Archive of Our Own ^beta

He hears the shower running before he even opens his door. Chanyeol thinks about what day it is and sighs. Sehun is at his boyfriends and Jongdae should still be asleep. That could only mean one thing.

He sighs and rolls his eyes at the clear sign that his roommates latest conquest panned out well. But who is he kidding, they always do. Jongdae is a charismatic fucker, though unfortunately a fuckboy through and through. Chanyeol would love to know what his best friend could do with his abilities if he decided to use them for good. Though he's never been one to judge and a hookup is never a bad thing, Jongdae is just too much about it. He has a new person in his bed bi-nightly. Chanyeol guesses it's a result of a deep rooted emotional void.

Chanyeol shakes his head, then ambles into the kitchen, whistling to himself and starts to pull out things to make a breakfast. He gets lost in his own head until he hears feet down the hall and grins a bit.

One of his favorite parts of his Saturday morning's is making his roommate's one-nights feel uncomfortable as they conduct their walk of shame. It's not necessarily moral, but he feels that it's a good trade for being put through the trauma of having a stranger in his apartment every other day.

He peeks out of the kitchen and he halts as he comes face to face with none other than Byun Baekhyun. All humor drains from his body and it's quickly replaced with shock.

Baekhyun stops in the hall, staring at the strange man who seems to just be gawking at him now. The smaller male fidgets under the other's eyes and doesn't exactly know what to do with himself. Should he just slip out the door? Should he try to start a polite conversation? Baekhyun usually doesn't have to deal with curious roommates. Most people have the decency to ignore him as he slips out.

"Uh, hi." The strange man offers Baekhyun in greeting. The voice registers in his head but he can't seem to place where he's heard it before. It's oddly familiar but he could have swore that he's never met this man a day in his life.

Baekhyun bites at his thumb and folds into himself a bit. Chanyeol's not used to seeing the other man looking so small and uncomfortable. Usually Baekhyun's walking across campus with the highest level of confidence and authority.

"G-Good morning." Baekhyun says quietly.

Chanyeol shifts a bit and glances over at his pile of food on the counter, oddly coming up with an idea. "Um, would you like to have some breakfast?" He has no idea why he asks it. He can't come up with a single reason for why he'd invite Byun Baekhyun of all people to have a meal with him. Especially under these circumstances.

Baekhyun seems like he wants anything else at the moment, but accepts out of politeness. He follows Chanyeol into the kitchen and takes a seat at the small table tucked into the corner. He watches the man flit around the kitchen, wondering why he didn't just decline and leave.

Chanyeol busies himself with preparing a small, but healthy breakfast. Normally he'd just grab some cereal or some scrambled eggs, but this is Byun Baekhyun. Campus royalty. President of the damn student government. Overseer of multiple clubs as well as his own. He's also an editor at the school paper. There's not much at their university that Baekhyun doesn't have his hands in. There's not much that happens at their school that Baekhyun doesn't know about.

And he's here... in Chanyeol's apartment... Doing the walk of shame from his best friend's bedroom. Holy fuck.

"You deserve better." Chanyeol says, unable to stop his filter from announcing to his student body president.

"Pardon?" Baekhyun asks in a soft tone that, dare Chanyeol say, makes his heart swoon.

The taller man sighs and refuses to turn around. He'd hate to think he offended the other. Cracking some eggs into a pan, he sighs. "You deserve better. Don't get me wrong, Jongdae is my best friend, but he's not great at dating. You can do a lot better."

Baekhyun is quiet until Chanyeol decides to risk glancing back at the one person who could probably destroy his life with minimal effort. "Jongdae treated me just fine. He was perfectly charming and a gentleman. The sex was pretty great as well. Why would i need better than that?"

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and turns fully around to face the other, keeping a mental timer on the eggs cooking. "You know what that tells me, Baekhyun?"

The other male looks slightly taken aback by being addressed with his first name by this stanger, but chooses not to say anything and sits back in his seat, an amused look on his face. "What does that tell you?"

"That you've never been on a proper date. That you've never been taken out and shown such a good time that your standards are perpetually raised. You've never been wowed." Chanyeol explains, grabbing the spatula and flipping their eggs.

Baekhyun scoffs and shakes his head at the audacity of this man he just met. "And why would i want that? Why would i want to go on a date that i'm constantly comparing every date after to? Why would i put myself through that when i had a perfectly lovely time last night and am content with it?"

Chanyeol turns and sets a plate in front of the other. He hands him a fork and some toast too.

Baekhyun feels slightly touched and even a little put out that he's being attended by this man who is still every bit a stranger to him. Even if the tall man's words are a little judgmental, he seems to have his heart in the right place. Maybe in all honestly he truly is just looking out for him. Baekhyun feels his cheeks pinken a little at that.

"Words spoken like someone who's never been on a really amazing date." Chanyeol says with a humored smile as he sits down with his own plate across from the little man.

He watches calculatingly as Baekhyun takes a bite and his eyes widen a little, then promptly scoops another in quickly following. Chanyeol knows he's a good cook, but it's satisfying that he has the campus prince in his favor.

"Why can't a simple date be amazing? Why does everything need to be flashy or over the top?" Baekhyun asks. "Especially when two people know exactly what they want the end result to be from the start."

Chanyeol tries to push down the growing uncomfort at what Baekhyun is implying. He profoundly destests his generations hookup culture. There's just no romance and sincerity anymore. Anytime someone asks for a date, he has to actually ask them if they wanted sex or a legitimate date, that ends in the proposition of a relationship. Nine times out of ten, it's just sex. Chanyeol doesn't mind sex, he's a rather big fan of it. Even he has delved down the one night stand rabbit hole. But he refuses to feel guilty about that. What his heart wants and what his young adult aged body tells him he wants are vastly different. Chanyeol is a hopeless romantic in a world full of people who just want to use his body for pleasure and stress detoxing. He doesn't know if he's just unbreakably optimistic or if he's a fool. Either way, he refuses to change. Chanyeol believes his soulmate is still out there somewhere, his generation is just making his search a bit more of a challenge. Park Chanyeol never backs down from a challenge.

"A date doesn't need to be over the top to be amazing. Tell me, were you at anytime breathless last night? Did you feel your heart flutter? Did you at any point start hearing love songs playing in your head thinking about Jongdae? A date can be simple, but without that feeling, you might as well have just met Jongdae here and skipped the 'date' step entirely." Chanyeol explains.

Baekhyun chuckles and takes a large bite of toast, talking around it much to Jongdae's roommates' amusement. "So, you think you could do better? You think you could take me on a date and by the end of the night leave me breathless with butterflies in my tummy?"

Chanyeol tilts his head and smirks. "Oh, i know i could. You've never been wined and dined by the likes of a romantic soul."

The smaller man drops the guy's gaze and shifts his eyes around a bit, momentarily deep in thought. "Alright. I have all day off. I was going to use it to catch up on cleaning my apartment, but why not."

Chanyeol who was munching on his own toast looks up and blinks confusedly. "What?"

Baekhyun's laughter makes Chanyeol's stomach tighten in the best way. "Prove it. Take me on a date that will ruin all dates there after."

Chanyeol, never one to step down from a challenge grins and lets out a huff of disbelief. Byun fucking Baekhyun wants, invisible, C student at best, and giant nerd, Park Chanyeol to take him on a date. He wants to protest. He wants to once again tell Baekhyun that he deserves better. But the way the other's pretty eyes sparkle at him and the way his dazzling smile dares him to say no, won't even let him consider it.

"Okay, deal. Go home, get ready, and meet me back here at six. I'm about to date the fuck out of you, Byun." Chanyeol announces watching Baekhyun's grin widen as he releases a laugh.

Baekhyun gets up and heads for the door, but stops and turns towards the tall man currently cleaning up their meal. It's oddly domestic and his chest tightens a bit at how comforting it looks. "Oh, one thing."

The tall roommate looks up and raises his eyebrows in response causing Baekhyun to internally coo at how cute the whimsical man is. "What's your name?"

The stranger straightens up and smiles so brightly, Baekhyun has to blink for a second at how his insides just pulled. "My name is Park Chanyeol. I'll see you at six Byun. Don't be late."

Baekhyun snorts and shakes his head at how forward this man is, but likes the way the name Chanyeol rolls through his head. He looks down at his watch. It's already 2pm. He needs time to prepare. He bids the other goodbye and gets a soft response, absentmindedly liking the sound of a goodbye knowing that it isn't permanent.

>>>>

"This was your idea?" Baekhyun admonishes as he's led to the lane they had reserved moments ago. "Bowling?"

Chanyeol laughs brightly and holds up a ball in his hands, feeling the weight and nodding to himself. "This is the first part. It's the best place to start. If a prospective couple can make it past a fun activity that has ruined many friendships and even broken up families, then they'll do just fine."

Baekhyun snorts. "Bowling isn't that serious."

The tall man holds a hand over his mouth. "You take that back. Bowling is as serious as it gets and if you can't be as competitive as i am, we might as well end this."

Baekhyun's jaw drops and he shakes his head. Never has he ever had anyone encouraging his competitiveness. Usually on dates, if you try to show someone up they always get angry about it and act childish. It's why he made a rule a while ago that he refuses to go anywhere with games or sports. It's even on his Grinder profile. Most people understand that it's just not a good environment to get to know someone, but here he is, being challenged by this odd man he just met this morning. Well, he guesses it's not really an actual date. No harm done if they end up clashing and fighting.

"Fine, I'm about to wipe the floor with you, Park." Baekhyun says, marching over to pick out a ball from the rows and rows lining the wall. He misses the grin of utter delight from the man watching him.

It's a close game. They fight, they bicker, they make teasing comments and shit talk each other. But most importantly, they laugh. They laugh so much that Baekhyun's sides are sore and his face feels stretched.

Baekhyun can't remember the last time he had this much fun. Even though they're both extremely competitive, he finds that Chanyeol really doesn't get upset about things. Even when Baekhyun had ran up to push his arm forward as the other was about to swing, causing him to throw the ball weird. The other turned around like he was going to beat the shit of of him, and he thought for a second he had pushed too far, but Chanyeol started laughing and proceeded to chase Baekhyun, threatening him without any real fire behind his words.

After their first game was over, Baekhyun winning by a measly two points. Chanyeol sighed and patted him on the back, laughing while congratulating the smaller on kicking his ass. Then he vowed to get his revenge in a rematch. Baekhyun then felt the fluttering in his stomach, but he refused to admit it to the other. It wasn't even a real date anyways, let alone add the humiliation of Baekhyun actually developing feels for he odd giant.

They leave with bright smiles on their faces and then Chanyeol announces that its time to go get some food. Baekhyun agrees, thinking the other could take him to McDonald's and he'd still find a way to make it nice. He concluded that, this is just the type of person Park Chanyeol is. It's not a matter of the date context, but the fact that Chanyeol's there. He wonders if the guy goes all out like this for all of his dates and if he does, why is he still single? Anyone would have to be a fool not to want to keep the lovably awkward and amusing man.

Chanyeol takes him to a local restaurant. It's not overly expensive, but it's not anywhere near fast food. It's nice. They sit outside on an open patio, which lines a thin boardwalk just off the river that flows through the center of the city. There's fairy lights wrapping around the patio and soft music playing in the background. Baekhyun feels thoroughly swooned and brings his menu up to cover the sudden blush covering his face.

"Why do you take on so much at school?" Chanyeol asks, settling the small binder that serves at their menu, down on the table.

Baekhyun looks up surprised and he lifts a hand to bite at his fingers. A nervous habit he's always had. He doesn't think anyone has ever asked him that. Usually they commend him and ask him to help with something else. No one has ever showed the amount of concern currently resting in the other's eyes. "I guess i've just always had a bad habit of not realizing my own limit. I take on a lot of things because i want to prove to myself that i can."

Chanyeol nods, really seeming to get it. "Do you ever just consider that even if you can, it doesn't mean you have to?"

Baekhyun looks dead into Chanyeol's eyes and bites at his lip. "Maybe i'll slow down when i find a reason to."

The answering chuckle he gets in response breaks the tension a bit and he's thankful. The waiter comes by for their order and then leaves them alone without the distractions of the menu.  Baekhyun thinks that it's not exactly an uncomfortable silence between them.

"Um, so you mentioned that you go to our school and that you know who I am, but, and pardon me if this comes across as rude, but i don't think i've seen you before on campus." Baekhyun says, seeming to pink a bit at this. It's the president job to be more in tune with the student populous than most people and he has no idea how someone like Chanyeol could ever be overlooked.

Chanyeol laughs. "I'm usually always in my studio. I'm a music and composition major. I tend to go in during the day and leave late at night. I do the radio broadcast overnight, so i don't have much of a life on campus during the day."

Baekhyun gasps and slams his hand down on the table. "I knew i recognized your voice. Chanyeol, i listen to your show all the time. I often stay late in the student government offices and i almost always put your show on. You play the best music. I had no idea you were Loey."

Chanyeol's mind goes blank and his eyes widen at being indirectly noticed by senpai. Fuck, he just went full nerd for this guy too. He takes a deep breath to compose himself and his hands fidget on the table. "Wow... i... i'm kind of dumbfounded right now. I didn't think many people listened to my show."

"I do. You've gotten me through some tough nights, Yeol." Baekhyun says, smiling softly to the table, unable to look up at the other.

Chanyeol's chest tugs at the soft nickname and he feels his face heat up. Baekhyun drops his eyes realizing he probably just revealed a bit of a private fact about himself. The silence is a bit heavy for both of them.

"So... president... what's that like?" Chanyeol asks, trying to break a bit of the tension.

Baekhyun laughs at this and lets the conversation lead them naturally. They discuss what their lives on campus are like, which is drastically different from one another's. If he hadn't had met Jongdae through a mutual friend and hooked up with him, Chanyeol and he would have never crossed paths and they would have graduated never knowing one another. Baekhyun frowns at how much his chest clenches over that. Even if this is a mock date, he still feels like he wants Chanyeol to be a constant in his life from this day forward. At the very least as a friend. Not often does he find someone he can talk to and get along with so seamlessly. Chanyeol just gets him in a way most people fail to.

They discuss friends and living situations. Baekhyun unfortunately didn't have the pleasure of meeting Chanyeol's other roommate, Sehun. And Chanyeol decides that he needs to know who Do Kyungsoo is and why Baekhyun hates and loves his own roommate so much. They also talk about their favorite things. Chanyeol is everything geek culture, superhero movies, si-fi, anime, gaming, and he has an unnatural obsession with robots. When Baekhyun starts talking about his own likes, they find that they have a great deal in common. They spend next to a half an hour talking about the most recent avengers movie, and then a game both of them have been playing.

Even after their food comes, they continue to talk. It feels like they'll never run out of things to enthuse about. Sometimes they tease and bicker over things. Sometimes they compliment and make the other feel better about a situation. Neither one has ever felt this intensely fond of someone before.

By the time they leave the restaurant, Chanyeol feels like Baekhyun and he have been friends for years. They talk naturally about Detective Pikachu, as they travel slowly down the boardwalk, illuminated by the moon and soft lampposts. It's about then that Baekhyun starts humming a Ed Sheeran song in his head and he stops dead, his eyes widening. Well, Fuck.

"Everything okay, Baek?" Chanyeol asks, looking at him with concern.

Baekhyun smiles shortly and just laughs in somewhat disbelief. This giant idiot really pulled it off. He wowed him. He gave him the full battery. Fluttery heart, butterflies in the belly, and now he even has love songs going off in his head.

Baekhyun, always the sore loser, lies through his teeth. "Yeah, just enjoying the sound of the water. The moon is full and high which means the water is a bit more active tonight."

Chanyeol grins, nodding, but then his eyes widen. "Oh shit. What time is it?"

Baekhyun blinks steadily and then pulls out his phone from his pocket. Funnily enough, he hasn't touched it all night. He finds a few frantic messages from one of his secretary and opens them. "Fuck, its after ten. Listen, i have a problem on campus. I have to go... Yeol?"

Before he knows what is happening, Chanyeol is pulling them over the side railing of the boardwalk, and climbing down the steep hill to get to the sidewalk that borders a street below. "I still have to do my show tonight. I lost track of time. Since we both have to get to campus, we can share a cab."

Baekhyun stops him and stares at the steep hill leading down. He's never been a fan of heights or inclines. "Come on, I've got you." Chanyeol says in a soft voice, taking his hand in his own.

His heart straight up hammers in his chest at this and he bites at his lip, climbing over the rail. Chanyeol jumps down flawlessly onto the sidewalk and reaches up for the smaller. Baekhyun releases a whine unwillingly and Chanyeol's face softens. "Here, sit." The taller motions to the edge of the wall, and Baekhyun follows, sitting down on it.

He doesn't expect however for Chanyeol to crowd into his space and place his hands right under his ass, lifting him up and off the wall. He squeaks and  instinctively wraps his hands and legs around the other like a koala. The deep, raspy chuckle he gets in response has his cheeks flaming. Chanyeol carries him the rest of the way to the sidewalk and slowly lowers the other, giving Baekhyun time to uncurl himself.  When Baekhyun's feet hits the ground he tries to tell himself, his shaky knees are because of the adrenaline from being high off the ground.

>>>>

The ride to campus is quiet, with Yeol making a playlist for what he is going to play tonight on his phone. He usually has hours to prepare for his show and makes a playlist in advance, but clearly he was a little busy tonight. Baekhyun is also quiet, trying to calm his secretary down from the meltdown he is having. Some minor detail fell through from an upcoming fundraiser they are doing and his secretary has always been known for being dramatic. Junmyeon is the purest of tests for his patience.

When they arrive at campus, they linger for only a second but then realize they can't really afford to do such, and part with a simple wave and an empty goodbye. Baekhyun hates that he couldn't even get the balls to ask the other for his number. Chanyeol curses himself all the way to the broadcast building for not even kissing the smaller.

>>>>

"So everything is fine?" Junmyeon asks, staring down at the papers on Baekhyun's desk.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Jun, i told you it would be. If you'd just talking to me instead of immediately going into panic mode, you'd add ten years to your life."

Junmyeon sighs and pinks at that, nodding. "Well to be fair, i tried to get ahold of you pretty early on in my panic. Where were you by the way? You never ignore my texts for that long."

He freezes in straightening up the files on his desk and a frown tugs at his lips. "I was on the best date of my life."

His secretary flails a bit and his jaw drops. "Baek! Why didn't you say something. I would have at least postponed my breakdown till tomorrow. You should have said you were trying to get laid."

Baekhyun's eyebrows pull together and he sits down slowly in his office chair, leaning back and letting himself sink down a bit. "It wasn't like that... it was more than just trying to hook up... it was..." Baekhyun pauses and a small smile tugs at his lips. "It was different than that. If he had just given me a cheek kiss at my door... i would have felt just as satisfied, if not more than getting laid."

Junmyeon's eyebrows raise, never has he heard his fearless leader talk as such about someone. "Wow, you must really like him. How long have you been dating?"

Baekhyun smiles and shake his head. "It felt like a lifetime."

The secretary cocks his head, but Baekhyun just waves his hand and tells him to go home and sleep. The man looks like he's tweaking, even if Baekhyun knows it's just his secretaries habit of too much coffee and stress combined into one already high strung brain.

When the other man leaves, closing his door and shadowing Baekhyun's office in silence, he comtemplates taking his own advice and going home. His eyes drop to the app on his computer, however, when they wonder on their own accord. Before he even gave his hands permission, they have the university app opened, and a song drifts into the room.

He smiles. It's sweeter than it usually is. Almost dare he say along the lines of a love song. Chanyeol has always had an eclectic sense of music, even before he knew it was Yeol flipping the switches behind the board. Baekhyun used to love tuning in to Loey's show because he always seemed to play music that spoke to him in a way, but now he realizes it's not just the music, it's Yeol himself. The giant oaf got into his head and saw parts of him that he'd hidden away for years.

Chanyeol was right, he was content with his usual schedule of random, meaningless, mediocre dates that usually led to satisfactory hookups. It was fine, but it wasn't enough. After tonight, Baekhyun knows he'll never be able to just go on a lackluster date and simply be okay with falling into bed with a warm body to keep him company for the night. Fuck Park Chanyeol. Why did he have to be right? Why did he make him want better... to want more?

"You deserve better." 

Chanyeol had said that. He told Baekhyun that he deserved to be wooed and dazzled... but he didn't have to do it so damn thoroughly. He didn't have to be the one to wow him.

"Alright guys, that was Walk Me Home by Pink." Chanyeol's voice floats into the room with him and Baekhyun's breath catches, feeling suddenly too short of oxygen at how beautiful the man's voice sounds right now in the lonely silence of this office.

"I felt it appropriate for how i'm feeling tonight. Earlier today i was faced with something i've always  has an opinion about , but never really had to mentally accept till now. I did something that i haven't done in a long time. I went on a date. It wasn't really serious at first, just an idea that i needed to prove to someone, but by the end of it... it felt sort of like what i'd always wanted a date to feel like. I felt that thing i hadn't felt in the longest time. You remember back in highschool when someone looked at you or laughed at a joke you made and you felt your heart hammering in your chest? Do you remember how that felt? How so utterly new and consuming that love was?  I felt that tonight, guys. I thought I had lost that feeling forever, but there it was, just staring me in the face, welcoming me home like an old friend."

Chanyeol pauses, sighing out like he has a lot on his mind. "I think today we're so busy and against the idea of immersing ourselves in someone that we've lost that connection. Most of us are convincing ourselves that jumping from bed to bed and living only for number one is the best way... but don't you miss that feeling? Don't you miss that breathtaking, butterflies in your stomach, laughing till you can't breathe type of falling?" Chanyeol pauses and Baekhyun sucks in a deep breath, his heart attempting to break out of his chest.

"I might have found that, but I'm afraid they're not mine to keep. I made the mistake of letting them walk away and now... now I feel like I lost my chance. I feel the bitter sting of regret, but I don't want you to feel the same. So, here's what i want you to ask yourself. How are you guys doing on this Saturday night? Are you with a lover? Curled up in bed and pressed close enough to be lulled by their heartbeat? Are you feeling happy and fulfilled? Are you out on the town having the time of your young lives with your friends? Or are you held up in your room or a coffee shop going over that paper you know you should have started a week ago? Are you focusing on all of the things you need to do tomorrow instead of the pressing emptiness in  your chest? Are you living the life you want and deserve? Do you feel whole?"

Baekhyun's lips trembles and he stares down at his desk, all of the words Chanyeol is saying pressing on him and pulling him apart. Since he met the man this morning, the other has just seen right through him. He's spent all day breaking him apart and showing him all the parts of himself that he'd been ignoring and denying for years. Baekhyun does remember what that love felt like. That all consuming, new love of falling for someone without the stress and the darkness of the world pressing on you. When you're a kid, you don't think about life, you don't weigh the pros and cons, you just let yourself fall. It's reckless. It's stupid. But gods it felt so good.

When did we stop allowing our hearts to reach out to others? When did we stop trying to find our person? When it finally hurt? When our hearts first broke? When the world got real and scary way too fast? When the responsibility to make something of ourselves overshadowed the need to find our missing part? Baekhyun can't remember when he gave up hope on love, but he did. One day he woke up and just stopped trying. He traded a deeper connection for convenience and convinced himself that he was fine with it. But he's not fine with it.

Fucking Park Chanyeol. He awoke a part of himself that's been dormant for a long time. He locked his sad little heart away in chains, left to wonder what it did wrong. What is he supposed to tell it? You dared to love. You made me feel. You made me care for someone other than myself. You made me hurt because someone else broke our trust and turned against us? It was never his hearts fault. It was never his fault. Someone else hurt him, but that doesn't mean everyone will. That doesn't mean the world is accumulatively bad. Eventually someone will give his heart a god home and take care of it the way he deserves.

"You deserve better." Chanyeol's words cycle through his head once again.

Baekhyun does deserve better. He deserves to have what his heart wants. He deserves to fall in love and enjoy every second of it. He deserves to fall in love with someone good, kind, funny, has an unnatural obsession with superheroes, laughs like a fucking lunatic, and is too good for this world. He deserves a chance to fall for Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun grabs his phone and pulls up the app for the schools broadcast station and plugs his headphones in.

Chanyeol's smooth voice floats into his ears, up close and personal. It sends a shiver up Baekhyun's spine. "Whatever your answer is. I hope you're content with your life. I hope you feel justified in the choices you've made. Just choose to be happy... and if you're not, be brave. Be strong to stand up from the crowd and go after what you want, what you deserve." Chanyeol sighs and Baekhyun can almost see that soft smile of his. "Let me play a song that might help you decided. That might give you a bit of inspiration for choosing to live boldly. Think about what i've said. Too often we allow ourselves to be content with easy. This song is dedicated to a special someone i shared the best night with. I hope whatever choice you make, you end up happy, B. Here is Shallow from the A Star is Born soundtrack, by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga."

Baekhyun is out the door before the song even starts. His feet will only carry himself so fast as he jogs across campus. Who's fucking idea was it to put the student council as far away as possible from the music department? The song steadily reels through his ears from his headphones, making his heart pulse even faster than it had from the running.

The song ends before he reaches the building, but another starts and he has to pause because he knows this song. Him and Kyungsoo have listened to it for hours on repeat and even karaoked it on their rare nights out together. He loves this song. Even when he didn't realize what he wanted, his heart craved more. It's Let me, by ZAYN. A slightly sexy, yet pleading love song.

He gets it then, Chanyeol's whole theme tonight. His whole playlist, whether he realizes it or not, he's calling out to Baekhyun. He's pleading with him to give this thing they hadn't even been searching for a chance. Baekhyun kicks himself into gear and starts running faster.

When he reaches the building, he hauls himself up the stairs knowing where the radio studio is, having visited this department many times with Kyungsoo. He really doesn't know how those two don't know each other considering how they basically do the same thing, but then again, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol go by radio names and they work opposite schedules.

He lets himself into the audio management room and finds it empty, the soft music of a new song he's never heard before playing, but Baekhyun pays it no mind when he steps up to the large glass window separating Chanyeol's booth from the other room. The taller has his back to him, large bulky headphones on, while his head bobbs to the song he's currently has playing. Baekhyun smiles fondly to himself. His heart still pounds and even though his breathing from his impromptu run has calmed.

Baekhyun looks down at the sound board under his fingers and finds the switch that will allow him to speak right into Chanyeol's headphones without it interfering with the live audio. His finger hovers over the button and knows he only has moments to do this before the song ends and Chanyeol goes back on air. He takes a deep breath.

"Chanyeol."

The man freezes and spins around, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped. There's shock and confusion swirling through his eyes but Baekhyun also recognizes relief and he holds onto that.

"I heard your music." He says, and Chanyeol's lips turn up at the edges. "I heard your words through them."

Chanyeol takes a deep breath and steps forward till he's right up against the glass. He looks deep into Baekhyun's eyes and a world is spoken between them.

"I want to fall in love with you Park Chanyeol." Baekhyun says as sure as his heart had fluttered tonight. As sure as Chanyeol never failed to take his breath away. As sure as he can't seem to get those damn love songs out of his head. He wants this.

Chanyeol looks up at the counter and finds that he only has seconds left before he has to go back on air. He frowns, his eyes desperate, as if mentally whining about Baekhyun's timing. The smaller laughs and shakes his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

The tall man grins wickedly and takes a deep breath as the counter hits zero and he takes a deep breath. "Welcome back, that song was Cave Me In, by Gallant, Tablo, and Eric Nam. Sorry if i sound breathless, i just got the best confession of my entire life and i'm standing with a glass wall in between the person i think can be the love of my life and i want nothing more than to kiss the life out of them."

Baekhyun sucks in a sharp breath, and Chanyeol smirks making him realize he still has his hand on the button. He can't find it in himself to care, though. They both know. They both want this.

Chanyeol gifts him a playful wink and his knees shake. "But i'm a professional, so i'll spend a few moments to give you guys some of my genius commentary before I move on to the music. How about i spend some minutes describing why i'm falling for this person? Lets start with my favorite... Their smile. Goodness, it makes me do and say the stupidest things just so i never have to see it fade."

At this Baekhyun shyly grins and Chanyeol slaps a hand over his chest like he'd just been shot, making a foe pained expression. "But then there's also their eyes, guys... oh my, their eyes, they light up when they speak of things they're passionate about. I found myself so utterly lost in them when they were speaking about something i don't have the slightest clue about, but it was fascinating because it was important to them. I could listen to them talk for hours and never regret how i spent that time."

Baekhyun sighs and pats at his flaming cheeks, receiving a quiet chuckle from the DJ. "Hmm, what else? Ah, how about their hands? B's hands are perfect, so beautiful and delicate. I noticed the mole on their thumb earlier tonight and immediately wanted to kiss it. Or maybe their lips, definitely wanted to kiss those."

Chanyeol closes his eyes while laughing a bit at Baekhyun's pleading expression. There's only so much he can take. He's fresh out of the hookup culture and has never been romanced like this. Baekhyun guesses that Chanyeol is a love letter writing, grand romantic gesture, and telling you he loves you any chance he has type of boyfriend. The smaller might need to be eased into this a bit, lest not to be overwhelmed.

"Oh, wait... one of the most amazing parts of them. B's voice. Gods, i could be lulled to my death by that voice and would thank the universe for the best ending anyone could ever ask for. I could listen to their voice for hours. It's so soft and melodic. A music nerd like me wanted to hear them sing from the second they spoke their first word to me." Well, then again. Maybe jumping headfirst into this hopeless romantic might not be too bad.

Baekhyun stares at the other, who hasn't even broken eye contact, while he delivers his own brand of poetry. The smaller steps forward and places his forehead to the glass, which prompts the other to do the same.

"B is beautiful. To me they are the most amazing, stunning, and inspiring human being i've ever met. I  meant it this morning when i said they deserved better, because gods, i wanted more than anything to give it to them."

Baekhyun closes his eyes and a smile blooms over his face. Falling for this man will be as easy as breathing, he realizes.

"How about i play you guys another song so i can quit gushing about this brilliant being, and finally go and do something about it? This is I'll Follow You, by Shinedown." He pushes a button on his desk and throws off his headphones, immediately rushing to the back of the room.

Baekhyun's hands twists in the fabric of his shirt, for the first time questioning things. Questioning if this could go wrong. Questioning if he's being too spontaneous. He's barely known Chanyeol for a whole day. He doesn't even know his bad habits. He barely knows his good habits. This could end badly and he'd be devastated. He'd end up right back where he started.

The smaller's heart pounds as the door to the audio room is thrown open and Chanyeol stands there for only a beat of their hearts, and that's all Baekhyun needs to answer every question in his head. He's willing to risk it all. He's willing to put everything on the table, because the pain of possible heartache is nothing compared to the pain of never trying.

Chanyeol wastes no time, bounding across the room in two single strides, and grabs Baekhyun's waist, pulling him in. Their lips crash urgently together. Baekhyun hadn't even really had a lot of time to consider what kissing Chanyeol would be like or what he expected the other to kiss like, but this... he would have wanted it to be like this.

Chanyeol's lips brush over his, pulling him deeper and deeper. Baekhyun tilts his head back and Chanyeol hums, angling his head for better leverage, and Baekhyun feels himself go up on his tiptoes and the taller brings their bodies closer together with a possessive arm pressed to his lower back.

They break for a breath and their foreheads meet. "Damn, i've wanted to do that all night." Chanyeol says, his eyes closed as he breathes in the moment.

Baekhyun laughs and smooths his hands over the other's chest. "I've wanted you to do that all night."

Their mixed laugher plays through the room, with a soft, pleasant song in the background. "So, i guess you proved me wrong." Baekhyun says, swallowing suddenly feeling a little nervous.

Chanyeol grins and pulls his head away from the other. "We'll if we're going to start this off right, then i think you should know that that doesn't happen a lot. Like, a good 90% of the time i'm wrong about most things."

Baekhyun snorts and pinches at the other's bisep. "Well thank the fates that you decided to exercise that solid 10% today of all days."

Chanyeol grins, giving him one last lingering kiss. He then takes Baekhyun's hand pulling him out of the audio room and down a hallway to a locked door that Chanyeol has to swipe a card to get into, then down another hallway to a door that leads into Chanyeol's sound booth. Many nights, he's listened to Loey while the DJ sits in this room. So many nights Chanyeol's voice has floated to him, calming him, settling him from this very spot.

Baekhyun looks up at the time countdown and thinks they have a bit of time. He takes hold of the other's hips and pushes him onto his office chair, then climbs onto his lap. Chanyeol looks taken aback and blinks up at the other, who just smiles and then leans in placing his head against the DJ's chest. His strong, fast heartbeat thumps for him so beautifully.

"Can we just lay here for a little while?" Baekhyun asks. "I don't think I've just been held in the longest time."

He feels Chanyeol relax, bringing his arms up and wrapping them around the man who just this morning was only a name to him. But now Baekhyun is a person, he's a smile, he's an eye crinkle. He's running around yelling at each other while laughing till they can't breathe. He's deep conversation about the newest season of Stranger Things. He's the man in his arms settling his needy heart and making him fall even more.

Even when Chanyeol has to go back on air, he keeps Baekhyun in his arms, rubbing his safe, sure hands over his back and kissing him breathless during the music breaks. Chanyeol continues to talk about taking chances. About risking things that are comfortable for the sake of feeling what he currently is. His audience, if he even has one at this time of night, is probably sick of his ramblings, but he just can't help it, especially when Baekhyun stretches a bit and rubs his cheek over his chest. Gods, he's a goner. He plays love songs all night.

When his show ends at 4am, Chanyeol bids everyone a goodnight and tells them that it's time to put his beautiful angel to bed. Baekhyun blushes. The taller puts on an automated playlist till the next morning DJ comes in at 5 to take over. No wonder Yeol and Soo have never ran into each other, the giant is usually out of here before Kyungsoo even sets foot in the station.

Chanyeol packs up his stuff and they leave the room, but when Baekhyun turns toward the stairs, Chanyeol pulls on his hand, still firmly clasped in his own. When the smaller turns back to look at his... something... not quite boyfriend yet, but... he's something, the other just smiles at him and pulls him in the opposite direction.

He leads them to a door at the back of the building and pushes it open to reveal a staircase. They make their way up what seems to be an everwinding set of stairs until they finally come to an end with a single door. Chanyeol pushes the door open without any hesitation and brings Baekhyun with him.

It takes a minute, but when Baekhyun realizes where they are, his breath catches. They're on the roof of the broadcast building. He can see the city perfectly from up here, lit up and twinkling under the early morning. The skyline is kissed with a line of silver and a light grey tint blankets the world around them.  It's stunning. Utterly mesmerizing.

"Can we consider this the actual end to our date?" Chanyeol asks sounding way too close to him and he jumps a little at the sound of the other's voice. The taller man's hands slip onto his hips, pulling him to press his back against his chest. Baekhyun almost closes his eyes at how blissful it feels to be held so tenderly. "I promised to wow you and the way our date ended earlier isn't enough, so let's make this the official climax."

Baekhyun shakes his head and whines. "No, absolutely not. If you do that to me, Park Chanyeol, i'll never be able to date again. I will forever be ruined on dating."

Chanyeol chuckles and Baekhyun turns around to face him with a pout of his face. "Good." Then he presses his lips into the others, holding him close.

He kisses him as the sun rises and bathes the world in light. But neither of the two new lovers pay the slightest bit of attention to it, too immersed and drunk on each other, breathing in the feeling they had tried to teach themselves to forget a long time ago.

...

Baekhyun takes the lead after that and slips Chanyeol out of the building, knowing Kyungsoo is on air by now and his apartment will be empty. He takes the DJ home and takes his time stripping him. He marvels in Chanyeol's body, as the taller does the same to him. They pray like devout followers to one another's temples.

Hands. lips. Bodies. They touch. They feel. It's more than just physical contact to fill a void. It's two hearts beating in sync while a bond is formed. It's two people living in a moment so perfect and beautiful that they forget that there's anything outside of one another.

When Chanyeol finally slips inside of him, Baekhyun feels tears prick at the corner of his eyes, because this is how this is supposed to feel. For years he accustomed himself to allowing numb, mindless sex. It was okay. It was even good at times. But it's not this. It'll never ever be this.

Chanyeol kisses the tears away and pulls him apart for the second time since they met the previous moring, but this time, he breaks him open and fills the cracks and empty places with himself. Chanyeol whispers promises of late night cuddles and pizza, of lazy morning kisses and breakfast, of watching the sunrise wrapped in the arms of his favorite person, into his skin. He promises permanence and completeness. Chanyeol proves to him over and over, as he thrusts their bodies together that he always wanted, needed, and deserved better. He's been unknowingly searching for Park Chanyeol for a long fucking time, and here he is, pouring waves of pleasure into his body, setting his nerves ablaze.

When Baekhyun cums, Chanyeol rocks him through it and kisses his trembling lips, following soon after. He's immediately pulled into the other's arms and held tightly like something precious. No despondent grunts of thanks, or an indifferent back to him telling him to leave as soon as possible. Just strong arms holding his head to a rapidly beating heart, that's oddly enough starting to sound like his own name.

>>>>

"Come on, dude. Just tell me who it is. The whole school heard that show. As your best friend, i demand to know who it was you were talking about." Jongdae says shaking a fry at Chanyeol's face.

Chanyeol grimaces and rolls his eyes at this most recent turn of events. Apparently there had been a stray listener who had heard his broadcast the other night. They had witnessed Chanyeol gushing out his heart and decided to text their friends to listen in, which escalated into more people listening in, then it was being recorded and put online. Needless to say, there isn't a soul in this college who hasn't heard his show, and now everyone knows who Park Chanyeol, the overnight DJ at their school's radio station is.

Now eyes follow him wherever he goes, people giggling and gushing about the hopeless romantic. The only question people haven't been able to answer though, is who the mysterious B he had been talking about is. Chanyeol is thankful that Baekhyun has been busy the past couple of days and hasn't had time to spend together. The last thing he needs is people gossiping about the emphenious campus prince, Byun Baekhyun being the desired love interest of hopeless romantic Park Chanyeol. He'd hate to have Baekhyun have that type of attention on him.

"No, shut up. I'll only tell when he's ready." Chanyeol says, picking up his soda and taking a long drink. He wonders why he's friends with the guy because honestly Jongdae is exhausting on a good day.

"Oh, so it's a guy? That narrows it down."

Chanyeol stares at his roommate and best friend, then just shakes his head. Maybe Baekhyun would be willing to let him hideout in his room for the next couple of weeks till this all blows over.

Sehun chuckles from his other side, absentmindedly only paying half attention to them because they sort of become invisible whenever his boyfriend is around. Jongin's legs rest across his lap as he massages the dancer's sore calves. "Leave him be, Dae. Let him have his privacy."

Jongdae huffs. "Says the guy who was fucking Jongin for a whole six months before he told us you two were getting serious."

Jongin moans in slight pain as Sehun hits a knot and he apologies by kissing his boyfriends temple. Chanyeol smiles at how cute they are. He'll never admit it but he's always been slightly jealous of his best friend's relationship. "It was my business, not yours."

Chanyeol gives Jongdae a head tilt that says everything he wanted to and Jongdae just rolls his eyes letting it go. The people around them that were basically eavesdropping, go back to their own business and Chanyeol wishes he could just go back to being invisible. Maybe he went a little too far on his lovesick puppy rambling the other day. He doesn't regret it. Especially when hours later he woke up in bed besides Baekhyun at the smaller's apartment, feeling that hallow part of his chest where the loneliness lives, for once filled. 

"Oh, shit. Incoming." Jongdae announces and Chanyeol looks up from his bag of chips, nearly choking.

Baekhyun walks into the student cafeteria, flanked by two people, one looking like he really needs to cut back on caffeine and the other looks like he's an odd mixture of pissed and board. The normal cafeteria chatter quiets considerably and they all seem to be speaking in hushed whispers and excited murmurs. Always the popular, charismatic Byun Baekhyun that everyone loves and respects.

Chanyeol notes that Baekhyun is wearing a casual pair of black dress pants and a white dress shirt. He looks every bit of his presidential role and knows he's been in meetings all morning, since he's received a handful of s.o.s messages since he woke up for his first class. Chanyeol stares dreamily at his boyfriend and feels giddy to call the other that.

They had went to a movie then to coffee shop on a simple date last night, and that's when Chanyeol had officially asked him to be his boyfriend, and Baekhyun accepted with the brightest of smiles. It was so satisfying and Baekhyun even agreed that they'll keep their relationship private until Chanyeol is ready.

Baekhyun had said that it didn't matter to him. He gets attention and stares wherever he goes, a little bit of extra press wouldn't cause him any turmoil, but understood that Chanyeol isn't ready for that. Chanyeol slipped even harder because of that, and he made Baekhyun cum with his lips around his beautiful cock in the private bathroom of the coffee shop, to which Baekhyun returned with his hand moments later.

He does admit that things would be easier if they could be open about their relationship, but he wasn't sure he was ready for that kind of attention. Not that it matters anymore since he walked onto campus the next day to find out his broadcast had went viral. Not a single person on campus doesn't know who he is now.

"What's wrong? Do you have a problem with Byun?" Sehun asks Jongdae and raises an eyebrow at the smaller male.

Jongdae grimaces. "We hoo-"

"Don't spread his private life around like that. What you two did should be left between you two." Chanyeol says abruptly catching the attention of the three men around the table.

"What? How do you know?" Jongdae asks sounding a bit defensive.

Chanyeol scoffs taking another chip. "I was up the next morning when he was walking out. It's none of my business, nor should it be anyone else's. Especially since it was just a once time thing."

Jongdae blows adult-like raspberries at his friend and rolls his eyes. "We'll see. I had a good time. Maybe we could form an arrangement." He says slipping a greasy smirk on his lips and Chanyeol wants to punch it off his friends face.

"I don't think he'd be interested in such a thing." The DJ says attempting to keep the edge out of his voice, but judging by the look Sehun sends him, he fails.

A scoff. "And how do you know that?"

He could yell. He could fight. Or he could do one of the things he's truly gifted at. Park Chanyeol never backs down from a challenge after all. He takes out his phone and shoots off a text.

To: Baek

Jongdae thinks you'd make a good fuck buddy. Want to prove him wrong?

He looks up and waits for Baekhyun to look down at his phone, then the student body president's eyes shoot up, locking directly with his. Clearly Chanyeol wasn't the only one who was acutely aware of the other being in the room. Baekhyun probably found him the second he walked in the door.

His boyfriend's lips pull into a smirk and he nods, taking on that competitive edge Chanyeol had found he loved pretty quickly into their first date. Baekhyun takes off from across the room, leaving his surprised friends to just watch him walking away, as he gets closer and closer to Chanyeol.

It isn't until he's inches in front of the taller man who had turned his seat to allow the other to crowd into his space, that Chanyeol realizes there's no coming back from here. Baekhyun smiles brightly at him, his eyes crinkling, before he leans down and presses his lips fully against Chanyeol's.

If they hadn't had immediately fallen into each other, they would have noticed the silence of the room, the gawking stares, and the spluttering of their friends. But neither pay the slightest bit of attention as they get lost into their own world once again.

When Baekhyun finally pulls away, he finds that Chanyeol had pulled him into his lap and is staring up at him with that signature Chanyeol grin etched across his face. Possibly he got a bit carried away. All he wanted to do is give him a good kiss that wouldn't leave any room for its intention, but he never fails to want more and more of the DJ.

"Hi." Chanyeol says up at him.

Baekhyun giggles and wipes a bit of spit off the others lips. "Hi."

"What the absolute fuck? Park Chanyeol, fucking explain." It seems that Jongdae had regained his sense of composure.

Chanyeol snorts and sliding his hand down the dip of Baekhyun's waist. "Jongdae, meet B. My boyfriend."

Jongdae's eyes widen and he gapes at the two still staring into each others eyes. "Wait... were you two together when...?" He trails off but Chanyeol gets what he means.

"No, Baekhyun had come out of your room and i told him he deserved better, then i decided to prove it to him." Chanyeol smiks and finally looks over at his friend. "Hi, i'm better. Nice to meet you."

Jongdae narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. "Of all the fuc-"

"Congratulations. I've been wondering who has been making Yeol look so happy the past couple of days. I'm glad to put a face to the letter." Sehun says, talking over his and Yeol's mutual roommate.

Baekhyun laughs and nods at Chanyeol's now favorite friend. "I'm glad to see Yeollie has friends who aren't fuckboys."

Jongdae groans and they all laugh at his expense. Chanyeol takes pity on him and reaches over patting at his arm, then looks back up at his boyfriend. "Want to eat with us?"

The shy, yet pleased smile he receives from his boyfriend was well worth the extra attention of the still gawking cafeteria. It doesn't really seem to matter anyways when Baekhyun is around. All he sees is the other man.

Baekhyun spends the rest of lunch eating with his boyfriend and his friends, even Kyungsoo and Jun seem to get along with his new found love interest. He's so amazed how seamless Chanyeol just fits into his life. After years and years of turning down any idea of love, someone managed to show him the truth and in relation the error of his ways. He didn't know how much he wanted to feel like this. He didn't know how bad he needed someone like Park Chanyeol. But the man showed him what he truly deserved, was to let himself give his heart a chance.

He's never been more happy to have been proven wrong in his entire life.

>>>>

"Hey, guys. Welcome back. I hope everyone's saturday night is going well." Chanyeol smiles at the camera from his place in front of the DJ soundboard.

An onslaught of comments and replies fill the side of the screen and Chanyeol tries to read some of them, as he organizes his next music block he wants to play. "Ah, yes. That song was from SZA, The Weekend, and Travis Scott, it's called Power is Power." Chanyeol hums and chuckles at a comment. "I agree. The video is pretty dope."

This is the way it's been for a few months now. Since the station manager caught wind of the surge of views and attention from Chanyeol's little show a while back. The people demanded more. At first Chanyeol was against it, stating that he wanted privacy, but once his audience started multiplying, actually making comments on the stations message boards about liking the DJ's show for more than his love interest of a certain student body president, he gave in. Afterall, Chanyeol has always loved the music more than anything and if he can connect with people through that then maybe it's not that bad.

Cue the camera set up and a development of a live feed every Saturday night. Chanyeol refused to do the feed more than that. As much as he's come around to this new interface, he still prefers the quiet stillness of his show throughout the rest of the week. When he can sit alone in his booth, surrounded by nothing but the music and his own thoughts. Next to being with Baekhyun, it's his happiest place to be.

Speaking of Baekhyun.

Chanyeol glances over at the other man who is currently bobbing his head listening to the song playing in the background, a slow sexy grind of an R&B song.

The first condition of this new situation, Baekhyun joins him every Saturday to do the show beside him. The petite man was way too quick to agree, but Chanyeol had stopped him and made him promise to cut down his extracurriculars to three things outside of the show. Baekhyun kept his presidency, but stepped down to a regular member of one of his clubs, and only works in the library for a few hours in the evenings through the week. He has a considerable amount of freetime now. When Chanyeol asked him if he missed it, he said no, and explained that he found a reason to slow down.

Baekhyun absentmindedly does a slow little body roll and Chanyeol watches with amusement as the chat blows up for a second. The DJ guesses it's kind of fitting, even if he wants to shield his little love from the camera. This is the sort of theme for tonight's show, anyways. The second of the conditions to this new setup is the premise that Chanyeol could still have freedom to discuss any topic and be open with his audience. When he took over the overnight position at the radio station, he asked for artistic rights to be real and raw. The station agreed since his show is considered an after hours feature. So here they are discussing any and all topics about relationships and sex for tonight's show. Their views had skyrocketed since they introduced the idea of the broadcast earlier.

So far they've discussed their lube preferences, slight kinks, and even their sexualities. Baekhyun admitted to being pansexual, and Chanyeol explained that he's gay, but he's not exactly turned off by women. Possibly a little bi-curious. That led them into the debate on whether or not it's possible for everyone to be to some extent bi-sexual, it's just social constructs that make it impossible for us to evolve to that ideology. It was a good conversation and he got a lot of great feedback from their viewers.

Right now they're taking a slight break and looking over comments. It's a bit later in the night and he suspects that most of the views will start slipping as it gets even later. Baekhyun lifts his hands and starts doing a slight dance, clearly enjoying this song. He reads the comments.

A laugh leaves his mouth and Baekhyun is quick to look over at him with raised eyebrows. Chanyeol points to the screen where a comment sits. Chanyeol reads it out loud.

DoubleShotCotton: God!! i love the way Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun. It's just so hdgfyegfoyk!! Please never break up!!!! UwU!!

Baekhyun snorts and his eyes do that little eye crinkle thing Chanyeol loves so much. "Well, i don't know. Chanyeol might get bored and leave me soon."

Chanyeol smirks a bit and leans over towards Baekhyun, his face so close he's almost touching the other's. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the chat going crazy.

"Never."

Baekhyun turns his face to fully look at his boyfriend, their noses bumping, and a challenging smirk takes over his own lips. "Prove it."