semester only had the early morning time slot available and he really needed the money to help with tuition.

He finished in the shower, tugging on his boxers and smearing shaving cream on his face. Glancing at the clock on his phone, he was please to see that it was only 3am. Maybe he would actually have time for breakfast before he had to be at work; that didn’t happen very often.

He had just picked up his razor when a deafening alarm blared through the building. He froze, his razor raised half way to his face as the fire alarm continued to scream.

"," he muttered, the razor falling out of his hand and into the sink with a clatter at he turned and dashed for the door.

Doors were slamming down the hall as people from the other flats in the building ran for the entrance. Hakyeon was on the second floor, so he made it down the stairs and out the door quickly. As he ran into the yard, he immediately regretted not grabbing shoes or a coat, or any other clothes for that matter. The winter air bit into his , still-damp skin. The wailing of fire truck sirens was growing closer as the last stragglers from the building entered the yard in various states of dress.

Hakyeon wrapped his arms around himself as he looked up at the building, trying to see where the fire was coming from. There was no sign of smoke or flames and the people around him were beginning to grumble. That's when he felt someone's gaze on his back, hot and unrelenting.

He turned and found himself staring into the eyes of a dark-haired man who was a few inches taller than himself. Hakyeon recognized him immediately. His name was Taekwoon and he had moved into the apartment next to Hakyeon's only the week before. Hakyeon had met him at a building party several days before and had found himself uncharacteristically flustered by the man's silence and piercing stare. Not to mention the fact that he was uncommonly attractive.

And now here he was, standing right behind Hakyeon, who was clad in nothing but his tighty whities with his face smeared with shaving cream, staring at him.

Hakyeon felt a flush spread from his neck up to his cheeks. It wasn't that he minded standing in the middle of the yard with all of his neighbors, without a scrap of clothes on except his underwear in a temperature that was below freezing. In fact, he felt that he was giving his neighbors an early Christmas gift by letting them gaze upon his glorious self. But the way that Taekwoon stared at him, unblinking and unashamed, made him want to run back into the building and hide under his bed, regardless of whether or not it was on fire.

Despite Hakyeon’s embarrassment, he couldn't quite bring himself to look away. It was because of that he noticed a flush was creeping up Taekwoon's cheeks, mirroring his own. Hakyeon opened his mouth to speak, not even sure of what he would say, when he noticed something that made his mind go blank.

Taekwoon, just like Hakyeon, was completely except for a pair of dark blue boxers that were hanging low on his hips. His bare shoulders and chest were broad and his abs were making Hakyeon stare more intently than he meant to. He just couldn't help it, Taekwoon was beautiful. His skin was smooth and flawless, and his muscles were lean and sinewy. He was shifting his weight, uncomfortable under Hakyeon's gaze, and Hakyeon was felt a pang of delight when he saw that Taekwoon's legs were just as muscular and well-built as the rest of him.

Taekwoon broke their stare and looked down at his feet, trying to hide his reddening face.

Hakyeon kept his gaze on Taekwoon, his heart pounding alarmingly fast. He really hoped that the fire truck that was screeching into the yard was carrying an extra oxygen tank, because if Taekwoon didn't put some clothes on soon, Hakyeon was going to need it.

******

Taekwoon wasn't a morning person. In fact, he had a deep loathing of anything that happened before the respectable hour of 10am. That's why he was furious when he was rudely woken up at 3am by the fire alarm.

He didn't bother with clothes, just stalked his way out his door, down the stairs from his second floor flat, and into the yard. Most of his new neighbors were already there, huddled together for warmth and as the winter air hit his skin, he realized why. It was mid-December, below freezing, and not advisable weather to be standing outside in while clad in only underwear.

He felt the gazes of his neighbors on him and hunched in on himself, trying to hide from their stairs. He was about to slink away to a deserted side of the yard when he saw a man standing several feet away with his back to Taekwoon. His arms wrapped around his damp, torso and his wet hair was sticking up at odd angles on his head while he bounced up and down on he balls of his feet to stay warm.

It was Hakyeon.

Taekwoon remembered seeing him the first day he moved into the building. Taekwoon had been holding a stack of boxes that hid his face from view, but he had still been able to see the young man who rushed into the lobby and shouted for Taekwoon to hold the elevator.

The young man skidded into the elevator, panting as he set his book bag, overflowing with notebooks and loose leaf paper, down on the floor. He was petit and several inches shorter than Taekwoon, with shaggy brown hair and a ridiculously bright smile.

"Thanks!" he said to Taekwoon. "It's been a long day. Are you new here? Welcome to the building! I'm Hakyeon, I live on the second floor. If you need anything, just ask!" He continued to babble as the elevator rose to the second floor, not pausing once for breath or a response, which was just fine with Taekwoon. He never knew what to say to strangers.

Taekwoon stepped out of the elevator after Hakyeon who was already bounding down the hall. "See you later!" he called over his shoulder before darting into his apartment.

It was the apartment right next to Taekwoon's.

Over the next several days Taekwoon saw Hakyeon several times, dashing in and out of his apartment. He kept strange hours and always seemed to be in a hurry. When they were finally properly introduced at a building party, Taekwoon hadn't been able to think of anything to say. That happened to him frequently, so he settled for just gazing at Hakyeon. He had an interesting face, open and honest, just like his personality. The more time Taekwoon spent with him at the party, the more he began to like him.

And now here Hakyeon was, standing in the middle of the yard, dripping wet in his underwear.

As Taekwoon gazed at the flawless, even skin of his back, Hakyeon turned around and locked eyes with him. The entire bottom half of his face was coated in a thick layer of shaving cream and as their eyes met, a glob of it slid off his chin and onto his chest, sliding down to his stomach. Taekwoon watched the trail of suds down Hakyeon's chest before looking back up and locking eyes again with Hakyeon.

Taekwoon saw a faint flush crept into his cheeks, but Hakyeon didn't look away. Instead, his eyes began to roam over Taekwoon, taking in every angle and exposed bit of skin, which was, admittedly, a lot.

Hakyeon opened his mouth to speak, but then snapped it shut again, his blush deepening. Taekwoon felt the heat of Hakyeon's gaze travel over him and he suddenly felt more self-conscious than he ever had before. He dropped his eyes to look at the ground as the fire truck zoomed into the yard and screeched to a halt.

Several firefighters rushed into the building which, Taekwoon noted, still showed no signs of a fire.

In his distraction from the fire truck, Taekwoon hadn't notice Hakyeon step forward until he was only a foot away. Taekwoon jumped slightly in alarm, although Hakyeon didn't meet his eye, staring intently at the firefighters instead. Taekwoon took the opportunity to continue looking down at him, appreciating the heat radiating off Hakyeon’s skin.

Hakyeon looked up at him suddenly and Taekwoon's eyes widened at being caught staring again.

"Are you starting classes here?" Hakyeon asked nonchalantly, as if they weren't standing out in public in the middle of the night almost completely .

Taekwoon cleared his throat. "Yes, I transferred. I start next semester."

Hakyeon grinned, causing another glob of shaving cream to drop off his cheek and onto his chest. It didn't make it as far as the last trail of suds, stopping just above Hakyeon's right . It was very distracting.

"That's awesome!" Hakyeon exclaimed, seemingly unaware of the shaving cream on his chest or the effect it was having on Taekwoon. "Maybe we'll have a class together! What are you taking?"

Taekwoon opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a loud voice echoing across the yard.

"Listen up, folks! This was a false alarm." One of the fire fighters was standing on the doorstep, glaring out at the freezing inhabitants like they were all personally responsible for waking him up. "Someone must have pulled the alarm as a practical joke," he continued. "But this kind of thing is dangerous and juvenile and I don’t want to ever catch anyone in this building pulling a stunt like that again."

Without another word, he stomped off toward the truck. The other fire fighters trailed along silently after him, loading up the truck before they roared away, leaving the apartment's inhabitants to trickle back inside.

Taekwoon and Hakyeon walked back inside together in awkward silence, opting to take the stairs rather than the already crowded elevators.

They reached Taekwoon's door first and, as he reached for the door handle, he noticed Hakyeon pause beside him.

"Um," Hakyeon began, his blush renewing itself. "I, um. I guess I'll see you around?" His question trailed off uncertainly and Taekwoon found himself smiling, finding Hakyeon’s uncertainty to be surprisingly endearing.

Hakyeon's eyes widened at the sight and Taekwoon saw him swallow. The motion dislodged more shaving cream and Taekwoon looked away before he could see any more of it make its way onto Hakyeon's bare chest.

"Yeah," he mumbled in reply. "Yeah, you'll see me."

He glanced up and immediately wished he hadn't because the wide, incandescently happy smile was back on Hakyeon’s face.

Taekwoon felt his face heat up and he ducked behind his door, closing it behind him and leaning against it. He heard soft laughter and then Hakyeon's door close, cutting off the noise.

He felt hot, coming in from the biting cold of the outside, but he suspected that it had little to do with the actual temperature of the apartment and more to do with the fact that even when he closed his eyes, the sight of Hakyeon's smile flashed across his mind.

As he stumbled his way back into his room and flopped down on the bed, he found himself hoping very much that what he had told Hakyeon would come true.

Taekwoon definitely wanted to see him again.