feels like I've fallen in love [Baekhyun/Chen] (1/2)
feels like I've fallen in love
EXO | Baekhyun/Chen | PG | 8,131w
Fluff, Romance, Friendship
Maybe the reason why he's never been interested in dating anyone is because of his best friend.
This is especially for drainbamage954. ♥ Because she's simply awesome. This is my wedding gift to you for our wedding. Lmao. You deserve better, but I hope you like it anyway.
Thank you to loudestoflove for the beta work! I really appreciate it.
feels like I’ve fallen in love
Baekhyun’s someone who’s always been on the go. There is always something that occupies his time, whether it be medical degree or his job at the café outside of university or making sure that his bills are paid at home and that his cousin that was entrusted to him gets to eat three meals a day. This is why he doesn’t bother with trivial stuff. He doesn’t waste time with friends during lunch, preferring to stay in the library to get some additional study time in, much less go out with them in the evenings. He doesn’t say no when he’s handed extra shifts at the café because money doesn’t grow on trees and prefers working even over school activities or even outings with his classmates. There are always more important things to do than have fun or relax.
So when his best friend starts setting him up on blind dates because he feels Baekhyun needs time away from his books and coffee, it irritates him.
“I don’t need a relationship right now,” Baekhyun snaps at Jongdae who is in the middle of describing his really hot Chinese classmate. “I have my hands full with you as it is.”
“But he’s beautiful, Baek,” Jongdae whines and pouts as he watches Baekhyun move around in the kitchen. “Like his lashes are so long, that when he closes his eyes it fans down his smooth cheeks. His lips are pink and looks positively stunning when wrapped around something, like a straw, and I’m pretty sure it would feel good wrapped around your-“
“No,” Baekhyun turns around and away from the stove, slapping his phone away from Jongdae’s grasp. He glares down at his phone and immediately deletes Lu Han from his contacts list. He doesn’t care whether this Lu Han is a creature sent from heaven, he is not going to date him. “I don’t care about how his lips feel around…things.” He slaps Jongdae’s hand when he makes a move to grab his phone again. “Will you stop adding numbers on my phone!”
“You need to go out, Baek,” Jongdae insists. “You read way too many books, you’re starting to look like a book yourself.”
“Good,” Baekhyun retorts. “That way I can produce answers for my exams better.”
He places a plate of pancakes on the table and shoves it towards Jongdae, whose smile immediately brightens.
“Thanks so much for letting me have breakfast here,” Jongdae mutters through a full mouth. He looks around. “Isn’t Jongin coming to eat?”
“It’s 10 in the morning, Jongdae,” Baekhyun makes a face at him. “He’s in school.”
“Oh right,” Jongdae says. “I always forget he’s still in high school. I always think he’s older because, well, he looks older.”
“Well he isn’t,” Baekhyun reminds him. “So you can stop corrupting him with porn and bribing him to make me go out. Going out isn’t going to help with bills or make me graduate.”
Jongdae stops eating greedily for a second. “Baekhyun,” he frowns. “Hey,” he calls again when Baekhyun doesn’t even look up. “You’re allowed to have fun and have time for yourself. You deserve a break, too, you know.”
“I know,” Baekhyun sighs, taking a seat across from him. “It’s not that I don’t want to go out,” he then hedges just so Jongdae doesn’t feel too bad, which will probably be something he’ll regret. “It’s just…I don’t have time right now.”
“But when you do have time, you’ll go out?” Jongdae asks, hopeful.
“Maybe,” Baekhyun slowly answers, watching his best friend carefully.
“Hmm,” is all Jongdae says.
Baekhyun is sure that there’s something brewing in the back of Jongdae’s mind, but he decides not to think about it and turns to his textbook.
-
Baekhyun should have known that something was up when, all of a sudden, he was having less and less shifts in the café. He frowns at Minseok’s back as he’s left alone by the pantry, where Minseok has just told him that he can have Tuesdays and Thursdays off starting tomorrow.
“You look like you’re dying. Aren’t you supposed to be happy that you’re going to spend less time at this place?” Junmyeon chuckles.
“I like this place!” Baekhyun whines. Being at the café is comfortable and makes him feel secure that things are going to be okay because he has paychecks coming in. “I don’t mind being here all the time.” He narrows his eyes at Junmyeon. “You don’t like me being here, do you? Is it because I got Employee of the Month for the third time in a row?”
Junmyeon is a bit older than him and has been working in the café longer than he has. Before Baekhyun had started working there, Junmyeon was the star employee, the one that the staff and customers liked a lot. He supposes it makes sense because Junmyeon is handsome with his always-smiling face and kind words.
“Of course not,” Junmyeon chuckles, patting his shoulder. “Besides three months is nothing compared to 24 months.” He winks at him before making his way out to the counter, leaving Baekhyun sputtering.
When Baekhyun gets off his shift that afternoon, Jongdae is waiting for him outside. Baekhyun frowns and immediately crosses his arms across his chest because he just knows something is up. Jongdae never really visits him at the café.
“Come with me somewhere,” Jongdae says, tugging at Baekhyun’s arm without so much as a greeting.
Baekhyun just inwardly sighs and gives in because when Jongdae’s mind set to do something, nothing, not even Baekhyun’s punches, can stop him. He still remembers the black eye he’d given Jongdae.
They reach another café across town and Jongdae smiles sheepishly when Baekhyun shoots him an annoyed look.
“If you wanted to have coffee with me, we could’ve just done so where I work,” Baekhyun sighs. “We have discounts, you know.”
“A change of scenery is nice, don’t you think?” Jongdae tells him with a cheeky grin as soon as they enter the café.
Jongdae ushers him to a table and immediately scampers off to get them their drinks. Baekhyun leans back on his seat and takes in the place. He has to admit that Jongdae is right. A change of scenery is nice, even if that scenery still contained coffee grinders and mugs and coffee beans.
He searches for Jongdae in the small sea of students crowding by the counter, waiting for their drinks. There was a time when Baekhyun was one of those kids, who hung out with friends in cafes after school to study or just to chat. He remembers going on mini-dates with girls and boys, just getting to know each other, enjoying each other’s company and relaxing. If he were honest with himself, he’d say that he misses those times. He misses being carefree, only thinking about passing school and friends and crushes.
Now all he thinks about is how medicine is his lifeline. He can’t just pass medical school; he has to ace it if he wants to get anywhere. Because his life isn’t just about him anymore. It’s about Jongin, too, whom his family had taken in just because his dad left them, and just before his mom died.
“Can you stop thinking for one second?” Jongdae places his coffee on the table and slides into the seat across from his. “I could hear you all the way there, in the middle of the annoying university chatter.”
Baekhyun fixes him with a stare. “You are a part of that annoying university chatter,” he reminds him.
“I am a grad student,” Jongdae corrects him, making a face. He then smiles and claps his hands as he glances around. “So… how are you?”
“Jongdae,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes at him. “Where is he?”
“Who?” Jongdae blinks innocently.
“The guy you brought here to meet with me,” Baekhyun prompts. He looks around. “Where is he?”
Jongdae frowns. “I brought you here because I wanted to spend time with you away from somewhere too familiar,” he earnestly says. “We haven’t been spending a lot of time with each other, you know.”
“Depends on your definition of a lot since I’m pretty sure you’re always at my apartment,” Baekhyun quips good-naturedly. “You even have your own toothbrush in the bathroom that Jongin sometimes uses to clean the toilet.”
Baekhyun watches in amusement as Jongdae spits coffee out on the wooden table. He garners looks of disgusts from the patrons seated beside them but he couldn’t care less, not when the instrument that he uses to take painstaking care of his teeth has been tainted. For all he knows, his mouth smells like actual crap.
Jongdae continues to sputter for a couple of minutes before he takes a deep breath and decides that he’s not even going to dignify that statement with an actual response. Instead he smiles that wide smile of his that he knows annoys Baekhyun, which it does because his lips twitch.
“Isn’t it nice to hang out outside of your apartment, though?” Jongdae carries on as if the insinuation that he brushes his teeth with the same thing that cleans Baekhyun’s toilet hasn’t been made.
Baekhyun just rolls his eyes. “You brought me here because you’ve been insisting that I date,” he goes straight to the point. He glances around once more. “So where is he?”
Jongdae visibly deflates. He gets his phone from his pocket and dials a number. Shortly after, Tinkerbell walks into the café. Or it would’ve been Tinkerbell if she were actually a he.
“I’m Lu Han,” Tinkerbell introduces himself as Jongdae smirks by way of his exit. Lu Han extends a delicate hand with nicely manicured fingernails.
“Baekhyun,” he manages to get out as they shake hands. He then leans back on his seat, less than impressed. “So you’re Lu Han.”
Lu Han’s eyes shine at the knowledge that Baekhyun actually knows who he is. “Jongdae has told you about me,” he confirms with a smile.
The impromptu date seems to go well enough.
They sit there and go through the basics of dating question and answer, all while drinking their coffee. Lu Han talks a lot so Baekhyun just lets him. He laughs a lot, too, and Baekhyun starts finding him annoying because anyone who laughs that much probably has something wrong in the head. Or maybe it’s because Baekhyun’s just not really in a laughing mood at the moment.
But he does listen. He learns that Lu Han is in Jongdae’s Chinese language class, something that Baekhyun’s always thought was useless because Jongdae can still barely speak any Mandarin. Lu Han tells him all about the stuff he and Jongdae does in class, like write love letters in Chinese. Baekhyun smirks because it would be very interesting to find out to whom such letters are addressed.
When Lu Han gets to talking about random things, like the rainbow or unicorns, Baekhyun interrupts him.
“Are you sure you’re out of high school?” Baekhyun asks abruptly. It’s a question that’s been burning through him since they met. Jongdae wasn’t wrong about his lashes and pink lips. But he looks so much younger than he expected and it bothers him. “Because you look...” He laughs awkwardly.
Lu Han blinks at him and, subsequently, punches him on the face.
-
“How are you feeling?” Jongin asks, a frown marring his handsome young face. “You’ve been asleep for like two hours.”
“Just two?” Baekhyun rasps as he sits up from lying down on the couch because he feels like he’s been knocked out for far longer than that. He makes a face that makes him wince when he sees that Jongdae is there. “What are you doing here?”
“I made him stay,” Jongin answers instead. “This is his fault.”
“I’m not the one who got punched in the face,” Jongdae stoutly defends himself. “I say that the one who got punched is the one at fault in this whole thing.”
Baekhyun then wonders what Jongdae would think about that whole argument if Baekhyun punched him on the face. But instead of giving in to his sadistic desire, he gives an assuring smile to Jongin, who then shuffles to the kitchen to do his homework.
“He hates being called out on his baby face,” Jongdae then sighs in explanation as he slaps an ice pack on Baekhyun’s face.
Baekhyun’s left cheek is swollen, his eye forced half-shut. He really didn’t see Lu Han’s fist coming right at him. The next thing he knew he was awake in his bed with Jongin frowning at him, as well as Jongdae’s laughter echoing in the background.
“You call him that, too,” Baekhyun grunts in annoyance. Who punches people for being called young? He shoves Jongdae’s face away just because, and leans his head back on the couch. “I don’t see the difference.”
“Not to his face, I don’t,” Jongdae corrects him, forcing back the second bout of laughter bubbling up in his throat. “It’s something that he’s very sensitive about. Last month, he beat up this guy who is like a Wushu god and even he couldn’t stop Lu Han when he’s on a rampage about his baby face.”
“Great,” Baekhyun groans. “Thank you for telling me that piece of information. It’s very useful to me right now after getting beat up already and all.”
“You’re welcome,” Jongdae chirps back at him, shaking his head, still clearly in awe of Lu Han and his sudden strength when someone comments about his lack of age and manliness. “Tao had to resort to defending himself.” He shifts on the sofa to watch Baekhyun gently ice his face. “You’re really lucky all he did was punch you because he really went at it with Tao. It was a good thing he knew how to defend himself.”
“Maybe that’s the guy I should be dating,” Baekhyun weakly jokes. “That way he can defend me when Lu Han decides he wants round two.”
When Jongdae doesn’t respond, Baekhyun removes the ice pack from his face and looks at his best friend. There’s a look of wonder in Jongdae’s face that Baekhyun doesn’t like. Because when Jongdae gets that look he does things like setting Baekhyun up with friends who punches people when they’re called young.
“Whatever it is that you’re thinking, stop it right now,” Baekhyun demands as firmly as he could, except it’s quite hard because his face aches every time he so much as twitches.
“Tao is actually a really good guy,” Jongdae tells him, his catlike smile back on his face. Baekhyun’s hand jerks as if it has the sudden urge to slap that smile off his face. “Like a really good guy. When I had trouble with my Mandarin, he was the one who was patient enough to go through it with me.”
“Is everyone you know Chinese? Are they the only people who put up with you now?” Baekhyun snarls at him. Jongdae pokes his tongue out and Baekhyun wants to do something like cut it off. “I do not care whether he’s a good guy or not. I really don’t. So please, stop your mental vomit. No one is benefiting from it.”
“But you just said that he’s the kind of guy you should be dating,” Jongdae reasons. “And he really is. Because he really can protect you. Plus, he’s sweet, romantic, and likes long walks by himself. He also-“
“He likes to take long walks by himself?” Baekhyun questions that man’s sanity because what the fuck. “Maybe he shouldn’t date anyone. He seems to be doing alright dating himself.”
“I’m sure he’d enjoy it better if he had someone to walk with,” Jongdae brushes that tiny weird detail off. “So! What do you think? Do you want to meet this guy?”
Baekhyun bristles with irritation, but he really can’t pummel Jongdae to death when he’s looking at him with that pouting smiley expression that he does when he’s pleading for Baekhyun to do something for him.
“Oh my god why am I friends with you!” Baekhyun agrees even though his whole being is begging for him not to.
“Because you love me and because I have ice cream,” Jongdae triumphantly brings out the pint of chocolate ice cream that he bought especially for Baekhyun, “and I have that Running Man episode that you missed because of your exam.”
Baekhyun’s eyes light up. “The Girls’ Generation episode?”
Baekhyun smiles fondly as Jongdae sets the DVD and TV up. Jongdae always seems to remember details that no one really cares about; like how he wants his kitchen arranged or his clothes folded, stuff that Jongdae knows to do in his apartment even when Baekhyun’s not around. He never has to ask his best friend for anything because Jongdae just does it.
Jongdae hands him the pint of ice cream with a spoon as Baekhyun scoots closer to him.
“Ow,” Baekhyun whimpers when his left cheek comes into contact with Jongdae’s bony shoulder.
Jongdae absently leans down and kisses Baekhyun’s cheek while turning on the television and the DVD. “All better?” he asks.
Baekhyun nods with a contented smile on his face just as Yoo Jaesuk starts the opening spiel of the show. Jongdae chuckles as Baekhyun squeals in happiness when the Girls’ Generation members come out.
“You guys are gross,” Jongin calls out towards them.
“Do your homework, Jongin,” Baekhyun and Jongdae chorus as if in practiced precision.
-
Baekhyun finds himself in a fancy restaurant two weeks later. The swelling on his face is gone and the bruise has lightened to a yellowish lavender tone. With Jongin’s knowledge of taking care of bruises (being in dance club and all), combined with Jongdae’s words of encouragement (because he really is a useless human being), Baekhyun’s managed to retain the perfection that is his face. At the very least, he’ll still get to be called McDreamy in the wards, as has been his dream ever since he saw an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
He’s in the midst of making himself comfortable, sipping wine that the maître d' had so kindly poured for him when a tall, slim guy with dark clothes, dark hair, dark eyes, and dark aura arrives at the table. He looks down at Baekhyun like he’s deciding how to cook him for dinner.
“Y-yes?” Baekhyun chokes out. He’s gripping the butter knife tightly just in case he needs to use it. Although he’s fairly certain that it would be used on him after this ninja assassin is done with him.
“Are you Baekhyun?”
Baekhyun had expected a low, gravelly voice to go with the whole dark personality going on for him and not a cottony soft one. It throws him off-guard.
“Yes…” Baekhyun slowly responds. “Are you Tao?”
Ninja assassin’s face breaks into a smile that almost makes Baekhyun topple off his chair. It is that jarring.
“Huang Zitao,” Tao introduces himself with a handshake that practically makes Baekhyun’s arm pop out from its socket. He thinks he’ll make Jongdae bring him to the hospital later on. “And you’re Byun Baekhyun,” he shyly adds.
Tao is pretty much everything Jongdae mentioned him to be, and more. Aside from being sweet and romantic, Tao is also a straight A student and is very athletic, being the number one Wushu player or person or something in China. He is also funny. Baekhyun finds himself laughing at all his jokes, whether they’re actually funny or not. Maybe it’s because he’s had practice with Jongdae’s lameness.
“So…” Baekhyun hums curiously in the middle of dessert. “Jongdae’s mentioned to me that you like to take walks.”
Tao eyes widen slightly before he nods. “Yeah,” he confirms. “It’s a thing… that I do.” He apprehensively leans back on his seat. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” Baekhyun immediately responds. “Not at all. I just… I like taking walks, too.” He chuckles when Tao smiles, which is something he’s starting to take a liking to. “Maybe… we can take a walk some time, you know together. There’s this really nice place by the Han River where it-are you crying?” Baekhyun watches incredulously as Tao sniffs and wipes a tear sliding down his cheek.
“Sorry,” Tao snuffles.
“Why are you crying?” Baekhyun asks uncomfortably.
“I just…no one’s ever said that to me before,” Tao explains, cheeks still wet with tears. “I really enjoy taking walks and a lot of times I wonder what it would be like if I had someone taking those walks with me.” His face crumples as more tears come. “And then you come along and tell me you want to walk with me and I-“
Baekhyun has nothing against tears. He’s not some stiff dude who thinks that real men don’t cry, because everyone who is human cries. The thing is, he’s not sure how he feels about such a manly guy crying over him offering to take a walk with him like he’s just asked him to get married.
“It’s nothing serious,” Baekhyun tries to pacify him. “I mean, we’re not getting married. It’s just a walk.”
“But a walk is important to me!” Tao practically howls and Baekhyun cringes. “I really, really like taking walks and the thought that you want to-“
“Uh, Tao,” Baekhyun interrupts him and uncertainly reaches out for his hand across the table. “I’m sorry. Please stop crying.”
Tao reaches for his hand and kisses it, which is something that Baekhyun would normally find incredibly romantic if it weren’t for all the snot coating his hand. Smiling, he pulls his hand back.
“Should we get the bill?” Baekhyun suggests.
Tao nods dolefully and Baekhyun’s really sorry that he’s never going to see him again.
-
Baekhyun plops right on top of Jongdae’s sleeping form. Jongdae, not the most nimble person that he knows, merely yelps before Baekhyun’s pinning him down.
“What are you doing here?” Jongdae muffles through his pillow. When Baekhyun doesn’t respond and doesn’t even move, Jongdae does his best to scream through all the cotton in his mouth. “I’m dying here!!!”
Baekhyun kindly rolls off him and stares at the ceiling. “I was so excited to get out of class for the day because I was going to this fancy restaurant to meet a guy that you said was great!” He tries his hardest not to show how disappointed he is because he’s still not agreeable with the whole dating thing.
Jongdae blearily sits up and rubs a hand on his eye. “What happened?”
“He cried, Jongdae,” Baekhyun wails, covering his face with his arm. “Over me asking him to take a walk with me! I have nothing against crying but-I couldn’t stand it.”
“Yeah, Tao’s kind of a crier,” Jongdae says, lying back down.
Baekhyun lifts his arm off his face and turns to him. “You knew he’s a crier?”
“Yeah,” Jongdae slowly replies.
“And you didn’t think to tell me about it?!” Baekhyun’s voice is reaching hysterical levels, which makes Jongdae think of getting off the bed and making a run for it.
“He only cries when he’s really touched about something,” Jongdae defends his friend. “So it’s actually a good thing that he cried about going on a walk with you! It means he likes you and-“
“He looked like he was sent to assassinate me when he first arrived,” Baekhyun cuts him off sharply. “And then he cries like that.” He groans and half-buries his face in the bed. “I hate you. Why do I let you talk me into doing these things? I’m busy. I could’ve finished my homework with all the time I spent calming Tao down.”
“At least it’s over and done with?” Jongdae chuckles tentatively. Baekhyun merely continues to bury his face in Jongdae’s bed. “Aww, c’mon, Baek. I’m sorry. I really thought that you two would hit it off.” He wraps an arm around him and pulls him close.
“We did hit it off,” Baekhyun tells him, voice now muffled because of Jongdae’s bare torso. “Until he started spreading snot all over my hand.” He cringes again and impulsively bites the skin just below Jongdae’s collarbone. Maybe in that way Jongdae will understand just how uncomfortable he is about what happened.
Jongdae winces and tightly grips Baekhyun’s waist. “Damnit, Baek! I know you hate me, but you can’t just bite me!”
Baekhyun sighs and gently pats the bite mark in apology. “Will you let me stay over? You have to let me stay over. This is your fault!”
“Fine,” Jongdae answers. He can almost hear the pout in his best friend’s voice. “What about Jongin, though?”
“He has an overnight study thing with that ugly, gangly kid, Sehun,” Baekhyun yawns as he buries his face further in his best friend’s chest. “Will it be okay with Kyungsoo?” he asks softly.
“He’s out of town,” Jongdae answers drowsily, rubbing his hand up and down Baekhyun’s back. “Your toothbrush is in the bathroom and you know where my clothes are.”
“Too tired,” Baekhyun mumbles, his breath fanning Jongdae’s neck.
“Okay,” Jongdae says through Baekhyun’s hair, and they fall asleep like that.
-
“Ouch! That looks nasty!” Minseok comments when Jongdae walks into the café with a bruise below his collarbone. “Rough night?” he teases.
Baekhyun turns around and slaps the cup of vanilla latte that Jongdae regularly orders on the counter. He eyes the bruise and smiles. “He deserved it,” he states. Jongdae glares.
“Kyungsoo’s coming home tonight,” Jongdae tells Baekhyun, dutifully ignoring Minseok’s curious looks at them. “Want to come over? He’s making that Kimchi spaghetti that I despise, but you love.”
Baekhyun shakes his head. “Can’t,” he tells him. “I have a paper due in two days. I’m camping out in the library.”
“Who’s staying with Jongin?” Jongdae asks, concerned. Jongin’s like a younger brother to him as much as he is to Baekhyun. There have been days when he’s been tasked to look after the kid.
“Sehun, is staying over with him,” Baekhyun says with a deep breath. He can already feel the stress of his paper on his shoulders. He’s almost done with it, but he’ll never really feel relieved until it’s actually finished.
“You don’t need anyone looking after them?” Jongdae presses. “Are you sure they won’t burn the apartment down?”
Baekhyun laughs. “It’ll be fine,” he assures him. “Spend time with Kyungsoo.” He points at the bruise on his collarbone. “Tell him I pinched you really hard because you’re dumb.”
Jongdae makes a face at him as Baekhyun makes his way to the back.
“Isn’t this the first time he’s coming home in two weeks?” Junmyeon asks, overhearing the conversation. He leans against the counter as Jongdae takes a sip of his coffee.
“Yeah,” Jongdae shrugs. “He had this work thing in Japan.”
“So why were you inviting Baekhyun over?” Minseok wants to know.
“Because it’s what we do,” Jongdae answers promptly. “When Kyungsoo comes home, I always invite Baek over because Kyungsoo cooks. And it’s better that Baek’s there because, trust me, it’s better when someone actually enjoys Kyungsoo’s cooking.”
“Huh,” Junmyeon muses, a small smirk on his face.
“What?” Jongdae asks, looking from Junmyeon to Minseok.
“Nothing,” Junmyeon smiles that perfect smile of his, while Minseok attends to a customer.
“What are you still doing here?” Baekhyun demands when he goes back out to see Jongdae still standing there.
“Am I not allowed to hang out here?” Jongdae demands, affronted.
“Your class is starting in like five minutes, you dumbass,” Baekhyun states.
Jongdae glances at his watch and rapidly sprints out of the café.
-
Part 2
EXO | Baekhyun/Chen | PG | 8,131w
Fluff, Romance, Friendship
Maybe the reason why he's never been interested in dating anyone is because of his best friend.
This is especially for drainbamage954. ♥ Because she's simply awesome. This is my wedding gift to you for our wedding. Lmao. You deserve better, but I hope you like it anyway.
Thank you to loudestoflove for the beta work! I really appreciate it.
feels like I’ve fallen in love
Baekhyun’s someone who’s always been on the go. There is always something that occupies his time, whether it be medical degree or his job at the café outside of university or making sure that his bills are paid at home and that his cousin that was entrusted to him gets to eat three meals a day. This is why he doesn’t bother with trivial stuff. He doesn’t waste time with friends during lunch, preferring to stay in the library to get some additional study time in, much less go out with them in the evenings. He doesn’t say no when he’s handed extra shifts at the café because money doesn’t grow on trees and prefers working even over school activities or even outings with his classmates. There are always more important things to do than have fun or relax.
So when his best friend starts setting him up on blind dates because he feels Baekhyun needs time away from his books and coffee, it irritates him.
“I don’t need a relationship right now,” Baekhyun snaps at Jongdae who is in the middle of describing his really hot Chinese classmate. “I have my hands full with you as it is.”
“But he’s beautiful, Baek,” Jongdae whines and pouts as he watches Baekhyun move around in the kitchen. “Like his lashes are so long, that when he closes his eyes it fans down his smooth cheeks. His lips are pink and looks positively stunning when wrapped around something, like a straw, and I’m pretty sure it would feel good wrapped around your-“
“No,” Baekhyun turns around and away from the stove, slapping his phone away from Jongdae’s grasp. He glares down at his phone and immediately deletes Lu Han from his contacts list. He doesn’t care whether this Lu Han is a creature sent from heaven, he is not going to date him. “I don’t care about how his lips feel around…things.” He slaps Jongdae’s hand when he makes a move to grab his phone again. “Will you stop adding numbers on my phone!”
“You need to go out, Baek,” Jongdae insists. “You read way too many books, you’re starting to look like a book yourself.”
“Good,” Baekhyun retorts. “That way I can produce answers for my exams better.”
He places a plate of pancakes on the table and shoves it towards Jongdae, whose smile immediately brightens.
“Thanks so much for letting me have breakfast here,” Jongdae mutters through a full mouth. He looks around. “Isn’t Jongin coming to eat?”
“It’s 10 in the morning, Jongdae,” Baekhyun makes a face at him. “He’s in school.”
“Oh right,” Jongdae says. “I always forget he’s still in high school. I always think he’s older because, well, he looks older.”
“Well he isn’t,” Baekhyun reminds him. “So you can stop corrupting him with porn and bribing him to make me go out. Going out isn’t going to help with bills or make me graduate.”
Jongdae stops eating greedily for a second. “Baekhyun,” he frowns. “Hey,” he calls again when Baekhyun doesn’t even look up. “You’re allowed to have fun and have time for yourself. You deserve a break, too, you know.”
“I know,” Baekhyun sighs, taking a seat across from him. “It’s not that I don’t want to go out,” he then hedges just so Jongdae doesn’t feel too bad, which will probably be something he’ll regret. “It’s just…I don’t have time right now.”
“But when you do have time, you’ll go out?” Jongdae asks, hopeful.
“Maybe,” Baekhyun slowly answers, watching his best friend carefully.
“Hmm,” is all Jongdae says.
Baekhyun is sure that there’s something brewing in the back of Jongdae’s mind, but he decides not to think about it and turns to his textbook.
-
Baekhyun should have known that something was up when, all of a sudden, he was having less and less shifts in the café. He frowns at Minseok’s back as he’s left alone by the pantry, where Minseok has just told him that he can have Tuesdays and Thursdays off starting tomorrow.
“You look like you’re dying. Aren’t you supposed to be happy that you’re going to spend less time at this place?” Junmyeon chuckles.
“I like this place!” Baekhyun whines. Being at the café is comfortable and makes him feel secure that things are going to be okay because he has paychecks coming in. “I don’t mind being here all the time.” He narrows his eyes at Junmyeon. “You don’t like me being here, do you? Is it because I got Employee of the Month for the third time in a row?”
Junmyeon is a bit older than him and has been working in the café longer than he has. Before Baekhyun had started working there, Junmyeon was the star employee, the one that the staff and customers liked a lot. He supposes it makes sense because Junmyeon is handsome with his always-smiling face and kind words.
“Of course not,” Junmyeon chuckles, patting his shoulder. “Besides three months is nothing compared to 24 months.” He winks at him before making his way out to the counter, leaving Baekhyun sputtering.
When Baekhyun gets off his shift that afternoon, Jongdae is waiting for him outside. Baekhyun frowns and immediately crosses his arms across his chest because he just knows something is up. Jongdae never really visits him at the café.
“Come with me somewhere,” Jongdae says, tugging at Baekhyun’s arm without so much as a greeting.
Baekhyun just inwardly sighs and gives in because when Jongdae’s mind set to do something, nothing, not even Baekhyun’s punches, can stop him. He still remembers the black eye he’d given Jongdae.
They reach another café across town and Jongdae smiles sheepishly when Baekhyun shoots him an annoyed look.
“If you wanted to have coffee with me, we could’ve just done so where I work,” Baekhyun sighs. “We have discounts, you know.”
“A change of scenery is nice, don’t you think?” Jongdae tells him with a cheeky grin as soon as they enter the café.
Jongdae ushers him to a table and immediately scampers off to get them their drinks. Baekhyun leans back on his seat and takes in the place. He has to admit that Jongdae is right. A change of scenery is nice, even if that scenery still contained coffee grinders and mugs and coffee beans.
He searches for Jongdae in the small sea of students crowding by the counter, waiting for their drinks. There was a time when Baekhyun was one of those kids, who hung out with friends in cafes after school to study or just to chat. He remembers going on mini-dates with girls and boys, just getting to know each other, enjoying each other’s company and relaxing. If he were honest with himself, he’d say that he misses those times. He misses being carefree, only thinking about passing school and friends and crushes.
Now all he thinks about is how medicine is his lifeline. He can’t just pass medical school; he has to ace it if he wants to get anywhere. Because his life isn’t just about him anymore. It’s about Jongin, too, whom his family had taken in just because his dad left them, and just before his mom died.
“Can you stop thinking for one second?” Jongdae places his coffee on the table and slides into the seat across from his. “I could hear you all the way there, in the middle of the annoying university chatter.”
Baekhyun fixes him with a stare. “You are a part of that annoying university chatter,” he reminds him.
“I am a grad student,” Jongdae corrects him, making a face. He then smiles and claps his hands as he glances around. “So… how are you?”
“Jongdae,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes at him. “Where is he?”
“Who?” Jongdae blinks innocently.
“The guy you brought here to meet with me,” Baekhyun prompts. He looks around. “Where is he?”
Jongdae frowns. “I brought you here because I wanted to spend time with you away from somewhere too familiar,” he earnestly says. “We haven’t been spending a lot of time with each other, you know.”
“Depends on your definition of a lot since I’m pretty sure you’re always at my apartment,” Baekhyun quips good-naturedly. “You even have your own toothbrush in the bathroom that Jongin sometimes uses to clean the toilet.”
Baekhyun watches in amusement as Jongdae spits coffee out on the wooden table. He garners looks of disgusts from the patrons seated beside them but he couldn’t care less, not when the instrument that he uses to take painstaking care of his teeth has been tainted. For all he knows, his mouth smells like actual crap.
Jongdae continues to sputter for a couple of minutes before he takes a deep breath and decides that he’s not even going to dignify that statement with an actual response. Instead he smiles that wide smile of his that he knows annoys Baekhyun, which it does because his lips twitch.
“Isn’t it nice to hang out outside of your apartment, though?” Jongdae carries on as if the insinuation that he brushes his teeth with the same thing that cleans Baekhyun’s toilet hasn’t been made.
Baekhyun just rolls his eyes. “You brought me here because you’ve been insisting that I date,” he goes straight to the point. He glances around once more. “So where is he?”
Jongdae visibly deflates. He gets his phone from his pocket and dials a number. Shortly after, Tinkerbell walks into the café. Or it would’ve been Tinkerbell if she were actually a he.
“I’m Lu Han,” Tinkerbell introduces himself as Jongdae smirks by way of his exit. Lu Han extends a delicate hand with nicely manicured fingernails.
“Baekhyun,” he manages to get out as they shake hands. He then leans back on his seat, less than impressed. “So you’re Lu Han.”
Lu Han’s eyes shine at the knowledge that Baekhyun actually knows who he is. “Jongdae has told you about me,” he confirms with a smile.
The impromptu date seems to go well enough.
They sit there and go through the basics of dating question and answer, all while drinking their coffee. Lu Han talks a lot so Baekhyun just lets him. He laughs a lot, too, and Baekhyun starts finding him annoying because anyone who laughs that much probably has something wrong in the head. Or maybe it’s because Baekhyun’s just not really in a laughing mood at the moment.
But he does listen. He learns that Lu Han is in Jongdae’s Chinese language class, something that Baekhyun’s always thought was useless because Jongdae can still barely speak any Mandarin. Lu Han tells him all about the stuff he and Jongdae does in class, like write love letters in Chinese. Baekhyun smirks because it would be very interesting to find out to whom such letters are addressed.
When Lu Han gets to talking about random things, like the rainbow or unicorns, Baekhyun interrupts him.
“Are you sure you’re out of high school?” Baekhyun asks abruptly. It’s a question that’s been burning through him since they met. Jongdae wasn’t wrong about his lashes and pink lips. But he looks so much younger than he expected and it bothers him. “Because you look...” He laughs awkwardly.
Lu Han blinks at him and, subsequently, punches him on the face.
-
“How are you feeling?” Jongin asks, a frown marring his handsome young face. “You’ve been asleep for like two hours.”
“Just two?” Baekhyun rasps as he sits up from lying down on the couch because he feels like he’s been knocked out for far longer than that. He makes a face that makes him wince when he sees that Jongdae is there. “What are you doing here?”
“I made him stay,” Jongin answers instead. “This is his fault.”
“I’m not the one who got punched in the face,” Jongdae stoutly defends himself. “I say that the one who got punched is the one at fault in this whole thing.”
Baekhyun then wonders what Jongdae would think about that whole argument if Baekhyun punched him on the face. But instead of giving in to his sadistic desire, he gives an assuring smile to Jongin, who then shuffles to the kitchen to do his homework.
“He hates being called out on his baby face,” Jongdae then sighs in explanation as he slaps an ice pack on Baekhyun’s face.
Baekhyun’s left cheek is swollen, his eye forced half-shut. He really didn’t see Lu Han’s fist coming right at him. The next thing he knew he was awake in his bed with Jongin frowning at him, as well as Jongdae’s laughter echoing in the background.
“You call him that, too,” Baekhyun grunts in annoyance. Who punches people for being called young? He shoves Jongdae’s face away just because, and leans his head back on the couch. “I don’t see the difference.”
“Not to his face, I don’t,” Jongdae corrects him, forcing back the second bout of laughter bubbling up in his throat. “It’s something that he’s very sensitive about. Last month, he beat up this guy who is like a Wushu god and even he couldn’t stop Lu Han when he’s on a rampage about his baby face.”
“Great,” Baekhyun groans. “Thank you for telling me that piece of information. It’s very useful to me right now after getting beat up already and all.”
“You’re welcome,” Jongdae chirps back at him, shaking his head, still clearly in awe of Lu Han and his sudden strength when someone comments about his lack of age and manliness. “Tao had to resort to defending himself.” He shifts on the sofa to watch Baekhyun gently ice his face. “You’re really lucky all he did was punch you because he really went at it with Tao. It was a good thing he knew how to defend himself.”
“Maybe that’s the guy I should be dating,” Baekhyun weakly jokes. “That way he can defend me when Lu Han decides he wants round two.”
When Jongdae doesn’t respond, Baekhyun removes the ice pack from his face and looks at his best friend. There’s a look of wonder in Jongdae’s face that Baekhyun doesn’t like. Because when Jongdae gets that look he does things like setting Baekhyun up with friends who punches people when they’re called young.
“Whatever it is that you’re thinking, stop it right now,” Baekhyun demands as firmly as he could, except it’s quite hard because his face aches every time he so much as twitches.
“Tao is actually a really good guy,” Jongdae tells him, his catlike smile back on his face. Baekhyun’s hand jerks as if it has the sudden urge to slap that smile off his face. “Like a really good guy. When I had trouble with my Mandarin, he was the one who was patient enough to go through it with me.”
“Is everyone you know Chinese? Are they the only people who put up with you now?” Baekhyun snarls at him. Jongdae pokes his tongue out and Baekhyun wants to do something like cut it off. “I do not care whether he’s a good guy or not. I really don’t. So please, stop your mental vomit. No one is benefiting from it.”
“But you just said that he’s the kind of guy you should be dating,” Jongdae reasons. “And he really is. Because he really can protect you. Plus, he’s sweet, romantic, and likes long walks by himself. He also-“
“He likes to take long walks by himself?” Baekhyun questions that man’s sanity because what the fuck. “Maybe he shouldn’t date anyone. He seems to be doing alright dating himself.”
“I’m sure he’d enjoy it better if he had someone to walk with,” Jongdae brushes that tiny weird detail off. “So! What do you think? Do you want to meet this guy?”
Baekhyun bristles with irritation, but he really can’t pummel Jongdae to death when he’s looking at him with that pouting smiley expression that he does when he’s pleading for Baekhyun to do something for him.
“Oh my god why am I friends with you!” Baekhyun agrees even though his whole being is begging for him not to.
“Because you love me and because I have ice cream,” Jongdae triumphantly brings out the pint of chocolate ice cream that he bought especially for Baekhyun, “and I have that Running Man episode that you missed because of your exam.”
Baekhyun’s eyes light up. “The Girls’ Generation episode?”
Baekhyun smiles fondly as Jongdae sets the DVD and TV up. Jongdae always seems to remember details that no one really cares about; like how he wants his kitchen arranged or his clothes folded, stuff that Jongdae knows to do in his apartment even when Baekhyun’s not around. He never has to ask his best friend for anything because Jongdae just does it.
Jongdae hands him the pint of ice cream with a spoon as Baekhyun scoots closer to him.
“Ow,” Baekhyun whimpers when his left cheek comes into contact with Jongdae’s bony shoulder.
Jongdae absently leans down and kisses Baekhyun’s cheek while turning on the television and the DVD. “All better?” he asks.
Baekhyun nods with a contented smile on his face just as Yoo Jaesuk starts the opening spiel of the show. Jongdae chuckles as Baekhyun squeals in happiness when the Girls’ Generation members come out.
“You guys are gross,” Jongin calls out towards them.
“Do your homework, Jongin,” Baekhyun and Jongdae chorus as if in practiced precision.
-
Baekhyun finds himself in a fancy restaurant two weeks later. The swelling on his face is gone and the bruise has lightened to a yellowish lavender tone. With Jongin’s knowledge of taking care of bruises (being in dance club and all), combined with Jongdae’s words of encouragement (because he really is a useless human being), Baekhyun’s managed to retain the perfection that is his face. At the very least, he’ll still get to be called McDreamy in the wards, as has been his dream ever since he saw an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
He’s in the midst of making himself comfortable, sipping wine that the maître d' had so kindly poured for him when a tall, slim guy with dark clothes, dark hair, dark eyes, and dark aura arrives at the table. He looks down at Baekhyun like he’s deciding how to cook him for dinner.
“Y-yes?” Baekhyun chokes out. He’s gripping the butter knife tightly just in case he needs to use it. Although he’s fairly certain that it would be used on him after this ninja assassin is done with him.
“Are you Baekhyun?”
Baekhyun had expected a low, gravelly voice to go with the whole dark personality going on for him and not a cottony soft one. It throws him off-guard.
“Yes…” Baekhyun slowly responds. “Are you Tao?”
Ninja assassin’s face breaks into a smile that almost makes Baekhyun topple off his chair. It is that jarring.
“Huang Zitao,” Tao introduces himself with a handshake that practically makes Baekhyun’s arm pop out from its socket. He thinks he’ll make Jongdae bring him to the hospital later on. “And you’re Byun Baekhyun,” he shyly adds.
Tao is pretty much everything Jongdae mentioned him to be, and more. Aside from being sweet and romantic, Tao is also a straight A student and is very athletic, being the number one Wushu player or person or something in China. He is also funny. Baekhyun finds himself laughing at all his jokes, whether they’re actually funny or not. Maybe it’s because he’s had practice with Jongdae’s lameness.
“So…” Baekhyun hums curiously in the middle of dessert. “Jongdae’s mentioned to me that you like to take walks.”
Tao eyes widen slightly before he nods. “Yeah,” he confirms. “It’s a thing… that I do.” He apprehensively leans back on his seat. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” Baekhyun immediately responds. “Not at all. I just… I like taking walks, too.” He chuckles when Tao smiles, which is something he’s starting to take a liking to. “Maybe… we can take a walk some time, you know together. There’s this really nice place by the Han River where it-are you crying?” Baekhyun watches incredulously as Tao sniffs and wipes a tear sliding down his cheek.
“Sorry,” Tao snuffles.
“Why are you crying?” Baekhyun asks uncomfortably.
“I just…no one’s ever said that to me before,” Tao explains, cheeks still wet with tears. “I really enjoy taking walks and a lot of times I wonder what it would be like if I had someone taking those walks with me.” His face crumples as more tears come. “And then you come along and tell me you want to walk with me and I-“
Baekhyun has nothing against tears. He’s not some stiff dude who thinks that real men don’t cry, because everyone who is human cries. The thing is, he’s not sure how he feels about such a manly guy crying over him offering to take a walk with him like he’s just asked him to get married.
“It’s nothing serious,” Baekhyun tries to pacify him. “I mean, we’re not getting married. It’s just a walk.”
“But a walk is important to me!” Tao practically howls and Baekhyun cringes. “I really, really like taking walks and the thought that you want to-“
“Uh, Tao,” Baekhyun interrupts him and uncertainly reaches out for his hand across the table. “I’m sorry. Please stop crying.”
Tao reaches for his hand and kisses it, which is something that Baekhyun would normally find incredibly romantic if it weren’t for all the snot coating his hand. Smiling, he pulls his hand back.
“Should we get the bill?” Baekhyun suggests.
Tao nods dolefully and Baekhyun’s really sorry that he’s never going to see him again.
-
Baekhyun plops right on top of Jongdae’s sleeping form. Jongdae, not the most nimble person that he knows, merely yelps before Baekhyun’s pinning him down.
“What are you doing here?” Jongdae muffles through his pillow. When Baekhyun doesn’t respond and doesn’t even move, Jongdae does his best to scream through all the cotton in his mouth. “I’m dying here!!!”
Baekhyun kindly rolls off him and stares at the ceiling. “I was so excited to get out of class for the day because I was going to this fancy restaurant to meet a guy that you said was great!” He tries his hardest not to show how disappointed he is because he’s still not agreeable with the whole dating thing.
Jongdae blearily sits up and rubs a hand on his eye. “What happened?”
“He cried, Jongdae,” Baekhyun wails, covering his face with his arm. “Over me asking him to take a walk with me! I have nothing against crying but-I couldn’t stand it.”
“Yeah, Tao’s kind of a crier,” Jongdae says, lying back down.
Baekhyun lifts his arm off his face and turns to him. “You knew he’s a crier?”
“Yeah,” Jongdae slowly replies.
“And you didn’t think to tell me about it?!” Baekhyun’s voice is reaching hysterical levels, which makes Jongdae think of getting off the bed and making a run for it.
“He only cries when he’s really touched about something,” Jongdae defends his friend. “So it’s actually a good thing that he cried about going on a walk with you! It means he likes you and-“
“He looked like he was sent to assassinate me when he first arrived,” Baekhyun cuts him off sharply. “And then he cries like that.” He groans and half-buries his face in the bed. “I hate you. Why do I let you talk me into doing these things? I’m busy. I could’ve finished my homework with all the time I spent calming Tao down.”
“At least it’s over and done with?” Jongdae chuckles tentatively. Baekhyun merely continues to bury his face in Jongdae’s bed. “Aww, c’mon, Baek. I’m sorry. I really thought that you two would hit it off.” He wraps an arm around him and pulls him close.
“We did hit it off,” Baekhyun tells him, voice now muffled because of Jongdae’s bare torso. “Until he started spreading snot all over my hand.” He cringes again and impulsively bites the skin just below Jongdae’s collarbone. Maybe in that way Jongdae will understand just how uncomfortable he is about what happened.
Jongdae winces and tightly grips Baekhyun’s waist. “Damnit, Baek! I know you hate me, but you can’t just bite me!”
Baekhyun sighs and gently pats the bite mark in apology. “Will you let me stay over? You have to let me stay over. This is your fault!”
“Fine,” Jongdae answers. He can almost hear the pout in his best friend’s voice. “What about Jongin, though?”
“He has an overnight study thing with that ugly, gangly kid, Sehun,” Baekhyun yawns as he buries his face further in his best friend’s chest. “Will it be okay with Kyungsoo?” he asks softly.
“He’s out of town,” Jongdae answers drowsily, rubbing his hand up and down Baekhyun’s back. “Your toothbrush is in the bathroom and you know where my clothes are.”
“Too tired,” Baekhyun mumbles, his breath fanning Jongdae’s neck.
“Okay,” Jongdae says through Baekhyun’s hair, and they fall asleep like that.
-
“Ouch! That looks nasty!” Minseok comments when Jongdae walks into the café with a bruise below his collarbone. “Rough night?” he teases.
Baekhyun turns around and slaps the cup of vanilla latte that Jongdae regularly orders on the counter. He eyes the bruise and smiles. “He deserved it,” he states. Jongdae glares.
“Kyungsoo’s coming home tonight,” Jongdae tells Baekhyun, dutifully ignoring Minseok’s curious looks at them. “Want to come over? He’s making that Kimchi spaghetti that I despise, but you love.”
Baekhyun shakes his head. “Can’t,” he tells him. “I have a paper due in two days. I’m camping out in the library.”
“Who’s staying with Jongin?” Jongdae asks, concerned. Jongin’s like a younger brother to him as much as he is to Baekhyun. There have been days when he’s been tasked to look after the kid.
“Sehun, is staying over with him,” Baekhyun says with a deep breath. He can already feel the stress of his paper on his shoulders. He’s almost done with it, but he’ll never really feel relieved until it’s actually finished.
“You don’t need anyone looking after them?” Jongdae presses. “Are you sure they won’t burn the apartment down?”
Baekhyun laughs. “It’ll be fine,” he assures him. “Spend time with Kyungsoo.” He points at the bruise on his collarbone. “Tell him I pinched you really hard because you’re dumb.”
Jongdae makes a face at him as Baekhyun makes his way to the back.
“Isn’t this the first time he’s coming home in two weeks?” Junmyeon asks, overhearing the conversation. He leans against the counter as Jongdae takes a sip of his coffee.
“Yeah,” Jongdae shrugs. “He had this work thing in Japan.”
“So why were you inviting Baekhyun over?” Minseok wants to know.
“Because it’s what we do,” Jongdae answers promptly. “When Kyungsoo comes home, I always invite Baek over because Kyungsoo cooks. And it’s better that Baek’s there because, trust me, it’s better when someone actually enjoys Kyungsoo’s cooking.”
“Huh,” Junmyeon muses, a small smirk on his face.
“What?” Jongdae asks, looking from Junmyeon to Minseok.
“Nothing,” Junmyeon smiles that perfect smile of his, while Minseok attends to a customer.
“What are you still doing here?” Baekhyun demands when he goes back out to see Jongdae still standing there.
“Am I not allowed to hang out here?” Jongdae demands, affronted.
“Your class is starting in like five minutes, you dumbass,” Baekhyun states.
Jongdae glances at his watch and rapidly sprints out of the café.
-
Part 2