Finger Painting 1/2
Title: Finger Painting
Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Rating: pg-13
Genre: romance, slight drama/angst, college au
Summary: Baekhyun didn't know how he ended up modeling for some art student's midterm project. Or, well, he did -- it started with rap music and a half-finished sketch, and then there was bad espresso and he couldn't get that laugh out of his head. It's all a little stupid, but maybe that's okay.
He was right on schedule, finished with all of the assignments due the next day and about to get started on the next chapter in his organic chemistry book. Working one chapter ahead was his secret to staying at the top of the class. If he taught it to himself ahead of time, it was already familiar by the time they went over it in class, and he wasn't dependent on the teacher's lecturing skills. That was the problem with most of his classmates -- they expected the techer to do too much of the work for them. He hated that, when people were so dependent on others. Do it yourself or it's pointless, that was his perspective.
He always sat at the same spot in the library, a corner seat at one of the long tables on the second floor. It was far quieter than on the first floor, where there was the constant buzz of students around the tiny cafe and the sounds of people coming in and out. What little chatter there was, he tuned out until it became something like white noise. Relaxing, in its own way. He focused on his work best in this environment, near enough to other people and yet away.
He didn't even glance up as someone took the seat across from his. His textbook was open, and so that is where his mind was. He didn't hear the rustle of paper or see the quick, smooth strokes of the pencil. He wouldn't have known anything about this person at all, had the guy's elbow not caught on his own headphone cord. The cord popped out of the student's mp3 player, sending it into speaker mode -- and loud, ridiculously loud rap music suddenly filled the air.
"Shit, fuck, sorry -- I'm so sorry shit," the boy was stuttering, and even though Baekhyun was sure he wasn't the only one glaring, the apology seemed strangely directed at him. He shook his head and looked back down at his textbook, biting his lip when he saw the glaring yellow highlighter mark that had jumped across the page.
The boy had finally managed to shut off his stupid music, and he ducked his head and slid a piece of paper across the table before he fled. Baekhyun frowned and reached for it. "Hey! You forgot this!" But the boy was already gone. Baekhyun sighed. So annoying... He was going to crumple it up and recycle it later, but he stopped when he saw what it was.
It was a sketch. Of him.
He turned it right side up, curious against his will.
There was no mistaking it, even though it was obviously unfinished. The shape of the face, the slight downward arc of the eyes and mouth...this was him. He had wondered how someone could possibly study with such loud music blaring in his ears... It was probably a little creepy that this guy had sat there drawing him without his permission or anything, but...well...it was sort of flattering, right?
...He was being stupid. He was supposed to be studying. He brushed the sketch away from his things and focused determinedly on his textbook, though he couldn't for the life of him remember what he'd been reading about before that curly-haired kid had disrupted him.
Luckily, that jagged highlighter mark had kept his place.
...
He climbed into bed, alarm set and double checked, and he closed his eyes thirty minutes later than usual. That boy in the library had cost him precious time, since he'd thoroughly shattered Baekhyun's concentration. His mind had kept wandering after that, wondering who in the hell did semi-creepy sketches of strangers in their spare time and why he hadn't noticed. It was still bugging him, but not quite as much as the fact that he hadn't gotten a good enough look at the boy's face.
...He was being really, really stupid. It didn't matter, anyway. He was sure he wouldn't see that guy again, since he'd made such an embarrassment of himself earlier.
He rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow, but he still couldn't quite make his mind shut up, still very aware of the sketch sitting on the corner of his bedside table.
...
He was studying again, at the same seat on the second floor. Though he in no way had any official claim over this spot, he was there so often that it seemed practically reserved for him. It had been his refuge since freshman year, so it was comfortable, familiar. It barely took him any time at all to set out his study materials and get settled in his chair, and he began work on the chapter review.
Except that then he was thoroughly interrupted as a coffee cup was thrust into his line of vision.
"I'm sorry for yesterday." It was the boy from yesterday and he was babbling a mile a minute, all apologetic eyes and frizzy curls that had probably never seen conditioner in their life. "I wanted to make it up to you, so, here? It's espresso. I didn't know what you liked, so I asked the barista and she said this was the most popular thing, so I hope it's okay."
Baekhyun just sort of blinked at him. He really hadn't thought this guy would dare to show his face around here again, after he'd interrupted everyone's studying yesterday. He was getting a couple of dirty looks now, actually, but he seemed completely oblivious. Baekhyun wasn't really sure he wanted to be associated with this person, but, well...the guy had already bought the espresso. Might as well take it. "Thank you," he accepted it with a hesitant smile. He took a sip and tried not to choke. He only took his coffee with copious amounts of cream and sugar, but this, this was horrifically black. He wanted to spit it out, and then immediately brush his teeth -- but that was not currently an option, unfortunately. He set it down on the table and tried not to look like he was about to throw up.
He figured that was it, and that now the boy would continue on his merry way -- but he was wrong, because the kid climbed into the seat across from him instead. Baekhyun looked down determinedly at his textbook, but he couldn't stop himself from watching out of his peripherals as the boy pulled out a sketchbook and pencil and made himself comfortable in his chair. He was tall, Baekhyun saw now. Tall and thin, with a face that was too pretty for the deep voice that rumbled out of his mouth. The boy caught him looking and smiled a little sheepishly, tapping his pencil against the table. "Sorry -- is this okay?"
Baekhyun nodded without thinking. "Yeah, sure. Of course." Another sketch, then. Was he really that interesting, that this person wanted to draw him more than once? Or maybe it was just because he hadn't gotten a chance to finish it the day before.
Either way, Baekhyun was being stupid. He buried his nose in his textbook and focused determinedly on the list of key terms.
He looked up only once or twice, when he remembered the espresso and felt obligated to force a bit more down his throat.
...
The boy stretched and downed his own now cold espresso in one shot. "All done! Want to see?"
Baekhyun reached out to take the sketch and turned it around in his hands. It was more perfect than the last, with completed lips and jawline. It was definitely him, down to the slope of his nose and the tiny mole above his mouth. Baekhyun's finger traced a crisp line, and it smudged immediately. "Shit, I'm sorry! I completely ruined it."
"No, you didn't." The boy leaned across the table and considered the sketch for a moment, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. He smudged a line with his thumb, then another and another. "I think I like it better like this, actually. Soft focus, you know? Pretty~" Baekhyun must have made a face, because the boy laughed. "Trust me! It's perfect."
"If you say so," he said, but he wasn't entirely convinced.
...
Baekhyun laid there for hours that night, but sleep refused to come to him. He blamed it on that disgusting espresso.
Also a bit on that boy's laugh, and on smudged lines.
...
It was after lab about a week later, and Baekhyun had already taken up his usual seat in the library. He was just getting to work editing his lab report when the curly-headed boy plopped down in the seat across from him, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "Do you live here? I never see you anywhere else."
"Basically," Baekhyun replied, barely looking up from his materials. "I'm pre-med."
"Ohhhh, you're one of thooooooose." The boy made a face, but then he laughed. "I'm an art major!"
"I hadn't guessed."
The boy looked like he believed it for about a quarter of a second, but then he caught on and laughed, clapping his hands. "So pre-med kid d have a sense of humor!"
"Shhhh. You're going to get us kicked out."
"Oh, right." And the boy obediently fell silent.
Baekhyun knew he was supposed to feel irritated, or at the very least exasperated that this guy kept interrupting his work and throwing off his entire study schedule -- but he found that he didn't feel that way at all. Even the sketching thing, which he probably should've found creepy...was just a little flattering. It wasn't like the guy was stalking him back to his dorm room or anything, so there weren't any problems there. He shrugged slightly to himself and turned back to his materials.
Then the boy seemed to remember what he came for, because he set his sketch from last week down on the table. "I got a really good grade on this," he said, already babbling almost before Baekhyun could tear his eyes from a paragraph on Barton decarboxylation. "My highest marks yet, actually -- so I was wondering if I could paint you for my midterm project? Please please please~"
Baekhyun just gaped at him. Paint? Him? He hadn't minded the sketching thing, but being painted for a midterm was completely different... They didn't even know each other, aside from a couple of chance run-ins here in the library. What kind of time committment would that be? He had studying of his own to do, and seriously, he didn't even know this guy.
And yet, the full-blown puppy dog eyes the tall boy was giving him, all but sprawled across the tabletop with his hands clasped in front of his face, was making him hesitate.
"...do you even know my name?"
"Byun Baekhyun!" ...Okay, that was a little creepy. Baekhyun must've made a face, because the boy backpedaled quickly. "I, uh, asked around. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, a little awkward. Baekhyun hated himself a little, because he instantly forgave him. "Do you know mine? I'm--"
"Park Chanyeol, right?" Baekhyun tapped the neat signature in the sketch's lower lefthand corner with a fingertip, and the boy's - Chanyeol's - face split into a grin.
"Yeah, that's right! So, will you do it?"
Baekhyun chewed his lip, glancing down at his unfinished lab report, then at his watch. He was already behind schedule... And, really -- him, as the subject for some kid's midterm assignment? He didn't think he was ugly by any means, but he didn't really think he was model material, either. "I don't know if I can," he said frankly. "I don't have much free time. Pre-med, remember? Lots of studying for midterms, so I don't know if--"
"Oh, that's okay! I can paint you while you work!" Chanyeol was persistent, he'd give him that. And, judging from his limited experience with the boy, he'd be likely to bother him at the library every single day till he consented. Baekhyun di not ant to be force fed any more espresso, thank you very much. "Trust me, you're perfect for this. Please just let me?"
Baekhyun caved with a sigh, his shoulders sinking.
"Okay."
And that was that.
...
Turned out painting wasn't allowed in the library, which Chanyeol only learned after he tried it and got both he and Baekhyun kicked out. Baekhyun knew he should have been mad, because really, it was just s stupid - but he found himself laughing instead at the expression of complete bewilderment on Chanyeol's face.
They relocated to Chanyeol's apartment because it was closer than Baekhyun's, and Chanyeol had forgotten some things there anyway. Baekhyun took a seat at Chanyeol's formerly unused desk, a little awkward and self-conscious as Chanyeol dragged over an easel and a small mountain of other art supplies he couldn't even begin to name. He flicked on the desk lamp and opened his textbook, though he paused to look at the art student uncertainly. "Is this okay? Do you need me to move or anything?"
"You're fine, you're fine~" Chanyeol said with a grin, and Baekhyun only felt a little reassured. "Just do your work, and I'll do mine. Don't think so much."
Don't think. Right.
Baekhyun sighed and rolled his shoulders, flipping open his textbook to the current chapter. He uncapped his yellow highlighter and began to read, letting his mind lose itself in the finer points of the Kindler reaction until he forgot, almost completely, that he was sitting in an unfamiliar apartment while a tall boy he barely knew painted his picture.
He worked in silence, and Chanyeol painted with his headphones on, the faintest bit of rap escaping around the edges and leaking white noise into the air. It wasn't until he got up to go to the bathroom that Baekhyun realized that Chanyeol was painting with his hands -- a huge mess of colors, paint up past his elbows and in his hair.
"This is just the base," Chanyeol said, swiping at his nose and getting purple all over it. "There's still a lot to do." Baekhyun shrugged as if he understood, because he didn't, though he did think he could make out the outline of an ear and the corner of his jaw. "You can come over again tomorrow, right?"
"Sure, I guess."
His schedule would need some adjusting.
...
Baekhyun rubbed the sleep from his eyes and highlighted in pink as the professor spoke. He was still not used to his altered routine, perhaps because the word "routine" fit it so loosely. That he woke up and went to class hadn't changed, but now he went to Chanyeol's apartment instead of the library and studied there until stomachs started growling. Then, lately, he'd stay even after, and Chanyeol would buy him takeout and they would laugh at something mindless on tv. He'd find paint on his clothes later and wonder how it got there, and it was only when he laid in bed, past his usual bedtime, that he would remember Chanyeol's hand on his back or his shoulder or his knee.
He shook his head suddenly, realizing that he'd missed at least two minutes of what the professor had been saying, and he swore under his breath. Byun Baekhyun did not daydream in class. He took detailed notes and color-coded them and worked a chapter ahead in all of his textbooks -- and he most certainly wasn't going to let some tall art student take over his thoughts, the week before midterms.
Except that he realized he really might, when he passed Chanyeol on the sidewalk between classes, in the same clothes as yesterday and laughing through his "Hi, Baekhyun, I'm running late but I'll see you later~"
That laugh, like music, that played on in his head even when he was alone.
Somewhere along the line, he had gotten invested in this project. Invested in Chanyeol. It was too late, now, to even think of backing out.
...
"Can you stay later tonight?" Baekhyun stopped where he stood and looked at Chanyeol a little curiously. Never in the week and a half they'd been doing this had Chanyeol asked him to stay longer, and never had he painted later than about 7pm. "Sorry, I should've asked earlier -- I'm just worried about getting this done. It's not looking quite right." He hadn't ever heard Chanyeol express worry about anything, either.
"Yeah, I guess I can stay," he said, and he sat back down slowly. He had finished everything he had planned to for the day, so what could he do? He drummed his fingers on the desk and chewed his lip, feeling useless.
Chanyeol slung his headphones around his neck, blue paint smudged into the padding. "Sing for me, Baekhyun," he demanded cheerily, as if this were the most normal request in the world.
Baekhyun made a face at him. He had to be joking. "Why?"
"Because I said so~" Chanyeol laughed when Baekhyun glared. "Because I like your voice, and I want to hear you sing more than just SNSD songs when they're on music shows. Besides, you have nothing better to do."
"I don't just sing SNSD," Baekhyun protested, crossing his arms. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at him, and he broke into a laugh. "Okay, fine -- I'll sing something else this time." He shifted in his chair, rubbing his hands on his jeans a little nervously. He felt hyperaware of Chanyeol's gaze on him as he took a deep breath, but he got a reassuring grin and found himself smiling. Okay. He could do this. He decided on a song, Super Junior, since Chanyeol was undeniably an ELF -- and he sang.
It was easy, like this. To just sing a song he liked, with Chanyeol's eyes on him and him alone. He was confident in his voice, perhaps more confident in it than he was in most things, and it was fun when someone actually cared to listen.
The last note hung in the air, and he smiled a little uncertainly. Chanyeol cheered and clapped his hands, getting paint absolutel everywhere, and Baekhyun busted out laughing as he freaked out over getting some on the painting. "Stupid." But then Chanyeol aimed one of his twitchy grins at him around the canvas, and Baekhyun's heart felt so light that he figured he was probably a little stupid, too.
...
Chanyeol was breathless over the phone. "I finished it just in time. Just turned it in. Want to go out tonight to celebrate with me?"
"Go out where?"
"I heard about this club downtown from my friend Kai! Loud music, flashy lights and all that, so--"
"Okay." Baekhyun said yes before he could talk himself out of it. He hadn't been out in ages, and he'd had his last midterm that morning, so why the hell not? He could go for a little celebration. And any excuse to see Chanyeol again was fine with him.
"Awesome. I'll pick you up at 11, so look sexy!"
Baekhyun was startled into a laugh. Sexy? What? Chanyeol was an idiot, but he could play along. Maybe he was a little high on the teasing lilt in Chanyeol's voice, because he was feeling cocky. "Easy, since I do already. I'm a model, remember? You, on the other hand..."
"Shut up -- you know I'm hot."
"You sound pretty confident, for a guy with the worst perm known to man."
"Whatever~ It has its charm."
Baekhyun couldn't really argue that. Those stupid frizzy curls had kind of grown on him, probably more than he was willing to admit. "If you say so," he said, but he was smiling even as he rolled his eyes. "I'm hanging up on you now."
"Okay! I'll see you tonight!"
It wasn't until Baekhyun tucked his phone back into his pocket that he wondered if this was supposed to feel like a date.
...
Chanyeol was late, as expected -- but Baekhyun used every second to get ready. It had been a long time since he'd last broken out his ultra skinnies, and he was relieved they still fit. He was pretty proud of his hair, which he'd finally gotten to look messy and effortless after an hour of styling.
It was worth it, for the open-mouthed gaping Chanyeol did when he answered the door. "Damn, Baekhyun -- you look...really hot. Eyeliner's great on you."
Baekhyun smiled and shoved him, pleased. "Shut up."
Chanyeol looked good, too, slim fit pants on mile-long legs, and for once his mess of curls looked soft and shining. Chanyeol caught him looking as they stood in the packed subway and nudged his shoulder. "What?"
"Nothing," he mumbled. He tore his eyes away and blamed the heat in his cheeks on the crowded train.
The club was loud and full almost to bursting point, but they got in. Probably had Chanyeol's face to thank for that. He really was good-looking, when he got his expression under control -- though it was the twitch that tended to make Baekhyun's heart do weird things in his chest. Chanyeol grabbed his arm and dragged him into the very middle of it all, where it was impossibly hot and everyone was packed so closely together that personal space no longer existed. Baekhyun wondered if this was the part where Chanyeol traded him for some random girl and they met up again later. Which was far from what he wanted, honestly, but he'd play that game if he had to. He started to pull away, but Chanyeol still had his arm and he pulled him closer instead, leaning in close to be heard over the pounding music. "Want a drink? I'll buy you one." Someone bumped into them, and Chanyeol's lips brushed Baekhyun's ear. He tried not to shiver.
"No, you'll never be able to find me again, anyway." Not in this crowd. No chance in hell. Besides, someone who looked like Chanyeol was likely to be stopped every few feet by people who wanted him, and Baekhyun was not about to help that happen.
Chanyeol grinned at him and dropped a hand to the small of his back, easy as anything. "You'll dance with me, right?"
Baekhyun swallowed hard and nodded, sliding his hands up to Chanyeol's shoulders. "Of course, stupid." And Baekhyun wasn't sure if it was his heart pounding out of control or just the bass, as their bodies moved together.
Don't think so much, he reminded himself, and he laughed as Chanyeol stepped on his toes. Not the strongest dancer, then -- but neither was he. The song changed, and he felt the ripple of excitement through Chanyeol's body as he cheered, "SNSD!! Take it away, Baekhyun!" And he sang, just to keep that delighted expression on Chanyeol's face.
...
Baekhyun's throat hurt from singing by the time they left the club, but he didn't much care because Chanyeol had guided him out by the hand and hadn't let go. It was a little chilly out, now that he was covered in sweat, but it was a relief to be able to breathe fresh air again. Chanyeol swung their clasped hands between them as they walked, and Baekhyun caught his smile. "Fun?"
"Very." And his face did that stupid twitchy grin, and Baekhyun had to look away.
"Let's go again sometime." Would that be okay? He didn't want this to be the first and the last time they went out together, just the two of them, even though Chanyeol's idea of clubbing was apparently more like karaoke in a ridiculously crowded room. It was dumb, to spend so much time getting ready and to pay the cover charge just for that, but...well, it was different, and it was fun. And it meant he got Chanyeol's arms around him, which he now knew that he wanted.
"Okay! How about tomorrow?"
Baekhyun laughed, surprised, and he shoved at Chanyeol's shoulder. "Are you stupid? No!" Of course, Chanyeol would make it that easy. He wasn't sure if that was a relief or not, if it meant Chanyeol wasn't taking him as seriously as he wanted -- but right then he didn't care. He took a chance and interlaced their fingers, because he could, and he saw Chanyeol's smile out of the corner of his eye.
...
Baekhyun was still in bed when his phone went off the next morning, and he grumbled incoherently as he pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Baekhyun, hi! Sorry, were you still sleeping?"
That voice was enough to get Baekhyun's eyes open, though not quite enough to get him to sit up. He frowned at his alarm clock, trying to make his eyes focus on the numbers, and he groaned when he saw it wasn't even 10:00 yet. "Chanyeol, what the hell...it's early."
"Nooooo, 7:00 is early. It's practically midday!"
"What do you want?" Baekhyun complained, rolling over and burrowing back into his nest of blankets. His throat was still a little dry and scratchy from the night before, and he coughed a little.
"Come over and paint with me!" He could hear the grin in Chanyeol's voice, and he sort of hated the way it made his heart speed up. He buried his face in his pillow. No. He was tired and his throat hurt. He was going back to sleep. "Please? I'll buy you breakfast~"
"Bribery won't get you anywhere."
"Aww, you're no fun..."
Someone as tall and deep-voiced as Chanyeol shouldn't be able to pout so well. It really wasn't fair.
"...Fine, I'll come over. But I demand coffee. With cream and sugar this time."
"Awesome! Baekhyun, you're the best!"
"I know, I know," he grumbled, finally sitting up and rubbing his tired eyes. This was stupid. He didn't know why he was agreeing to this.
...except that he did, and he wasn't sure if that was terrifying or thrilling. "I'm hanging up now."
"Okay! See you soon!"
He raked a hand through his hair and wondered what "paint with me" meant. Another portrait of him? Surely Chanyeol had to be sick of his face by now. He didn't feel much like modeling, head still a little heavy with sleep and throat raspy, but...Chanyeol had asked nicely. And was going to buy him breakfast. He'd be a fool to turn that down.
...
Baekhyun was feeling a little better, by the time he had some coffee and some cream bread in him, though he wondered if that might have also had something to do with Chanyeol's laugh and feet that kept knocking his under the table. He didn't know how Chanyeol was so bright at this hour, when they'd been out half the night, but that smile was infectious. He'd meant to complain more about being dragged out of bed for this, but he found that he didn't really want to. He sipped the last of his coffee and traced the handle with a fingertip as Chanyeol ran around setting up a canvas and arranging supplies.
"What's this one for?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "I thought midterms were over."
"For fun!" And Chanyeol grinned, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. He waved Baekhyun over excitedly. "I thought it'd be fun to paint with you this time, so come here. I haven't tried this before, so we'll see what happens~"
"Pain with e?" Baekhyun frowned, a little confused. Chanyeol clapped a hand onto his shoulder and guided him over to the easel, rolling up his sleeves for him and shoving him gently toward the paints.
"Yeah! Let's try it together this time!"
"...Maybe I didn't make this clear before, but I'm pre-med. I don't paint," Baekhyun said flatly. He was pretty sure Chanyeol had lost it. Weren't paints expensive? It seemed like such a waste for him to even touch it, when Chanyeol made such beautiful art on his own.
"Just try it~" Chanyeol insisted, dragging Baekhyun by the wrist and plunging his hand into the brightest orange. Baekhyun yelped at the cold, the paint thick and sort of gross to the touch, and he shot Chanyeol a look. "Don't make that face. Paint~"
"It might be easier if you told m what e were painting."
Chanyeol dipped a fingertip in yellow and smeared it along the upper edge of the canvas, and he grinned down at Baekhyun. "Abstract art! Just paint whatever you feel like."
Baekhyun sighed. That was so unhelpful...and, pre-med or not, he was fairly positive that wasn't how abstract art worked. He should've known by now, though, that that was about the best he could expect from Chanyeol. He pressed two of his fingers to the canvas, dragging them down in an arc. Chanyeol added a splatter of red while Baekhyun went for lilac, and the color combination was ugly -- but the tips of Chanyeol's fingers brushed the side of his palm, and that made it more than okay.
He only stepped back to survey the damage when the paints were so mixed up he couldn't tell sea green from indigo and his hands were dripping color everywhere. "This is...awful," he said, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing at the brownish blackish mess they had created together. Chanyeol blinked at it for a moment, and then he started laughing, too -- that laugh that shook his whole body and made him clap his paint-laden hands. "Watch it!" Baekhyun protested, but there was already paint all over everything and his clothes were ruined.
"We painted too fast," Chanyeol said, watching with great amusement as their masterpiece dripped onto the floor.
"Hmm, I wonder whose fault that could be," Baekhyun teased, and he reached up to dot paint on Chanyeol's nose.
And, for a second, Chanyeol was completely stunned, his mouth falling open as if he couldn't believe Baekhyun would do such a thing -- but then mischief was writing itself all over that face. "Ohhh, you're asking for it now."
Baekhyun squeaked and ducked away. "No no no, Park Chanyeol, don't you dare!" But now it was a game, and he squirmed and laughed as Chanyeol got what had to have been almost a full handprint across his cheekbone.
He knew he'd lost when Chanyeol's fingers found his impossibly ticklish neck, and they collapsed in a heap of giggles and mixed colors on the floor.
"I like this painting much better," Chanyeol said, poking a finger into a splotch near Baekhyun's ear.
"Stupid." Baekhyun rolled away onto his back because they were too close, and his heart wouldn't shut up. Twice now, he'd been painted by Chanyeol. The first time onto canvas and now painted in his own skin. He tipped his head to look at the canvas they'd ruined together and wondered what the portrait Chanyeol had painted of him had ended up looking like. He'd never gotten to see the finished product before it had been turned in.
Chanyeol yawned and stretched out every inch of his too-long limbs, and then he climbed to his feet. He surveyed their masterpiece with a thoughtful "hmm", and then he offered a hand to Baekhyun to help him up. "Well, Baekhyun, you're officially a painter now. Just like me!"
"I hope all of your paintings don't come out looking like this," Baekhyun grimaced. He accepted the hand up, but Chanyeol didn't let go.
"We just went too abstract this time. It's much easier if you have a real subject to paint." There was paint all over his face and down the front of his shirt, and there was green dripping from his stupid perm, but he was grinning that stupid grin and Baekhyun had to look away. "Want to know the secret to painting something beautiful?" Baekhyun nodded, his eyes trained on their failed artwork even as he felt Chanyeol's gaze on him. "Love."
"What?" Baekhyun meant to scoff, but it didn't quite come out that way. Chanyeol just tugged on his fingers.
"I'm being serious," he said, despite the pleased little smile on his face. "That's the only way -- because then you see all the little things, without missing a single detail. And, when you love it, you see every little piece of it as beautiful, so you paint it that way."
Baekhyun swallowed hard. His heart was pounding, because he knew what he wanted Chanyeol to mean but he wasn't sure if that was really what he was saying, and he searched Chanyeol's paint-covered face with his eyes. "Are you...?"
"It's weird, 'cause I finished your portrait, and that's usually it." Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders, and he scratched at a bit of paint that was drying on his neck. "But...I don't know. I still really, really like you."
And Baekhyun had no idea what to say to that. He opened his mouth, but no words seemed to be coming out. It felt like all the air had gone out of his lungs, that light-headed feeling, and all he could do was stand and stare stupidly from Chanyeol to their painting to their paint-covered fingers that were still twisted together between them.
"...This is the part where I'm going to assume it's okay to kiss you if you don't say anything in the next five seconds." Chanyeol had that cheeky look on his face, and Baekhyun made up his mind right there. He slid a hand around the back of Chanyeol's neck and dragged him down, and he pressed a quick kiss to Chanyeol's mouth before he could think himself out of it.
Chanyeol was surprised, and Baekhyun laughed, both at the look on his face and out of sheer relief that he'd finally done it. He'd kissed Park Chanyeol, who hadn't left his thoughts alone since that half-finished sketch in the library.
And then he squeaked, because Chanyeol had him by the shoulders and crushed their mouths together again.
He should've known that Chanyeol would be an eager kisser, since he was eager with everything else. That wide mouth was insistent against his, tipping and pressing, and he latched onto that full lower lip with his teeth just to keep him still for a moment. He could feel Chanyeol's heartbeat beneath his fingertips. Chanyeol tasted like coffee and cream buns and warmth, as their tongues slid together, and then just a bit like paint.
"Wait, Chanyeol -- is this paint toxic?"
Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders with an unhelpful grin. "Probably." He leaned in for another kiss anyway, but Baekhyun clamped a hand over his mouth.
"No. Wash up first. I am not getting lead poisoning from this."
It was hard to be mad, though, when Chanyeol was pouting so cutely at him, and it became downright impossible when he pressed a rebellious kiss to his cheek. Baekhyun swatted him away, but he was laughing, and it hit him then how happy he was. He let Chanyeol take a damp washcloth to his face and to get the worst from his hands, and then he let him kiss him again.
...
Baekhyun went home that night in borrowed, too big clothes, with lips bruised from kissing. There were still traces of paint under his fingernails and behind his ears, and he crawled into bed with Chanyeol's "I like you" echoing in his head.
[ Part 2]
Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Rating: pg-13
Genre: romance, slight drama/angst, college au
Summary: Baekhyun didn't know how he ended up modeling for some art student's midterm project. Or, well, he did -- it started with rap music and a half-finished sketch, and then there was bad espresso and he couldn't get that laugh out of his head. It's all a little stupid, but maybe that's okay.
He was right on schedule, finished with all of the assignments due the next day and about to get started on the next chapter in his organic chemistry book. Working one chapter ahead was his secret to staying at the top of the class. If he taught it to himself ahead of time, it was already familiar by the time they went over it in class, and he wasn't dependent on the teacher's lecturing skills. That was the problem with most of his classmates -- they expected the techer to do too much of the work for them. He hated that, when people were so dependent on others. Do it yourself or it's pointless, that was his perspective.
He always sat at the same spot in the library, a corner seat at one of the long tables on the second floor. It was far quieter than on the first floor, where there was the constant buzz of students around the tiny cafe and the sounds of people coming in and out. What little chatter there was, he tuned out until it became something like white noise. Relaxing, in its own way. He focused on his work best in this environment, near enough to other people and yet away.
He didn't even glance up as someone took the seat across from his. His textbook was open, and so that is where his mind was. He didn't hear the rustle of paper or see the quick, smooth strokes of the pencil. He wouldn't have known anything about this person at all, had the guy's elbow not caught on his own headphone cord. The cord popped out of the student's mp3 player, sending it into speaker mode -- and loud, ridiculously loud rap music suddenly filled the air.
"Shit, fuck, sorry -- I'm so sorry shit," the boy was stuttering, and even though Baekhyun was sure he wasn't the only one glaring, the apology seemed strangely directed at him. He shook his head and looked back down at his textbook, biting his lip when he saw the glaring yellow highlighter mark that had jumped across the page.
The boy had finally managed to shut off his stupid music, and he ducked his head and slid a piece of paper across the table before he fled. Baekhyun frowned and reached for it. "Hey! You forgot this!" But the boy was already gone. Baekhyun sighed. So annoying... He was going to crumple it up and recycle it later, but he stopped when he saw what it was.
It was a sketch. Of him.
He turned it right side up, curious against his will.
There was no mistaking it, even though it was obviously unfinished. The shape of the face, the slight downward arc of the eyes and mouth...this was him. He had wondered how someone could possibly study with such loud music blaring in his ears... It was probably a little creepy that this guy had sat there drawing him without his permission or anything, but...well...it was sort of flattering, right?
...He was being stupid. He was supposed to be studying. He brushed the sketch away from his things and focused determinedly on his textbook, though he couldn't for the life of him remember what he'd been reading about before that curly-haired kid had disrupted him.
Luckily, that jagged highlighter mark had kept his place.
...
He climbed into bed, alarm set and double checked, and he closed his eyes thirty minutes later than usual. That boy in the library had cost him precious time, since he'd thoroughly shattered Baekhyun's concentration. His mind had kept wandering after that, wondering who in the hell did semi-creepy sketches of strangers in their spare time and why he hadn't noticed. It was still bugging him, but not quite as much as the fact that he hadn't gotten a good enough look at the boy's face.
...He was being really, really stupid. It didn't matter, anyway. He was sure he wouldn't see that guy again, since he'd made such an embarrassment of himself earlier.
He rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow, but he still couldn't quite make his mind shut up, still very aware of the sketch sitting on the corner of his bedside table.
...
He was studying again, at the same seat on the second floor. Though he in no way had any official claim over this spot, he was there so often that it seemed practically reserved for him. It had been his refuge since freshman year, so it was comfortable, familiar. It barely took him any time at all to set out his study materials and get settled in his chair, and he began work on the chapter review.
Except that then he was thoroughly interrupted as a coffee cup was thrust into his line of vision.
"I'm sorry for yesterday." It was the boy from yesterday and he was babbling a mile a minute, all apologetic eyes and frizzy curls that had probably never seen conditioner in their life. "I wanted to make it up to you, so, here? It's espresso. I didn't know what you liked, so I asked the barista and she said this was the most popular thing, so I hope it's okay."
Baekhyun just sort of blinked at him. He really hadn't thought this guy would dare to show his face around here again, after he'd interrupted everyone's studying yesterday. He was getting a couple of dirty looks now, actually, but he seemed completely oblivious. Baekhyun wasn't really sure he wanted to be associated with this person, but, well...the guy had already bought the espresso. Might as well take it. "Thank you," he accepted it with a hesitant smile. He took a sip and tried not to choke. He only took his coffee with copious amounts of cream and sugar, but this, this was horrifically black. He wanted to spit it out, and then immediately brush his teeth -- but that was not currently an option, unfortunately. He set it down on the table and tried not to look like he was about to throw up.
He figured that was it, and that now the boy would continue on his merry way -- but he was wrong, because the kid climbed into the seat across from him instead. Baekhyun looked down determinedly at his textbook, but he couldn't stop himself from watching out of his peripherals as the boy pulled out a sketchbook and pencil and made himself comfortable in his chair. He was tall, Baekhyun saw now. Tall and thin, with a face that was too pretty for the deep voice that rumbled out of his mouth. The boy caught him looking and smiled a little sheepishly, tapping his pencil against the table. "Sorry -- is this okay?"
Baekhyun nodded without thinking. "Yeah, sure. Of course." Another sketch, then. Was he really that interesting, that this person wanted to draw him more than once? Or maybe it was just because he hadn't gotten a chance to finish it the day before.
Either way, Baekhyun was being stupid. He buried his nose in his textbook and focused determinedly on the list of key terms.
He looked up only once or twice, when he remembered the espresso and felt obligated to force a bit more down his throat.
...
The boy stretched and downed his own now cold espresso in one shot. "All done! Want to see?"
Baekhyun reached out to take the sketch and turned it around in his hands. It was more perfect than the last, with completed lips and jawline. It was definitely him, down to the slope of his nose and the tiny mole above his mouth. Baekhyun's finger traced a crisp line, and it smudged immediately. "Shit, I'm sorry! I completely ruined it."
"No, you didn't." The boy leaned across the table and considered the sketch for a moment, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. He smudged a line with his thumb, then another and another. "I think I like it better like this, actually. Soft focus, you know? Pretty~" Baekhyun must have made a face, because the boy laughed. "Trust me! It's perfect."
"If you say so," he said, but he wasn't entirely convinced.
...
Baekhyun laid there for hours that night, but sleep refused to come to him. He blamed it on that disgusting espresso.
Also a bit on that boy's laugh, and on smudged lines.
...
It was after lab about a week later, and Baekhyun had already taken up his usual seat in the library. He was just getting to work editing his lab report when the curly-headed boy plopped down in the seat across from him, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "Do you live here? I never see you anywhere else."
"Basically," Baekhyun replied, barely looking up from his materials. "I'm pre-med."
"Ohhhh, you're one of thooooooose." The boy made a face, but then he laughed. "I'm an art major!"
"I hadn't guessed."
The boy looked like he believed it for about a quarter of a second, but then he caught on and laughed, clapping his hands. "So pre-med kid d have a sense of humor!"
"Shhhh. You're going to get us kicked out."
"Oh, right." And the boy obediently fell silent.
Baekhyun knew he was supposed to feel irritated, or at the very least exasperated that this guy kept interrupting his work and throwing off his entire study schedule -- but he found that he didn't feel that way at all. Even the sketching thing, which he probably should've found creepy...was just a little flattering. It wasn't like the guy was stalking him back to his dorm room or anything, so there weren't any problems there. He shrugged slightly to himself and turned back to his materials.
Then the boy seemed to remember what he came for, because he set his sketch from last week down on the table. "I got a really good grade on this," he said, already babbling almost before Baekhyun could tear his eyes from a paragraph on Barton decarboxylation. "My highest marks yet, actually -- so I was wondering if I could paint you for my midterm project? Please please please~"
Baekhyun just gaped at him. Paint? Him? He hadn't minded the sketching thing, but being painted for a midterm was completely different... They didn't even know each other, aside from a couple of chance run-ins here in the library. What kind of time committment would that be? He had studying of his own to do, and seriously, he didn't even know this guy.
And yet, the full-blown puppy dog eyes the tall boy was giving him, all but sprawled across the tabletop with his hands clasped in front of his face, was making him hesitate.
"...do you even know my name?"
"Byun Baekhyun!" ...Okay, that was a little creepy. Baekhyun must've made a face, because the boy backpedaled quickly. "I, uh, asked around. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, a little awkward. Baekhyun hated himself a little, because he instantly forgave him. "Do you know mine? I'm--"
"Park Chanyeol, right?" Baekhyun tapped the neat signature in the sketch's lower lefthand corner with a fingertip, and the boy's - Chanyeol's - face split into a grin.
"Yeah, that's right! So, will you do it?"
Baekhyun chewed his lip, glancing down at his unfinished lab report, then at his watch. He was already behind schedule... And, really -- him, as the subject for some kid's midterm assignment? He didn't think he was ugly by any means, but he didn't really think he was model material, either. "I don't know if I can," he said frankly. "I don't have much free time. Pre-med, remember? Lots of studying for midterms, so I don't know if--"
"Oh, that's okay! I can paint you while you work!" Chanyeol was persistent, he'd give him that. And, judging from his limited experience with the boy, he'd be likely to bother him at the library every single day till he consented. Baekhyun di not ant to be force fed any more espresso, thank you very much. "Trust me, you're perfect for this. Please just let me?"
Baekhyun caved with a sigh, his shoulders sinking.
"Okay."
And that was that.
...
Turned out painting wasn't allowed in the library, which Chanyeol only learned after he tried it and got both he and Baekhyun kicked out. Baekhyun knew he should have been mad, because really, it was just s stupid - but he found himself laughing instead at the expression of complete bewilderment on Chanyeol's face.
They relocated to Chanyeol's apartment because it was closer than Baekhyun's, and Chanyeol had forgotten some things there anyway. Baekhyun took a seat at Chanyeol's formerly unused desk, a little awkward and self-conscious as Chanyeol dragged over an easel and a small mountain of other art supplies he couldn't even begin to name. He flicked on the desk lamp and opened his textbook, though he paused to look at the art student uncertainly. "Is this okay? Do you need me to move or anything?"
"You're fine, you're fine~" Chanyeol said with a grin, and Baekhyun only felt a little reassured. "Just do your work, and I'll do mine. Don't think so much."
Don't think. Right.
Baekhyun sighed and rolled his shoulders, flipping open his textbook to the current chapter. He uncapped his yellow highlighter and began to read, letting his mind lose itself in the finer points of the Kindler reaction until he forgot, almost completely, that he was sitting in an unfamiliar apartment while a tall boy he barely knew painted his picture.
He worked in silence, and Chanyeol painted with his headphones on, the faintest bit of rap escaping around the edges and leaking white noise into the air. It wasn't until he got up to go to the bathroom that Baekhyun realized that Chanyeol was painting with his hands -- a huge mess of colors, paint up past his elbows and in his hair.
"This is just the base," Chanyeol said, swiping at his nose and getting purple all over it. "There's still a lot to do." Baekhyun shrugged as if he understood, because he didn't, though he did think he could make out the outline of an ear and the corner of his jaw. "You can come over again tomorrow, right?"
"Sure, I guess."
His schedule would need some adjusting.
...
Baekhyun rubbed the sleep from his eyes and highlighted in pink as the professor spoke. He was still not used to his altered routine, perhaps because the word "routine" fit it so loosely. That he woke up and went to class hadn't changed, but now he went to Chanyeol's apartment instead of the library and studied there until stomachs started growling. Then, lately, he'd stay even after, and Chanyeol would buy him takeout and they would laugh at something mindless on tv. He'd find paint on his clothes later and wonder how it got there, and it was only when he laid in bed, past his usual bedtime, that he would remember Chanyeol's hand on his back or his shoulder or his knee.
He shook his head suddenly, realizing that he'd missed at least two minutes of what the professor had been saying, and he swore under his breath. Byun Baekhyun did not daydream in class. He took detailed notes and color-coded them and worked a chapter ahead in all of his textbooks -- and he most certainly wasn't going to let some tall art student take over his thoughts, the week before midterms.
Except that he realized he really might, when he passed Chanyeol on the sidewalk between classes, in the same clothes as yesterday and laughing through his "Hi, Baekhyun, I'm running late but I'll see you later~"
That laugh, like music, that played on in his head even when he was alone.
Somewhere along the line, he had gotten invested in this project. Invested in Chanyeol. It was too late, now, to even think of backing out.
...
"Can you stay later tonight?" Baekhyun stopped where he stood and looked at Chanyeol a little curiously. Never in the week and a half they'd been doing this had Chanyeol asked him to stay longer, and never had he painted later than about 7pm. "Sorry, I should've asked earlier -- I'm just worried about getting this done. It's not looking quite right." He hadn't ever heard Chanyeol express worry about anything, either.
"Yeah, I guess I can stay," he said, and he sat back down slowly. He had finished everything he had planned to for the day, so what could he do? He drummed his fingers on the desk and chewed his lip, feeling useless.
Chanyeol slung his headphones around his neck, blue paint smudged into the padding. "Sing for me, Baekhyun," he demanded cheerily, as if this were the most normal request in the world.
Baekhyun made a face at him. He had to be joking. "Why?"
"Because I said so~" Chanyeol laughed when Baekhyun glared. "Because I like your voice, and I want to hear you sing more than just SNSD songs when they're on music shows. Besides, you have nothing better to do."
"I don't just sing SNSD," Baekhyun protested, crossing his arms. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at him, and he broke into a laugh. "Okay, fine -- I'll sing something else this time." He shifted in his chair, rubbing his hands on his jeans a little nervously. He felt hyperaware of Chanyeol's gaze on him as he took a deep breath, but he got a reassuring grin and found himself smiling. Okay. He could do this. He decided on a song, Super Junior, since Chanyeol was undeniably an ELF -- and he sang.
It was easy, like this. To just sing a song he liked, with Chanyeol's eyes on him and him alone. He was confident in his voice, perhaps more confident in it than he was in most things, and it was fun when someone actually cared to listen.
The last note hung in the air, and he smiled a little uncertainly. Chanyeol cheered and clapped his hands, getting paint absolutel everywhere, and Baekhyun busted out laughing as he freaked out over getting some on the painting. "Stupid." But then Chanyeol aimed one of his twitchy grins at him around the canvas, and Baekhyun's heart felt so light that he figured he was probably a little stupid, too.
...
Chanyeol was breathless over the phone. "I finished it just in time. Just turned it in. Want to go out tonight to celebrate with me?"
"Go out where?"
"I heard about this club downtown from my friend Kai! Loud music, flashy lights and all that, so--"
"Okay." Baekhyun said yes before he could talk himself out of it. He hadn't been out in ages, and he'd had his last midterm that morning, so why the hell not? He could go for a little celebration. And any excuse to see Chanyeol again was fine with him.
"Awesome. I'll pick you up at 11, so look sexy!"
Baekhyun was startled into a laugh. Sexy? What? Chanyeol was an idiot, but he could play along. Maybe he was a little high on the teasing lilt in Chanyeol's voice, because he was feeling cocky. "Easy, since I do already. I'm a model, remember? You, on the other hand..."
"Shut up -- you know I'm hot."
"You sound pretty confident, for a guy with the worst perm known to man."
"Whatever~ It has its charm."
Baekhyun couldn't really argue that. Those stupid frizzy curls had kind of grown on him, probably more than he was willing to admit. "If you say so," he said, but he was smiling even as he rolled his eyes. "I'm hanging up on you now."
"Okay! I'll see you tonight!"
It wasn't until Baekhyun tucked his phone back into his pocket that he wondered if this was supposed to feel like a date.
...
Chanyeol was late, as expected -- but Baekhyun used every second to get ready. It had been a long time since he'd last broken out his ultra skinnies, and he was relieved they still fit. He was pretty proud of his hair, which he'd finally gotten to look messy and effortless after an hour of styling.
It was worth it, for the open-mouthed gaping Chanyeol did when he answered the door. "Damn, Baekhyun -- you look...really hot. Eyeliner's great on you."
Baekhyun smiled and shoved him, pleased. "Shut up."
Chanyeol looked good, too, slim fit pants on mile-long legs, and for once his mess of curls looked soft and shining. Chanyeol caught him looking as they stood in the packed subway and nudged his shoulder. "What?"
"Nothing," he mumbled. He tore his eyes away and blamed the heat in his cheeks on the crowded train.
The club was loud and full almost to bursting point, but they got in. Probably had Chanyeol's face to thank for that. He really was good-looking, when he got his expression under control -- though it was the twitch that tended to make Baekhyun's heart do weird things in his chest. Chanyeol grabbed his arm and dragged him into the very middle of it all, where it was impossibly hot and everyone was packed so closely together that personal space no longer existed. Baekhyun wondered if this was the part where Chanyeol traded him for some random girl and they met up again later. Which was far from what he wanted, honestly, but he'd play that game if he had to. He started to pull away, but Chanyeol still had his arm and he pulled him closer instead, leaning in close to be heard over the pounding music. "Want a drink? I'll buy you one." Someone bumped into them, and Chanyeol's lips brushed Baekhyun's ear. He tried not to shiver.
"No, you'll never be able to find me again, anyway." Not in this crowd. No chance in hell. Besides, someone who looked like Chanyeol was likely to be stopped every few feet by people who wanted him, and Baekhyun was not about to help that happen.
Chanyeol grinned at him and dropped a hand to the small of his back, easy as anything. "You'll dance with me, right?"
Baekhyun swallowed hard and nodded, sliding his hands up to Chanyeol's shoulders. "Of course, stupid." And Baekhyun wasn't sure if it was his heart pounding out of control or just the bass, as their bodies moved together.
Don't think so much, he reminded himself, and he laughed as Chanyeol stepped on his toes. Not the strongest dancer, then -- but neither was he. The song changed, and he felt the ripple of excitement through Chanyeol's body as he cheered, "SNSD!! Take it away, Baekhyun!" And he sang, just to keep that delighted expression on Chanyeol's face.
...
Baekhyun's throat hurt from singing by the time they left the club, but he didn't much care because Chanyeol had guided him out by the hand and hadn't let go. It was a little chilly out, now that he was covered in sweat, but it was a relief to be able to breathe fresh air again. Chanyeol swung their clasped hands between them as they walked, and Baekhyun caught his smile. "Fun?"
"Very." And his face did that stupid twitchy grin, and Baekhyun had to look away.
"Let's go again sometime." Would that be okay? He didn't want this to be the first and the last time they went out together, just the two of them, even though Chanyeol's idea of clubbing was apparently more like karaoke in a ridiculously crowded room. It was dumb, to spend so much time getting ready and to pay the cover charge just for that, but...well, it was different, and it was fun. And it meant he got Chanyeol's arms around him, which he now knew that he wanted.
"Okay! How about tomorrow?"
Baekhyun laughed, surprised, and he shoved at Chanyeol's shoulder. "Are you stupid? No!" Of course, Chanyeol would make it that easy. He wasn't sure if that was a relief or not, if it meant Chanyeol wasn't taking him as seriously as he wanted -- but right then he didn't care. He took a chance and interlaced their fingers, because he could, and he saw Chanyeol's smile out of the corner of his eye.
...
Baekhyun was still in bed when his phone went off the next morning, and he grumbled incoherently as he pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Baekhyun, hi! Sorry, were you still sleeping?"
That voice was enough to get Baekhyun's eyes open, though not quite enough to get him to sit up. He frowned at his alarm clock, trying to make his eyes focus on the numbers, and he groaned when he saw it wasn't even 10:00 yet. "Chanyeol, what the hell...it's early."
"Nooooo, 7:00 is early. It's practically midday!"
"What do you want?" Baekhyun complained, rolling over and burrowing back into his nest of blankets. His throat was still a little dry and scratchy from the night before, and he coughed a little.
"Come over and paint with me!" He could hear the grin in Chanyeol's voice, and he sort of hated the way it made his heart speed up. He buried his face in his pillow. No. He was tired and his throat hurt. He was going back to sleep. "Please? I'll buy you breakfast~"
"Bribery won't get you anywhere."
"Aww, you're no fun..."
Someone as tall and deep-voiced as Chanyeol shouldn't be able to pout so well. It really wasn't fair.
"...Fine, I'll come over. But I demand coffee. With cream and sugar this time."
"Awesome! Baekhyun, you're the best!"
"I know, I know," he grumbled, finally sitting up and rubbing his tired eyes. This was stupid. He didn't know why he was agreeing to this.
...except that he did, and he wasn't sure if that was terrifying or thrilling. "I'm hanging up now."
"Okay! See you soon!"
He raked a hand through his hair and wondered what "paint with me" meant. Another portrait of him? Surely Chanyeol had to be sick of his face by now. He didn't feel much like modeling, head still a little heavy with sleep and throat raspy, but...Chanyeol had asked nicely. And was going to buy him breakfast. He'd be a fool to turn that down.
...
Baekhyun was feeling a little better, by the time he had some coffee and some cream bread in him, though he wondered if that might have also had something to do with Chanyeol's laugh and feet that kept knocking his under the table. He didn't know how Chanyeol was so bright at this hour, when they'd been out half the night, but that smile was infectious. He'd meant to complain more about being dragged out of bed for this, but he found that he didn't really want to. He sipped the last of his coffee and traced the handle with a fingertip as Chanyeol ran around setting up a canvas and arranging supplies.
"What's this one for?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "I thought midterms were over."
"For fun!" And Chanyeol grinned, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. He waved Baekhyun over excitedly. "I thought it'd be fun to paint with you this time, so come here. I haven't tried this before, so we'll see what happens~"
"Pain with e?" Baekhyun frowned, a little confused. Chanyeol clapped a hand onto his shoulder and guided him over to the easel, rolling up his sleeves for him and shoving him gently toward the paints.
"Yeah! Let's try it together this time!"
"...Maybe I didn't make this clear before, but I'm pre-med. I don't paint," Baekhyun said flatly. He was pretty sure Chanyeol had lost it. Weren't paints expensive? It seemed like such a waste for him to even touch it, when Chanyeol made such beautiful art on his own.
"Just try it~" Chanyeol insisted, dragging Baekhyun by the wrist and plunging his hand into the brightest orange. Baekhyun yelped at the cold, the paint thick and sort of gross to the touch, and he shot Chanyeol a look. "Don't make that face. Paint~"
"It might be easier if you told m what e were painting."
Chanyeol dipped a fingertip in yellow and smeared it along the upper edge of the canvas, and he grinned down at Baekhyun. "Abstract art! Just paint whatever you feel like."
Baekhyun sighed. That was so unhelpful...and, pre-med or not, he was fairly positive that wasn't how abstract art worked. He should've known by now, though, that that was about the best he could expect from Chanyeol. He pressed two of his fingers to the canvas, dragging them down in an arc. Chanyeol added a splatter of red while Baekhyun went for lilac, and the color combination was ugly -- but the tips of Chanyeol's fingers brushed the side of his palm, and that made it more than okay.
He only stepped back to survey the damage when the paints were so mixed up he couldn't tell sea green from indigo and his hands were dripping color everywhere. "This is...awful," he said, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing at the brownish blackish mess they had created together. Chanyeol blinked at it for a moment, and then he started laughing, too -- that laugh that shook his whole body and made him clap his paint-laden hands. "Watch it!" Baekhyun protested, but there was already paint all over everything and his clothes were ruined.
"We painted too fast," Chanyeol said, watching with great amusement as their masterpiece dripped onto the floor.
"Hmm, I wonder whose fault that could be," Baekhyun teased, and he reached up to dot paint on Chanyeol's nose.
And, for a second, Chanyeol was completely stunned, his mouth falling open as if he couldn't believe Baekhyun would do such a thing -- but then mischief was writing itself all over that face. "Ohhh, you're asking for it now."
Baekhyun squeaked and ducked away. "No no no, Park Chanyeol, don't you dare!" But now it was a game, and he squirmed and laughed as Chanyeol got what had to have been almost a full handprint across his cheekbone.
He knew he'd lost when Chanyeol's fingers found his impossibly ticklish neck, and they collapsed in a heap of giggles and mixed colors on the floor.
"I like this painting much better," Chanyeol said, poking a finger into a splotch near Baekhyun's ear.
"Stupid." Baekhyun rolled away onto his back because they were too close, and his heart wouldn't shut up. Twice now, he'd been painted by Chanyeol. The first time onto canvas and now painted in his own skin. He tipped his head to look at the canvas they'd ruined together and wondered what the portrait Chanyeol had painted of him had ended up looking like. He'd never gotten to see the finished product before it had been turned in.
Chanyeol yawned and stretched out every inch of his too-long limbs, and then he climbed to his feet. He surveyed their masterpiece with a thoughtful "hmm", and then he offered a hand to Baekhyun to help him up. "Well, Baekhyun, you're officially a painter now. Just like me!"
"I hope all of your paintings don't come out looking like this," Baekhyun grimaced. He accepted the hand up, but Chanyeol didn't let go.
"We just went too abstract this time. It's much easier if you have a real subject to paint." There was paint all over his face and down the front of his shirt, and there was green dripping from his stupid perm, but he was grinning that stupid grin and Baekhyun had to look away. "Want to know the secret to painting something beautiful?" Baekhyun nodded, his eyes trained on their failed artwork even as he felt Chanyeol's gaze on him. "Love."
"What?" Baekhyun meant to scoff, but it didn't quite come out that way. Chanyeol just tugged on his fingers.
"I'm being serious," he said, despite the pleased little smile on his face. "That's the only way -- because then you see all the little things, without missing a single detail. And, when you love it, you see every little piece of it as beautiful, so you paint it that way."
Baekhyun swallowed hard. His heart was pounding, because he knew what he wanted Chanyeol to mean but he wasn't sure if that was really what he was saying, and he searched Chanyeol's paint-covered face with his eyes. "Are you...?"
"It's weird, 'cause I finished your portrait, and that's usually it." Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders, and he scratched at a bit of paint that was drying on his neck. "But...I don't know. I still really, really like you."
And Baekhyun had no idea what to say to that. He opened his mouth, but no words seemed to be coming out. It felt like all the air had gone out of his lungs, that light-headed feeling, and all he could do was stand and stare stupidly from Chanyeol to their painting to their paint-covered fingers that were still twisted together between them.
"...This is the part where I'm going to assume it's okay to kiss you if you don't say anything in the next five seconds." Chanyeol had that cheeky look on his face, and Baekhyun made up his mind right there. He slid a hand around the back of Chanyeol's neck and dragged him down, and he pressed a quick kiss to Chanyeol's mouth before he could think himself out of it.
Chanyeol was surprised, and Baekhyun laughed, both at the look on his face and out of sheer relief that he'd finally done it. He'd kissed Park Chanyeol, who hadn't left his thoughts alone since that half-finished sketch in the library.
And then he squeaked, because Chanyeol had him by the shoulders and crushed their mouths together again.
He should've known that Chanyeol would be an eager kisser, since he was eager with everything else. That wide mouth was insistent against his, tipping and pressing, and he latched onto that full lower lip with his teeth just to keep him still for a moment. He could feel Chanyeol's heartbeat beneath his fingertips. Chanyeol tasted like coffee and cream buns and warmth, as their tongues slid together, and then just a bit like paint.
"Wait, Chanyeol -- is this paint toxic?"
Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders with an unhelpful grin. "Probably." He leaned in for another kiss anyway, but Baekhyun clamped a hand over his mouth.
"No. Wash up first. I am not getting lead poisoning from this."
It was hard to be mad, though, when Chanyeol was pouting so cutely at him, and it became downright impossible when he pressed a rebellious kiss to his cheek. Baekhyun swatted him away, but he was laughing, and it hit him then how happy he was. He let Chanyeol take a damp washcloth to his face and to get the worst from his hands, and then he let him kiss him again.
...
Baekhyun went home that night in borrowed, too big clothes, with lips bruised from kissing. There were still traces of paint under his fingernails and behind his ears, and he crawled into bed with Chanyeol's "I like you" echoing in his head.
[ Part 2]