“I swear no one here knows how to be original,” Baekhyun grumbled, messing with his mobile. Chanyeol frowned a little at his reflection before peeking out of the bathroom at the older.

“What do you mean?” he asked before setting how his hair brush and making his way to sit beside the brunet on the bed.

“Every place here that sells fish and chips has battered, not breaded.”

“And?”

“Battered is gross!” Baekhyun exclaimed with a huff, causing Chanyeol to start laughing, earning a pout from the other. “Why are you laughing at me? I’m upset!” Baekhyun whined, pushing at Chanyeol’s shoulder, causing him to fall back on the bed as his laughter died down into giggles.

“Because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you get upset like that.”

“Yeol, I get upset a lot, usually over really stupid things.” Baekhyun argued, Chanyeol shaking his head and looking at Baekhyun, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek.

“Not like that… not the innocent anger, like a child who didn’t get what he wanted. When you get stressed your anger seems so much more real… Like you could do as much damage as you felt like doing,” Chanyeol explained, a tight feeling settling in Baekhyun’s stomach. The moment it did Chanyeol sat back up, placing his other hand on the other side of Baekhyun’s face. “That wasn’t meant to bring up the past scars, Baek, I’m sorry,” the younger said, Baekhyun’s hands coming up to cover the back of Chanyeol’s hands.

“It’s fine, Chanyeol, I’m… I’m the one who’s sorry. I know you said that you forgave me for what I did, I just haven’t forgive myself for it yet. I still get mad and lose my temper, and then I remember how badly I tore you apart… There’s still a part of me that wishes I hadn’t broken out bond so I would have felt how badly I hurt you, because that’s a punishment I deserved-” Chanyeol pulled the brunet against his chest, then shifted a little to pull the smaller completely into his lap instead, tucking Baekhyun’s head under his chin.

“You dealt with enough of your own pain, you didn’t need mine. Baekhyun, I know you feel guilty about what happened, but please… please stop beating yourself up about it. I forgave you, even if it was hard to let myself do so… But it turned out for the better, because there’s no one else I could ever see myself being as happy with you as I am. We have our ups and our downs, but that’s life… that’s us. Some couples never seem to fight, but I would rather you and I have out little spats here and there and continue to keep working on what we have… because that shows me that you’re as stupidly in love with me as I am with you,” Chanyeol explained, lifting his head to allow Baekhyun to pull his back and look up at him.

“I broke up with you because I thought I had lost myself along the way… but I think that I need to be with you to be able to find myself,” Baekhyun said, and Chanyeol felt his heart jump into his throat before he pulled the older tightly to his chest again. They stayed close like that until Baekhyun’s stomach started to growl, causing Chanyeol to laugh a little and slowly release him.

“Come on, let’s try and find you some breaded fish and chips.”

Baekhyun wasn’t sure how the other had managed to do it, since looking up every restaurant that claimed to have fish and chips had only offered Baekhyun increasing amounts of frustration as none offered what he wanted, but here the two of them were: seated in some hidden restaurant with a basket of breaded fish and chips sitting in front of Baekhyun while a smoked salmon was placed before Chanyeol.

“How…” Baekhyun trailed off at the cheeky grin the other gave him, watching Chanyeol start to dig in.

“My Baekhyunnie wanted breaded fish and chips, so that’s just what I got my Baekhyunnie~” the younger cooed, causing the older’s cheeks to tint before he started eating as well.

“Should we go look around at a couple of shops while we wait for our food to settle enough to walk on the beach?” Chanyeol asked while they were waiting for their sever to come and return Chanyeol’s card; Baekhyun had rolled his eyes a little when Chanyeol insisted on paying for the meal.

“Sounds good to me,” Baekhyun replied, standing with Chanyeol once he had signed the store’s copy of the meal’s receipt. The pair made their way through several of the shops along the main strip mall in town, eventually stumbling upon a toy shop that looked like it was meant for children. When Baekhyun was stopped by and excited Chanyeol, a small smile cracked across his lips and he allowed himself to be dragged inside. It wasn’t long before the younger held up a plush money, his face lighting up.

“Baekkie, it looks like me!” he exclaimed, and Baekhyun looked between the two before he burst out laughing.

“You’re such a dork, and I love you,” the older said, noticing the look that flickered through Chanyeol’s eyes; as if it was the first time he had heard Baekhyun say it in a while. When was the last time I said that I loved him? Baekhyun wondered, swallowing hard when he realized that he couldn’t remember, trying to force a smile. 

They finished one side of the strip mall, and started on the other side, only making it a few shops down before Baekhyun slowed to a stop, staring at the display window. Chanyeol followed the other’s gaze, taking note that the store seemed to mostly have glass figures; Baekhyun seemed a little started when the younger pulled him back towards the door to the shop. They looked around the shop, Chanyeol losing sight of Baekhyun for a few minute until he made his way to the back of the store where Baekhyun was looking at blown glass orbs that looked like they had jellyfish inside of them. The one that the older seemed most intrigued by was one that was on a light stand that lit up and dimmed like someone’s chest rose and fell while they were breathing.

“That’s one of my best sellers.” The pair jumped at the sudden voice, turning to see a smiling old woman. “They help a lot with stress and anxiety,” she added, Baekhyun turning his gaze back to the glowing jellyfish. “If you would like me to box it up for you, just let me know,” she added, disappearing through the hall that lead to the front of the store.

“You gonna get it?” Chanyeol asked, standing beside the other who shrugged.

“I dunno, probably not.”

“What? Why not? You look like you really like it.”

“I do, it’s… really calming, but-”

“Baek, come on. Just get it. This trip is about enjoying yourself and destressing. If you find something that helps you destress in a positive way then what’s the harm in getting it?”

“I just-”

“If you don’t buy it for yourself, I will.” Baekhyun frowned up at the other, though it was closer to a pout than anything else, and Chanyeol bumped the brunet’s shoulder with his own. A few minutes later the two were walking out of the shop with one of the light sets, extra batteries, and the glass jellyfish that Baekhyun liked the look of the most, heading back to the car to place it safely in the trunk.

“Can we go down to the beach now?” Baekhyun asked, earning a nod from the younger.

“Wah!” Baekhyun’s attention flashed to the younger, watching him as his arms flailed and he tried to regain his balance, Baekhyun arching an eyebrow at him.

“What?” He asked, Chanyeol looking back over his shoulder to give a sheepish grin.

“The wave startled me, I almost fell over,” the black haired male explained, leaning forward to go back to digging around in the sand.

“You’re not coordinated on flat land, let alone when you’re bent over like that,” Baekhyun pointed out. “What are you even doing?” he added, Chanyeol humming a little, pulling something out from the water and inspecting it.

“Looking for the prettiest shell,” he answered finally, dropping the silver and purple shell he had been looking at back into the water.

“I don’t remember you ever collecting shells,” Baekhyun replied, wading through the water over to the younger, who turned a grin up at him.

“It’s not for me, it’s for you.”

“Why are you…” Baekhyun trailed off as the other straightened, catching the brunet’s chin between his thumb and finger in a fashion that would have been suave if it had been anyone but his elf-eared boyfriend.

“I need to find the prettiest shell for my pretty Baekhyunnie,” was the response he was given, causing a blush to creep up his neck. Baekhyun stared at the other for a moment before his hands came up to rest on Chanyeol’s chest, shoving him back and causing him to fall into the water. He felt the stir of worry start in his stomach, though it disappeared the moment Chanyeol’s deep laugh filled the area, and the older found himself laughing as well. Eventually Chanyeol found a shell that he deemed pretty enough, and they started heading back to the car, a small frown crossing Baekhyun’s lips when the younger sneezed. For a fourth time.

“Hey, if I’m not supposed to get sick on this trip than neither are you,” Baekhyun said, giving Chanyeol’s shoulder a slight push as he settled in the driver’s seat.

“I’ll just take a hot shower when we get back to the hotel,” Chanyeol replied, rubbing at his nose to keep back another sneeze before putting the car into reverse and heading back to the hotel. Chanyeol didn’t notice the older disappear once they were inside the hotel room, too preoccupied with stripping off his damp clothing before making his way to the bathroom in his boxers; his hand lingered by the door knob when he realized he heard water running and he could see light from the crack of the doorway. When he pushed open the door he found Baekhyun kneeling beside the bath, one sleeve rolled up as his hand was in the tub, swishing the water around as it was filling.

“Baths are better for warding off colds,” Baekhyun said, catching Chanyeol’s question without looking back to see the younger had opened his mouth. It closed, settling into a smile before he reached for one of the towels, setting it on the closed lid of the toilet.

Eventually Baekhyun moved out of the way, turning off the running faucet, pointing at the tub to signal for the other to climb in and he did once he had slid off his boxers. The tub wasn’t quite big enough for him to lay down it, but it was a lot bigger than the bathtub that they had back at the apartment, and he closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. He expected to hear the other’s footsteps and the door close, so when he heard a soft pop his eyes opened again and he looked over to see Baekhyun kneeling beside the bath with a couple of bottles that were labeled as shampoo.

“Which one smells better?” he asked, holding the two open bottles out to the younger, who gave him a curious look before taking a small whiff from both.

“The blue one,” he replied, the brunet nodding before putting the cap back on the green bottle and setting it to the side, before offering Chanyeol two new bottles that were labeled as body wash. “The white one,” Chanyeol answered before Baekhyun held up a third pair of bottles, conditioner, doing nothing to ease the younger’s curiosity and slight confusion. “Blue again.” Baekhyun picked up the three rejected bottles, setting them on the bathroom counter, making his way back with a wash cloth. He dropped it into the bath, Chanyeol’s eyes shifting to it long enough to watch it start to sink as it soaked up water before he felt a hand on his shoulder trying to push it down.

“Baek?” he asked, noticing that the older had one of the cups hotel rooms were stocked with for their guests.

“Scoot down a little, I don’t want to get water all over the floor,” came the other’s response, and Chanyeol shimmied his way down a little, his knees bending and making half of his thighs and calves stick up from the surface of the water in order for his shoulders to be submerged. Baekhyun scooped up a cup full of the bathwater, then moved his other hand to Chanyeol’s hair line, shielding the younger’s face as he started wetting Chanyeol’s hair.

“Baek, what are you doing?” Chanyeol asked, Baekhyun pulling the hand that had been shielding his face, wiping at some of the water that tried to trail down the younger’s face.

“Washing your hair.”

“It’s nice and all, don’t get me wrong but… is there a reason?” Chanyeol prompted, watching Baekhyun squeeze some shampoo onto the palm of one hand, lathering it between both before bringing his hands to Chanyeol’s hair, massaging his scalp with a gentleness that made Chanyeol’s chest tighten as he closed his eyes, relaxing into the touch.

“I thought it would be something sweet to do… since you’re always doing sweet things for me,” Baekhyun answered, his voice growing softer with the latter part of the statement.

“I don’t do those things expecting something in return.”

“I know, I just… I want to start giving back to you. You put so much into our relationship, you always have. Sometimes I don’t feel like I do enough in return, and I want to change that.”

“So you’re giving me a bath? Isn’t that something people do as after care for intense ?” Chanyeol asked with a laugh that cut off into a startled noise when Baekhyun shoved his finger in the younger’s ear. “I’m joking, I’m joking,” Chanyeol added with a cheeky grin before he settled once again. He heard and felt a small swish in the water before Baekhyun’s hand was back to shielding his face from the streams of water as the suds were rinsed out of his hair. Next came the conditioner in the same gentle fashion, Chanyeol opening his eyes slowly when Baekhyun switched to carding his finger through the lathered locks of hair longer than Chanyeol thought he would need to, feeling his throat tighten like his chest had at the near sparkle in the brunet’s eyes as he looked down at him.

“Yeol?”

“Yeah Baek?”

“I love you.”

Baekhyun was still half asleep the next morning after they packed the car, settling in the passenger seat as Chanyeol checked out of the hotel, quick to return. He looked over at the older, whom was leaned against the window, curled up in his seat, and Chanyeol’s lips curled up in a smile at the other’s expression; he couldn’t remember the last time that Baekhyun’s face had been anything but a frown while he slept, and the smile that the older wore now tugged at Chanyeol’s heart in the best way. They were halfway home when Chanyeol’s mobile began to vibrate, his eyes flickering to it then to Baekhyun who stirred a little at the sound before Chanyeol answered the call, holding the device to his ear.

“Kyungsoo? What’s up, is something wrong?” he asked.

“I was just wondering how your trip had gone, and if Baekhyun had been as much of a as I predicted he was going to be,” the other replied, and Chanyeol bit back a laugh as he could almost hear the dark haired male frown.

“Actually, I think he enjoyed himself,” Chanyeol replied, glancing at the male in question as he made a soft noise as he slept.

“Yeah? Was he screaming at you less than usual?”

“He didn’t scream at me at all, didn’t even get mad at me the whole trip. I think… I think he’s better now, Kyungsoo.”

“Yeah? What makes you say that?”

“Remember the twinkle he used to have? Back when we first started dating and we didn’t have to tell anyone, because anytime that we did they would just say they could tell by the way Baekhyun looked at me?” He asked, met with a long silence. “It’s back. His eyes sparkle like they did the first time he told me he loved me.” There was another paused, and he could hear the other let out a slow breath, wondering if it was from irritation or relief.

“As long as you’re happy again.”

“I am… we’re okay now. I think he just needed a break from everything, but then again everyone does from time to time.” Chanyeol’s eyes flickered to Baekhyun again when he stretched before adjusting and continuing with his nap.

“Yeah. Anyway, I should go, I’m waiting to meet up with Jongin-” Kyungsoo stated, Chanyeol smiling a little.

“Tell Jongin I say hi,” Chanyeol requested, the other humming in response before there was a click and the line went dead. He set his mobile back in one of the drink holder slots, resting his arm on the center console attention shifting to it when he felt something brush against his arm before Baekhyun draped himself over the console, and thus Chanyeol’s arm as he held onto it.