Work Text:
Five minutes in that place were enough to make Baekhyun regret accepting Jongdae’s invite to that nightclub.
Baekhyun has never been interested in nightclubs actually. He just came because his friend and coworker, Kim Jongdae, was blabbering nonstop about a guy he was meeting there, and that’s why Baekhyun came. However, before even having a proper conversation with the so-called “Xiumin” plus his drunk friend, he had the pleasure to meet the one he has been avoiding the most.
Kim Junmyeon.
Kim Junmyeon, the guy who broke up with Baekhyun about three months ago without giving him a proper explanation and then appearing with a new brand boyfriend shortly after. He didn’t know how either when he fell out of love with him, but seeing the posts of Junmyeon with Jongin made Baekhyun’s self-esteem go to the trash.
“Oh, thanks Jongdae.” He whispered to himself, trying to hide somewhere, far from that happy couple, at the least. He was doing fine without Junmyeon, why did he have to show up again?
Not that Baekhyun was still into him, but his new beginning (which he has been working with for a while) couldn’t actually begin with that guy around. Not when they spent one year together which Baekhyun took several days to forget.
He didn’t miss Junmyeon, but he missed feeling loved.
Dating Junmyeon wasn’t exactly the biggest romance ever, but it was comfortable to have someone to lean on. Baekhyun wasn’t good at relationships and personally, as a math professor, he liked numbers better. However, he confessed: He started to like to go on dates, buy cute gifts and take care of the one who was by his side.
But at that moment, he had no one to show off in case his ex confronts him and shows Jongin off, which would be extremely uncomfortable for him.
Although he wasn’t there to drink and forget about his problems, the fact that he smelled alcohol and had his work clothes all screwed up all because of his drunk friend who he was taking care of until a while ago, made him look like a total loser. And to look like a total loser to an ex was the worst scenario he could even imagine.
Lord, he was going to kill Jongdae.
He looked to his back and then, when his eyes met Junmyeon’s, he turned to the right and started walking faster. He knew Junmyeon was going to follow him no matter what, considering that he had blocked him on all his social media after seeing he left him to be with Jongin.
Baekhyun only stopped when he bumped into a big body, which smelled strangely familiar.
“I’m sorry!” He said, fixing his glasses and finally looking up to the guy he bumped into.
Suddenly, he was paralized.
“Don’t worry. Are you okay?”
That guy was the professor who Baekhyun dryly rejected when they used to work together, while he was still dating Junmyeon.
And damn, has he always been that beautiful?
“I-I’m fine!” He gulped, staring at his beautiful face and forgetting about Junmyeon completely.
From the beginning, Oh Sehun was very kind and handsome. When he confessed to Baekhyun a while ago, Junmyeon got furious, but he didn’t blame him. Baekhyun would be jealous too. After all, Sehun was gentle and handsome. If Baekhyun only paid more attention to him, he would probably fall for him instead of Junmyeon.
When Sehun smiled, Baekhyun felt like seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
“Are you sure? When you bumped into me, you looked in trouble…” And when he heard it, he finally snapped out of it.
Oh right. He was running away from Junmyeon.
“Oh sh-” he was about to leave when he felt a unfamiliar touch on his shoulder.
“Baekhyun!” Junmyeon called him, and Baekhyun turned to him.
Shit.
“Oh, Junmyeon.” He scratched his neck, avoiding his ex’s gaze. “What a coincidence…”
“Yeah, I know right?” His voice sounded strangely friendly. “How are you doing? You stopped attending my calls and replying to my messages.”
That guy must be kidding Baekhyun.
“I’m doing fine.” He smiled once again. “Just like you and your brand new boyfriend.”
Junmyeon looked down.
“Look, I… I’m sorry for breaking up with you like that. But I didn’t cheat on you, okay? Please don’t be upset.” He explained himself, which made Baekhyun let out an ironic laugh. “It’s just that… sometimes we find real love in the wrong scenarios and situations. When you find it, you will know what I’m talking about.”
Junmyeon was talking to him as if they were nothing.
Somehow, even though he didn’t love Junmyeon anymore, he felt a sudden pain on his chest, as if he had never known what actual love was . Deep inside, he already knew that he, a math professor who didn’t know anything besides playing with numbers, was no expert with human relationships.
But hearing this from someone who has made him feel different. It hurt.
He felt so humiliated and lonely that moment, with Junmyeon seeing him alone and all screwed up that, when he least expected, his eyes started to get wet. Baekhyun was someone who always kept his chin up and tried to control his feelings. That’s how he managed to don’t cry when Junmyeon broke up with him, because he already calculated it by the times he said he would be working until too late or the frequency of his morning kisses.
But that time, he wasn’t expecting to hear they were… nothing.
And it was so annoying. Feeling things he couldn’t control was annoying, and doesn’t understanding why he was feeling this way was even worse.
He wanted to disappear.
Without saying anything, he kept looking at the floor and when he felt his tears would probably make him look even weaker, he turned back to leave. But when he was about to take the first step out there, he felt a warm embrace around him, his tears being dried on a soft shirt surface.
“Don’t talk about love as if you’re the God of love, jerk.” Baekhyun heard Sehun speak. His face was against his chest and he could hear his heartbeat. It was fast and that comforted Baekhyun, somehow. “We don't care about why you broke up with him because he has me now, and I’ll give him the love he deserves, different from you. So please, leave and don’t ever show up again.”
Baekhyun was shocked at Sehun's embrace and, when he least expected, he heard Junmyeon apologize to them and leave completely embarrassed.
“I didn’t know you’re together, I’m sorry.” He left and as those steps got far away, Baekhyun felt relieved.
He felt relieved in Sehun's arms.
“He’s gone.” Sehun whispered as soon as Junmyeon got out of their sign, and only then Baekhyun looked at him, embarrassed.
“Thank you…” Baekhyun covered his face and then took a deep breath. “And sorry for being troublesome.”
“...Do you still like him?” Sehun asked, and Baekhyun stared at him with a ugly face.
“What? No!” Sehun giggled a little. “I just felt like shit for hearing that he didn’t feel anything back then. I mean, although we’re not together, I thought I was actually something for him. ”
“Oh, I’m sorry for that…” Sehun said, taking his glasses off to whip them. “He is such a asshoe. I mean, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but he was a piece of shit with you. Don’t mind him.”
“Thank you for comforting me, but I don’t think I was a prince charming either. Our relationship wasn’t that intense either, so I kept with him only because it was convenient.” Baekhyun accepted his glasses when Sehun put them on his face again.
In that moment, with Sehun’s face so close to his, he felt his chest ache once again, but this time it was different.
“So you didn’t actually love him?” Sehun asked, and Baekhyun nodded.
“Not actually. He was handsome, nice and good at math, though. It was comfortable to be with him, but nothing like a love story. We just shared the same interests and he used to understand when I talked about my studies, because we studied the same area.”
Sehun heard everything he said with attention and, at the end, he let out a discreet laugh.
And damn, his laugh was so beautiful that Baekhyun could hear it for hours.
“I see you’re picky, Mr. Byun.” He talked to Baekhyun as he used to do the time they worked together, and the other could do nothing but laugh. “I mean, who considers their math abilities in a relationship? Guess people like me will never have a chance with you. I’m not good at math.”
Baekhyun blushed and smiled at him. Even after years, Sehun was still the same friendly and charming professor.
“Well, if dating a math specialist didn’t go well, I guess I should try something else. I thought someone like me would be the perfect partner but perhaps I was wrong.” He said without thinking, something that Baekhyun doesn’t usually do.
But somehow, he felt that playing along was right.
“And what does a guy need to be a perfect partner for you, Mr. Byun?” Sehun started walking next to Baekhyun to the exit, and for the first time in a while, Baekhyun felt genuinely happy.
What was that feeling?
“You know, I’m not an expert with love, although I read a lot of math books.” He spoke, feeling his heartbeat somehow different as Sehun smiled and nodded, showing interest in their conversation. “But I think it should feel like 100 bpm. Or maybe like a comfort silence, where you don’t need to talk to make the person beside you feel good.”
“Oh, right?” Sehun asked, and then he stopped walking, suddenly staring at Baekhyun in the middle of the sidewalk.
“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked, and then stared at Sehun back.
However, he didn’t say anything, he just kept staring at Baekhyun while playing with his eyebrows, which made Baekhyun laugh.
“Hey, say something!”
Sehun shook his head and kept doing funny expressions, making Baekhyun smile while staring at his silly expressions.
Sehun kept staring at Baekhyun for 500 seconds, without saying anything.
And it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Honestly, Baekhyun never felt so comfortable in his whole life as beside Sehun.
“It’s been 500 seconds already. Did you feel uncomfortable with my silence?” Sehun asked, and Baekhyun felt his cheeks turn red while he let out a sweet smile.
He never felt like that before.
“I didn’t, Mr. Oh.”
“And you know what your math studies say, don’t you?” He flirted with Baekhyun, and he couldn’t do anything besides smile again.
Being with Sehun felt so right .
“Yeah. I know.”
“So, this time are you going to accept my proposal? Or do I need to study Calculus to make you notice me?” He said sweetly, and Baekhyun took one step closer to Sehun.
Sehun was making him feel things he never felt before, such as kissing without having an actual relationship established.
At that moment, he wanted to kiss that guy and nothing else mattered.
“Only if you prove to me the theory which says that if you keep kissing me for 500 seconds and don’t feel uncomfortable, it can be love.”
And when that eyes turned tight due to his cute laugh, Baekhyun felt hypnotized by Sehun. Without noticing, his hands were on his neck and they were just inches apart, inches which Baekhyun wanted to turn into zero.
“Alright Professor. If you say so…” he leaned to Baekhyun and, when he felt his lips meet, he was sure that no math formula could explain what he felt.
Perhaps, Junmyeon was wrong.
And now Baekhyun would thank Jongdae, because thanks to him, he was about to have a new beginning with a real love that has nothing to do with numbers or something.
Besides their 500 seconds thing.