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Kyungsoo is chatting peacefully with Jongdae by the sea when he sees Byun Baekhyun running towards him with a bouquet and a terrifying grin.
"Do Kyungsoo!" he shouts. Shouts. In public. "Marry me!"
So Kyungsoo does the reasonable thing: he turns, thinks to himself Fuck this shit, I'm out, and cannonballs into the water.
"Hey, what's up with you and Baekhyun?" This time he's with Junmyeon, resting on a park bench.
"Nothing," Kyungsoo grunts. The bush in front of them rustles. He squints at it. "I can't stand him."
"Why?" The bush is still rustling. No, there's no way.
"Because he's scared to face his true feelings for me," says Baekhyun, emerging from the foliage with a single rose, tossing his hair.
"Because he won't leave me the fuck alone," Kyungsoo retorts over his shoulder, already clambering over the bench and sinking into a sprint start.
"Haven't you asked him to stop?" Yixing asks as they stroll among the trees.
"I think my body language should be pretty self-explanatory." Above them, Kyungsoo hears a faint snap. He looks up.
"Body language? Like what?" One branch seems to be swaying more heavily than the others. He sighs.
"You'll see," he says grimly as Baekhyun swings down from a vine with pink balloons and a rippling banner that says DO KYUNGSOO I LOVE YOU!.
"He's just so shy," he hears Baekhyun explain tenderly from 3, 5, 10 metres beneath him. He doesn't even remember the last time he climbed a tree.
"I still don't get how it started," Minseok says, dropping the bag of rice into their shopping cart.
"Doesn't matter." Kyungsoo scowls. "He's not serious, anyways."
"You think so? Hmm. Oh, should we grab a few packs of spaghetti? This brand's your favourite, ri—shit. Wow."
"What is it?" Kyungsoo asks, turning, and locks eyes with Baekhyun, staring at him from the other side of the aisle through the hole Minseok's just made in the spaghetti section.
"I'm very serious," Baekhyun says seriously, stuffing yet another bouquet (where does he get these?) across the shelf. "I'd buy out the spaghetti for you if you asked."
"That would be irresponsible," Kyungsoo says, politely speedwalking to the doors and then breaking into a run before Minseok can even finish the wait, but how did you—
"Wasn't it fine at first?" Sehun asks from across the table as they wait for their coffee. "I thought he just seemed shy. Now it's all turned into some sort of weird game."
The first time was a couple months ago. Baekhyun had waited for him and Sehun after work, eyes averted as he stammered something under his breath, then when asked to repeat himself blushed and yelled Please go out with me! so loud that Kyungsoo had run back into the building out of sheer survival instinct.
"Yeah, well. Look, the coffee's here," Kyungsoo says, kind of grateful for the interruption, and—"Fuck you."
Baekhyun sets his latte down with a careful plink. The foam is heart-shaped and reads KS/BH in the middle. "I would love that," he says warmly.
Kyungsoo just manages to slice through the centre of the design with his coffee spoon before bolting.
"Fine, Chanyeol," Kyungsoo says as they're washing their hands, exasperated. "I think he's making fun of me now that he knows I've never been in a relationship. There. Happy?"
"No." Chanyeol pouts at him in the mirror. "Sad, actually. You know he wouldn't do that."
"He's always pulling stupid shit."
"Yeah, but…"
The stall door behind them creaks open. Dumbfounded, Kyungsoo meets Baekhyun's fucking eyes in the fucking mirror yet again. He's even holding a box of chocolates.
Chanyeol gapes. "Baek?"
"This isn't what it looks like," Baekhyun says guiltily. "I mean it, it's a real coincidence this time, I was going to give you these later. I just wanted to clarify—"
Luckily it's only the first floor bathroom, so Kyungsoo escapes through the window. He leaves tight-lipped, ignoring the gardener's yelp of surprise.
The bar is dimly lit. Jongin sits beside him as he nurses his drink. "That sucks."
"Yeah."
"For real."
"Yeah."
"Can I ask…I mean, what do you think about him?"
Kyungsoo sits back. Jazz is playing softly over the speakers. "He's always been cute," he says at last. "I think he's beautiful. I couldn't…There's no way he's serious about me."
He turns away, letting his gaze fall on a stranger's lithe fingers, cupped delicately around a glass. Wait.
He looks up. Baekhyun stares back at him, mouth slightly open, cheeks flushed pink.
"Let's go," he says before he can think about it too much, using Jongin for support as he staggers out of the entrance.
The sun is setting by the time Kyungsoo finishes work. He's just leaving the building when he sees him.
They race for a solid three minutes before Baekhyun manages to grab his wrist.
"Wait," Baekhyun pants. His hold is gentle. "Please. There's something I have to tell you."
He's not carrying anything stupid this time, at least, so Kyungsoo grunts his consent. "Make it quick."
Baekhyun nods, takes a breath, and meets his eyes with conviction. "I've been in love with you for ages. I was super happy when you said you weren't dating anyone because I thought I had a chance. I wasn't expecting you to run away the first time. Then I started having too much fun watching you run away. But really—really I'm just in love with you."
Kyungsoo stares at him. In the fading sunlight, he looks like he's glowing. His fingers are still on Kyungsoo's wrist. "Really?"
"Really."
"Huh."
"So." Baekhyun’s eyes drop to the ground. "Do you…want to go out with me some time?"
Kyungsoo smiles and doesn't move. "You know what? Fine. I do."