#hawk feels the most fleshed out and then suddenly he’s not even top 5 for the Sekai Taikai???

[starglaee]

It’s the way the Cobra Kai creators can’t keep character consistency

[cheeriecherry]

Birds Of A Feather [5/7]

Hawks x Fem!Reader

Warnings: kissing, allusions to smut but nothing explicit

Part 5/7

The next day, you wake up early. Not so early that you’re inclined to roll over and go back to sleep, but enough that you’ll have time to make and enjoy breakfast.

Keigo is still snoozing beside you, cuddled tightly in a cocoon of soft blankets. You’re glad. After yesterday, he certainly deserves a good rest. You lean over and press a kiss to his forehead, smiling gently at his peaceful face.

After he’d kissed you last night, you’d been worried, as his piercing gaze stared down at you. Worried he didn’t mean it in the way you wanted, worried your feelings would get rejected. But he’d just looked at you with the softest expression you’d ever seen him wear, and reconnected your lips. You’d stayed on the floor for a good ten minutes, holding each other close and making out like a pair of teenagers.

He insisted you share a bed with him afterwards, in the most innocent way possible. He promised he'd sleep better with you nearby, but you knew it was just a thinly veiled excuse to spoon you. You didn’t mind.

Even now as you prepared breakfast, you felt light and airy and happy. All because of him.

“Mornin’.”

You’re frying some eggs when a sleepy voice sounds in the doorway, and you turn towards him. Keigo is there, barely awake and still rumpled from sleeping, with even his minimal feathers resembling some kind of bedhead.

“Awh, look at you, all drowsy,” you coo.

He grumbles halfheartedly, bumbling over to where you stand to kiss your cheek. He wraps his arms around your waist and sets his chin on your shoulder, peering down at the wide array of food you’re making.

“What’s the occasion?” he asks.

You hum a little and shrug. “I dunno. Figured you’d need a good meal after what happened yesterday? It might help your feathers grow back faster.”

You stay like that for a few minutes, until it comes time to flip the eggs. You shoo him to the breakfast table, and follow shortly after with your arms full of plates.

He starts heaping things onto his dish the moment you sit down, and you hide a laugh. Your mother always said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

“So what do you wanna do today?” you ask, shoveling a piece of egg into your mouth.

Keigo shrugs, giving your question little consideration. “I thought movies on the couch sounded okay?”

You wonder when the last time he had a day off was, and even more so when he last did something fun. “You said we’d go out and do stuff together, Kei,” you tell him, “that’s why I agreed to take time off. Remember?”

He smiles at your nickname, his cheeks glowing a soft pink. “Fair enough. What did you have in mind?”

“I dunno...what kind of stuff haven’t you done before?”

“A lot, actually,” he chuckles dryly, “you’d think I would have seen more of the country I grew up in.”

Your heart twists a little, silently mourning for his lost childhood. You hoped he’d open up about that to you sometime in the future, even though you already had a pretty good idea of what he went through. You hoped you could be somewhere safe for him to come home to.

“How about we start with the big things you haven’t done,” you suggest around a mouthful of food, “like, things you always wanted to do?”

He thinks for a moment.

“I’ve never been to the zoo,” he says, matter-of-factly. “Or a butterfly sanctuary. I’ve never had a beach day, either, despite the fact that I have a summer home. Uh...movie theatres. Amusement parks. All that stuff.”

He pulls some pancakes onto his plate and douses them thoroughly in syrup. You smile and shake your head.

“Well, we don’t want to get swarmed by fans, as much as I love them. Maybe we could do something like the beach?”

“Yeah?” you can hear the excitement in his voice.

“Yeah. We could spend a few days in that summer house of yours.”

Keigo finishes his food quickly after that, rushing to make a few phonecalls and arrange for a ride. You remind him to also get someone to come in and stock the place with food, so the two of you won’t have to deal with the grocery store. It would be a nice, relaxing weekend. No fans invited.

----

You start packing your suitcase while he makes his calls. You have most of what you’ll need for the trip; clothes, toiletries, the like. You wonder if you should pack a set of sheets, too, but you decide against it. This was Keigo’s house you were talking about, after all. You’d bet your left arm you’d walk into the place and it would be fully furnished.

Said boyfriend wanders into the room while you’re tossing things into a duffel bag, and leans against the wall to watch you.

“What?” you ask, “do I have something on my face?”

He smiles sweetly at you, shaking his head. “Nah, you’re just really pretty. It’s gonna be nice to have some time for just us.”

You fluster slightly, warmth creeping onto your face. “Y-you can’t just say things like that!” you scold, but it’s half hearted.

“Why not? Am I not allowed to compliment my girlfriend?”

The warmth spreads down your neck, and you think for a moment that he is a smug, smug oversized chicken.

“So I’m your girlfriend, huh?” you tease, zipping your bag up and throwing it over your shoulder.

He meanders towards you and takes your face in his hands. “Yeah, you’re my girlfriend, and I plan on keeping you for a long time.” The kiss he then gives you is gentle and sweet, maybe from the syrup on his pancakes, maybe from the affection he pours into it. You sigh happily against his lips and snake your arms around his waist.

He’s warm and solid, pressed against you, lithe body holding an unexpected amount of strength. His hands travel downwards, slowly, fingertips ghosting over your neck, collarbones, stopping and hesitating at the tops of your breasts.

Ah. Ever the gentleman.

You arch against him and bite his bottom lip, and his hands continue. His grip is gentle on your chest, nimble fingers caressing soft flesh through your shirt. He groans, low in the back of his throat, and squeezes a little harder.

His kisses grow sloppier, until he’s mouthing down your neck to nip and suck at your skin.

“Keigo…” you whine, shivering at his touch, “I...I want-”

He slips a thigh between yours, and pulls you against him by the hips. You have no choice but to grind down on him, delicious friction sending pleasant shocks throughout your body.

You continue like that for a couple minutes, hands grabbing and groping at each other, slipping under shirts for better access and more sensation. You’re in heaven, wet and hot on his thigh, and you can feel that he’s in no better a condition.

But it’s not enough. Enough to drive you crazy, sure, but hardly enough to bring you over the edge. You’re about to beg him for more, for as much as he’s willing to give, when suddenly his phone starts chirping in the distance.

Keigo groans in irritation, his head dropping onto your shoulder. He slows him ministrations, touches regretfully receding from your body, and gives you a final apologetic kiss.

“Sorry, chickadee, but that would be our ride.”

You grumble at the loss of contact, mind foggy and nerves buzzing, muttering about how you’d like a different ‘ride’. “S’okay…” you say, though the disappointment is evident in your tone. “We can try again later though, right?”

He lights up like a christmas tree.

----

The drive is uneventful, peaceful even, and it’s late afternoon by the time you arrive at the beach house.

“You know, when you said ‘summer home’, I don’t know why I thought ‘cottage’.” You stare up at the building in front of you, which has to be at least three times the size of your apartment. It’s two, maybe two and a half, storeys tall, with dozens of huge windows, and an enormous front porch. The garden is meticulously maintained, filled with exotic plants, and palm trees you’re pretty sure have been imported.

It’s very over the top, and you know you should have expected it; Keigo worked hard, flew fast, and earned more money than he knew what to do with.

You wander into the front foyer together, kicking your shoes off before proceeding to the rest of the house.

From the main living area, you had a clear view and access to the backyard, and beyond that a private spit of beach and ocean. You weren’t sure how such a huge property could be as secluded as it was, but it certainly made it happen.

“Kei, why is there a pool?”

He wanders over to you, following your gaze to the aforementioned structure.

“Huh,” he says, “I didn’t know that was there.”

You close your eyes and sigh deeply. It’s fine, you’re fine, and it’s none of your business to question why there was a pool on the property when the ocean was a hundred feet from the back deck.

“You really never stayed here, have you?” you’re exasperated. “Like, did you even look at the place before you bought it?”

He at least has the decency to look sheepish. “I never had time? Even when I lose my feathers, I usually have to stay in the office and do paperwork.”

“Do you not have paperwork this time?”

“Oh, no, I do!” he smiles cheekily, “I’d just rather be here with you.”

“Keigo!”

----

You both unpack quickly, setting your clothes up in the wardrobe in your shared room. He’s packed entirely too much for a three day vacation, but you suppose he doesn’t have much experience with that. You’re also fairly certain you did the same…

Despite your overall reservation about the rich and slightly entitled atmosphere of the house, you were excited to be there. It’s been years since you’d last had a vacation, the last time possibly being your senior graduation event, and you could feel that you desperately needed time off.

Keigo sits on the edge of the bed, clad in comfortable shorts and a T-shirt, watching you sort your things out and set them in drawers.

“So...what now?” he asks.

You hang your final sun dress up, and turn to him. “Now we do whatever we want. Lounge on the beach, or the patio -though it looks like it might rain-, go swimming, decide what to make for dinner…speaking of, did you have someone stock the pantry?”

“Yeah. Fridge, too.”

“Perfect! How about you pick what to make, and help me with it?”

----

Keigo, in his chicken-loving fashion, decides on ‘fancy chicken nuggets’. You’re not exactly sure how to make that, or what would go well with it, but you’re giving it your best shot, mixing fresh spices and herbs into the floury breading.

Your boyfriend sits at the island a few feet away, watching you flit between appliances and bowls and chopping boards. He had tried to help you briefly, but proved himself rather inept at preparing food, so you’d kindly banished him out from under your feet.

“You’re a woman after my own heart,” he sighs, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand.

You peek at him over your shoulder and smile. “I swear, you’re such a dude. A nice plate of food in front of you, and you swoon.”

Mischief sparkles in his eyes. “That’s not true! I like a pretty face, too!”

“Then why the heck did you choose me?” you snicker.

Keigo doesn’t laugh. Quite the opposite, in fact. He grows unusually serious, and slides off the barstool to come stand beside you.

“You’re beautiful. You know that, right?” he asks.

You roll your eyes. “It was just a joke, Kei…”

“Self deprecating jokes have an element of personal truth to them.”

“Keigo seriously-”

“Say you’re beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Y/N, you know what I mean. Say you’re beautiful.”

You sigh. “I’m...pretty.”

“Beautiful.”

“Beautiful.”

“Good! Now, all together.”

“I’m...I’m…” you hesitate on the word, fidgeting while you try to say it. You don’t know why a single self compliment is proving so tricky. It might be the way he looks at you, so intense and focused. It’s making you nervous.

You avert your gaze and turn away. “I should check the nuggets-”

But he captures you in his arms, pulling you back against his chest. “We’re not done here yet.”

You squirm a little, but your heart isn’t in it. When you finally still, he speaks again.

“Who made you believe you aren’t beautiful?” he wonders softly, resting his chin on your shoulder. You shiver at his warm breaths on your neck, and let yourself lean back into him.

“Why does it matter?”

“I need to know who to punch.”

You laugh at that, but it’s dry and humourless. “I’m afraid it’s no one in particular,” you tell him, “It’s just kind of a behaviour that everyone picks up over the years, y’know? It’s not a big deal, in my case, it’s not like I hate myself.”

Keigo squeezes you a little. “You just don’t think you’re beautiful.”

“The definition of beauty changes from person to person, anyways. I’m sure there are people I find beautiful that don’t see it, too.”

“Doesn’t that make you sad, though?”

Your shoulders sag in defeat. It does make you sad, when the people you love and cherish would choose to change so much about themselves, if they could. When they don’t see the life and personality and kindness behind their smiles and dimples and blemishes.

“I guess,” you mumble.

Keigo lays a kiss against your shoulder, lips lingering against your bare shoulder. He presses another, closer to your neck this time, and another after that. “I’ll say it every day until you believe it, sweetheart,” he tells you, voice low and silken, “you’re beautiful. Your wings are beautiful, too. So strong and graceful. They give away your feelings sometimes, y’know? They get fluffy when you’re excited, or mad, or scared…”

“Keigo…”

He continues his journey across your shoulder, while his hands roam slowly up your sides. “You smile could light up a room, and your laugh? Don’t even get me started. I’ve never heard something so close to perfection, it makes my stomach twist up in knots.”

You tremble in his arms, the familiar warmth of arousal beginning to course through your veins. Still, he doesn’t stop.

“You work so hard, and you take your job seriously, and you’re good at it, too. Yet you’ve never cared about popularity, even though you’re kind to your fans. You just want to help people, and make a difference where you can. It’s admirable, and noble, and the world needs more heroes like you.”

You squirm in place, turning carefully around in his arms. At this distance, you can see all the freckles and scars on his face, and feel his short breaths fan across your cheeks.

“You...really have feelings for me, don’t you?” you whisper, as though you can’t quite believe it.

“Of course I do,” his tone is low, “I wouldn’t have tried so hard to befriend you if I wasn’t at least a little bit interested. And you turned out to be so much better than I expected.”

You lock your fingers behind his neck, the soft hairs there tickling your skin. His eyes flutter ever so slightly, and his next breath is shaky.

“Y/N, I…”

You lean forward and kiss him.

It’s messy, and heated, and he responds to your touches with soft moans and gasps. He pulls you as close as he can, your bodies flush together, and you can feel him hard against your thigh. He’s certainly easy to rile up, but you don’t particularly mind.

His hands roam your form, grabbing and squeezing wherever you let him venture. He breaks your kiss to start sucking a bruise onto your neck, biting down on your skin when his actions earn a gentle whine from you.

“The things you do to me,” he sighs, stilling his hands from a brief second. “I wanted you the moment I laid my eyes on you.”

Your press your foreheads together, staring into his golden eyes.

“Would you let me have you, chickadee?” he asks, begs, “would you let me keep you?”

“Yes,” you whisper without a second thought, reconnecting your lips.

[aylee-ann]

(and in a crowd of people) you are the only one I see

(Inspired by this prompt in which Baekhyun buys so many of Yixing’s second album that he accidentally wins a place at a fan meet) 

pg-13/ romance, humour, slice-of-life, baekxing (cause you can never have enough of that ♡)

-

The lack of a certain person in his life for most of the year has turned out to be more of a struggle than Baekhyun could ever imagine. EXO's been busy promoting their new album and doing concerts, while Yixing-- oh, his Yixing-- has been busy with his schedules in China. The political conflict China and South Korea are (still) involved in isn't making things any better. What seemed to be a separation of a few months top is now slowly becoming a full-year one with only quick encounters in between that don't really count.

He's only seen Yixing in the flesh twice in the span of 10 months. Truth be told, both times were so fleeting he sometimes wonders if they were even real to begin with. Yixing never stayed for too long. Long enough to assure Baekhyun that he wasn't a figment of his imagination, but not long enough to make Baekhyun miss him any less. Knowing that he'd pack his things and leave in a day or two made Baekhyun miss him even more despite his presence.

-

 Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and Baekhyun feels like he's going crazy from this terrible Yixing drought which is at its worst after months of not breathing the same air with his favourite person. This, on the other hand, has led to Baekhyun's life mission of buying as many albums possible when Yixing drops his second album-- his second son as he so lovingly calls.

Baekhyun's pre-ordered ten copies each time from numerous Korean and Chinese websites. It took him half an hour to register an account and get the hang of ordering from Chinese websites. If it were for Yixing, Baekhyun would be willing to go through fire and water— anything, really. He's even getting on the other members' nerves so that they'll purchase extra copies of Yixing's album. The other members have tacitly agreed upon the tactic to simply show him a screenshot of a recent purchased Yixing album whenever he throws a fit.

-

Baekhyun proceeds to order a bulk of Yixing's album on the day of its release. He's even borrowed Suho's credit card for the sake (saying that it was an emergency). Baekhyun doesn't dare thinking about the moment Suho checks his credit balance and storms into his room, eyes filled with rage.

He remains unscathed until the third day. When Baekhyun comes home (with a couple of Yixing's albums purchased at some nearby stores in his bag) that afternoon, he's met with the other 7 members looking at him disapprovingly.

"Baekhyun," Suho says at length, taking a few steps closer. To Baekhyun this sounds like the start of hour long lectures he won't have the heart to remember. "We know you love Yixing. I mean, we all love Yixing. And Yixing loves you too," Suho clears his throat, falling into a long silence before continuing.

"But this seriously has got to stop. You've bought hundreds of copies of his album already. I doubt we have enough space for them. Jesus, you can probably make a castle out of those albums."

"Yeah, maybe I should," Baekhyun ponders despite Suho's death glare. Baekhyun can see Sehun, Kai, and Chanyeol doing their best not to burst out laughing from the corner of his eyes. "It could be Yixing's sleeping place when he comes back." Baekhyun beams from ear to ear just at the thought of it.

"You've even gone over the credit line, for god's sake!" Suho goes into hysterics, not even batting an eye. Without another word, he sticks out his hand demandingly. "Give me back the credit card, Baek. You barged into my room at 2am, crying and saying it was urgent. This is obviously not something one would label as an emergency."

Sehun and Kai snicker softly at the back, immediately covering their mouths when Suho turns around. DO kicks Sehun in the shins with a warning look while Xiumin only shakes his head. Chen's half-heartedly listening to Suho lecturing Baekhyun while checking his phone every other minute under the coffee table.

Baekhyun ends up having all his credit cards confiscated, even the one he hid under the floor tile just in case. He was already thinking of using it for this occasion, but Sehun (that brat) had to rat him out.

"It's only fair this way," Sehun said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "You sold me out last time I asked for a favour."

"It wasn't my intention. It just slipped from my tongue, I swear," he tried to defend himself only to receive Sehun's cold glance in response. If there's anyone holding grudges, it's Sehun. It's just bad luck for Baekhyun that he happens to be the one in the receiving end, especially during this critical period.

 Baekhyun refused to have dinner as an act of rebellion in the hope that Suho might show mercy and give him back his credit cards. This foolish action has resulted in not only a no-show of his credit cards, but also an empty stomach. That night, lying in bed with a foul mood and a grumbling stomach, Baekhyun receives a message from Suho himself (also known as the root of all his problems at this point).

 I know you're mad at me, but I am only doing this for you. I'm sure there are other ways to show how much you love and care about Yixing. If you come up with anything that does not involve buying another copy of Yixing's album, we're happy to help :)

 He knows it's in good faith and that Suho is actually doing him a favour by finally putting the brakes on his insane album hunt. For Baekhyun, doing this means a whole lot more than Suho can imagine. Love is blind, people say. If blind is buying as many copies of the same album as possible, Baekhyun's all for it. So he leaves the message on read because that's as petty as he can go and tries to fall asleep.

 -

 Yixing calls at an ungodly hour the next morning, stirring Baekhyun awake.

 “Morning, sleepy head,” Yixing says cheerily through the phone.

 Baekhyun groans, eyes still closed as he puts his phone above his left ear. “It’s 5 am, Mr. Zhang. Unlike you, I am enjoying my days off. Your timings are always the worst. Gosh, I hate you,” Baekhyun protests, burying his face into his pillow.

 “I know,” Yixing chuckles, filling the silence with his laughter.

 “I hate you,” Baekhyun groans louder, “I can’t even see the dimple on your cheek now. What’s the point of having you as my boyfriend now? You’re deliberately doing this to torture me, right?”

“Of course not,” Yixing says gently, heaving a sigh, “I’ve got to go now. It was nice hearing your voice though, I’m recharged for the day. I miss you.”

 “I miss you, too” Baekhyun says, making a kissing sound and hangs up. It usually takes them half an hour to truly get to the part where one of them has the audacity to hang up on the other. Yixing’s been much busier lately which is why Baekhyun has decided to become the stronger one and make things easier for his man.

He suddenly receives a notification from his email account. Blinking, Baekhyun proceeds to read the whole email, his mouth opening wider towards the end of the email. He lets out a strangled shriek when he reaches the final sentence.

 Byun Baekhyun has won a place to Zhang Yixing's next fan meeting in Shanghai.

 Chen and DO come storming into his room upon hearing his loud, shrill scream at the crack of dawn.

 "What happened? Is something wrong? Did something happen to Yixing?" Chen asks breathlessly, poking his head into Baek's room.

 "Just because you're up doesn't mean others should be as well, Byun Baekhyun. You can have your screaming sessions later in the day," DO mumbles threateningly, shoving Chen aside.

 "I love you two, a lot," Baekhyun sing songs, giving them a huge group hug and plants a kiss on their cheeks.

 DO steers clear of Baekhyun after the morning confession, while Chen announces he will be in his room for the whole day and does not want to be disturbed in anyway, even Xiumin is not allowed to interfere.

Even the others feel a weird energy coming from Baekhyun, who's been flashing his rectangular trademark smile non-stop for the whole day. (It's up to the point where Suho even considers giving him back his credit card in fear of Baekhyun going berserk.)

 -

 After weighing the options and whatnot, Baekhyun’s dead set on going. He’s going to make a surprise visit, go undercover, and get Yixing’s signature on one of the albums. Everything's going smoothly and nothing-- absolutely nothing-- can spiral out of control this time. Baekhyun's carefully double-checked his schedule to make sure that there aren't any clashes on the day Zhang Yixing (the love of his life) holds the fan meeting. The tickets are booked, his travel bag is packed. The only problem is explaining his sudden disappearance to Suho, who's got incredible skills and hawk eyes when it comes to this matter.

He's tried asking every single member to cover for him, but none of them seem remotely interested in giving a friend in need a helping hand. The thing is, Byun Baekhyun does not back down. In the face of challenge, he only emerges stronger and more determined.

 By the end of day, Xiumin concedes, agreeing to lie for Baekhyun.

 "What are you up to by the way?" Xiumin asks curiously, lowering the book he's been reading.

 "That's a secret," Baekhyun flashes him a grateful grin. "I'll send you pics."

 "If you get me into trouble with Suho because of this, I'm spilling the beans about that one time you—"

 Baekhyun hurries over to cover his mouth, "Bloody hell, are you planning to get me killed? Do not ever mention that when Suho is literally in the next room," Baekhyun hisses in whisper tone.

 "I don't think it will cause much trouble. It might land me a detention of 2 weeks, but I doubt that he'll do anything to you. I mean, you're the hyung,” Baekhyun adds.

 "Alright," Xiumin sighs, praying for dear God that he hasn't just signed up for hell.

 -

 Baekhyun sneaks out of the dorm at around 4 am in the morning with the help of Xiumin who calls him a cab and accompanies him down to the foyer.

 “Good luck, Baek. Whatever you’re doing, Yixing knows you love him,” Xiumin says, patting Baekhyun’s shoulders.

 “How did you—?”

“Whenever you talk about something that’s Yixing related there are hearts in your eyes. You’re normally a weirdo but when Yixing is involved you become a lunatic,” Xiumin shakes his head although the corners of his lips are slightly tugged up.

 “I’ll take it as a compliment,” Baekhyun grins, giving Xiumin a big hug.

 “Oh, and there’s something else,” Xiumin says at length, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, shoving a thick envelope into Baekhyun’s hands. “There are some letters I wrote for Yixing. I was hoping you could hand them over to him.”

Baekhyun grins, nudging Xiumin in the elbow. “Aww, I love that my man is loved,” he says, carefully placing the envelope into his bag.

Xiumin heaves another sigh, before taking out another thicker stack of letters from his bulging left pocket.

“The others know you’re going to Yixing’s fan meeting. They want you to hand over these letters as well.”

 Baekhyun is speechless for a split second. “How did everyone figure out?”

“Sehun connected the dots,” Xiumin says, chuckling, “Yixing skyped us yesterday when you were in your room wondering why you keep talking about his coming fan meeting 24/7. Sehun came up with the answer after the call.”

 “Does Suho know?” Baekhyun asks anxiously. The cab has finally arrived, coming to a halt in front of them.

“I’m not sure. He wasn’t with us yesterday so I guess he isn’t aware of you flying to Shanghai yet.”

“Alright, I’ll be back by tonight. Help me out guys. Keep in mind that I’m delivering letters and love to our Yixing.”

 Xiumin nods his head, signalling Baekhyun to stop ranting when he opens his mouth to say something else. With a cheery good luck and another supportive pat, Xiumin shoves Baekhyun into the cab and motions for the driver to leave.

-

After a two-hour flight, Baekhyun’s finally made it to Shanghai. In the meantime, he’s found a suspicious envelope in his rucksack when rummaging for his small notebook. He sees Suho’s handwriting at the front. A neatly “To Yixing” written at the bottom right with a heart drawn next to it. Baekhyun shakes his head laughing, making a mental note to tease Suho later when he gets back.

He takes a cab to the fan meeting location and plots his entrance during the drive. He doesn’t want to be recognized by anyone and draw the attention to him on this special day. He’ll just try his best and keep it cool. His goal is simple: getting a quick glimpse of Yixing, delivering him what would seem like a stack of fan letters and having his copy (one of his many ones that is) signed by Yixing. After that, he’ll get the hell out of there before Yixing or anyone figures out his true identity.

There are hundreds of Xingmis around, frantically talking about something he assumes to be Yixing related. His limited Chinese enables him to pick up on some certain phrases, but he’s not efficient enough in the language to contribute to the conversation. He almost slips his tongue, screaming yes, me too when he overhears a group of male Xingmis at the far back expressing their love for Yixing. Baekhyun’s standing in line, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, inching forward at the speed of a snail, trying his best not to do anything Baekhyun stupid.

In his head, he’s practicing his pose, the things he’d say. Baekhyun’s written an essay-long speech in Mandarin but he’s barely remembering the first few lines after the flight. Maybe he’ll just say a couple of things in Korean and pretend to be an exchange student. Number one priority when it’s his turn is to keep his head down and avoid eye contact at all cost. Even a split second will make him swoon and send him to cloud nine. He might not be able to contain himself and jump into Yixing’s arm.

He'll not only land in Yixing’s arms (which is in this case a dream come true, indeed), but also on the front page of the newspapers the next morning that will take China and Korea by storm (sadly). So Baekhyun balls his fists, bites his lips and takes a deep breath. He can do this, he can control himself for the sake of Zhang Yixing.

Easier said than done. The closer he gets, the more anxious he gets. The clearer his view of Yixing gets, the more he yearns to actually see him and have him smile back at him with dimples poking out from his cheeks and stars in his eyes. The mere thought of Yixing mouthing ‘I love you’ to him already makes his knees go weak.

 ‘Get yourself together,” Baekhyun shakes his head vigorously, taking in a deep breath. ‘You can do this.’

 With his head still down, Baekhyun pulls out the stack of letters from his bag and the album he wants to have signed. He’s only 5 people away from Yixing, and his heart is already on the verge of exploding.

 “Hello,” Yixing greets him cheerfully, looking a bit confused when Baekhyun does not respond or look up.

“Hi,” Baekhyun manages in Mandarin with an awkward wave. “I’m an exchange student from Korea. A big fan,” he mumbles, tripping all over his own words.

“Oh,” Yixing flashes him a genuine smile that radiates gratefulness and admiration. “Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me,” he says in Korean, taking the album from Baekhyun’s trembling hands.

“What’s your name?”

 “You can just write B.”

 “Just B?”

“Yes, just B,” Baekhyun feels his whole face burning up. He’s only stolen a few glances at Yixing whenever Yixing wasn’t looking straight at him. “I’ve got some letters for you,” Baekhyun says, placing the letters on the table.

“They’re not all from me though,” he quickly adds as Yixing’s eyes shoot up at Baekhyun at the sight of the pile.

“My friends love you, too. A lot even,” Baekhyun explains, cursing himself inwardly. If any of his members knew he said something this cheesy, he’d probably spend the rest of his career sleeping on the couch.

 Too embarrassed of what he’s just blurted out, Baekhyun shoves the album he’s been handed back down his bag, bows Yixing goodbye and darts towards the exit. In retrospect, attending this fan meeting isn’t such a genius plan. It did sound like one when he set it in motion though.

 -

Exhausted, he passes out in his hotel room and doesn’t wake up until a couple of hours later. Baekhyun heads back to the airport with a mixture of inexplicable emotions. A part of him is bothered that Zhang Yixing did not for a split second suspect him. He went along with it as if Byun Baekhyun was truly just some Korean exchange student meeting him for the first time.

His flight is delayed for almost two hours, and boredom is truly testing Baekhyun’s patience. Flopping down the couch in the waiting area, Baekhyun heaves a loud sigh. He truly hates himself for complicating things and overthinking the situation, but he can’t really help himself. Baekhyun observes the people around him, counts the number of ATM boots, reads anything that is within his own level of Mandarin. He does the silliest things to while away the time.

 He’s tempted to gate-crash Yixing’s after party or whatever is on his schedule and give him a big hug, taking the mic from the MC and just announce to the world that Yixing is his. Baekhyun cringes at his own thoughts and shifts to a less dramatized scenario. Anything would suffice at this point, even Yixing whispering Baekhyun’s name would have been a moment he’d be happy to die with.

“Passengers booked on flight BX 0710 to Seoul please proceed to gate 7 to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Thank you.”

The sudden announcement pulls Baekhyun out of his stupor. Baekhyun stumbles forward, almost landing on his face. He walks towards his gate, fishing his ticket and passport out of his bag. Baekhyun freezes in his spot as the bits of Yixing’s handwriting flashes across his eyes. Baekhyun pulls the album out, carefully examining the message written beneath Yixing’s signature he did not see in his haste to get away just then.

The feeling is mutual, B ;) Love you x

As if that wasn’t enough of a surprise, Baekhyun is even more taken aback when he sees a familiar someone in jeans and a grey hoodie with half his face covered walking towards him. He naturally takes Baekhyun’s hand and slips his fingers into his.

“Well, hello there,” Yixing says in his heavenly voice with a half smirk Baekhyun can still see despite the face mask.

Baekhyun’s heart skips a bit, colour rushes to his cheeks. Baekhyun blinks, feeling like he’s awoken from some sort of trance. The end of the world is cancelled, the earth is still spinning on its axis,  and life— well life is all good again.