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When Jongdae stops the car in front of a gas station and slides out with a silent promise of cheap coffee with a soft smile, Baekhyun rests his head against the seat's headrest. The brightly lit 24-Hour Open sign reflecting against the windshield blinds him, an annoying sensation against his tired eyes, and although he could keep them closed to stop the burning that threatens to make him tear up, he doesn't trust himself too much not to end up falling asleep.
Jongdae's car is the only one in the parking lot, the radio clock showing 2 AM in bright red. It's late, and Baekhyun can feel it in the way the darkness surrounds the vehicle; the stars twinkling faintly in the dark sky; the cold fogging up the windows. If he had left the university once his classes were over, he would have been in bed by now, hiding from the infernal cold and surely dreaming of that silly movie Chanyeol forced him to watch days ago, but when Jongdae appeared in front of his last class with furrowed brows and pouting for help, he couldn't refuse.
How could he? His heart was too weak at the image of Jongdae with his big sweaters and pleading eyes. He didn't even take a few seconds to think about it, he recalls, his arm sliding deftly against Jongdae's before following him around the campus like a lost puppy.
He was when it came to Jongdae.
It's too easy, scary in a way, for him to give in so easily to his best friend's requests. He knows that Jongdae would never take advantage of it, but it still scares him in a way how easy it is for Baekhyun to drop whatever he's doing just to help Jongdae with whatever he has on his hands. That's what best friends do, right? Help each other with anything no matter how insignificant it is, no matter how busy you are.
Baekhyun snorts and brings his hand to the radio, switching from station to station until Gee starts playing on the car's speakers and he feels satisfied enough to sink into the seat. He looks toward the gas station just in time to see Jongdae poking his head through the sliding doors, waving his hand before quickly darting inside the establishment again. It was too short an interaction, but it's enough to make a smile on Baekhyun's face.
I don’t know why but every day I long for only you Hyoyeon and Seohyun's voices sing in unison and Baekhyun's smile vanishes from his lips, his head drooping forcefully forward, the belt tugging annoyingly at the skin on his neck.
Fuck.
He does not know how long he remains in this position until some knocks on the window force him to straighten up, a Jongdae with his hands full and a smile too big to have in the wee hours of the morning greets him from the other side of the crystal. He rushes to open the door for him, watching him slump into the pilot's seat with a boff. His cheeks and the tip of his nose are flushed, and Baekhyun forces himself to look away before Jongdae realizes he's staring.
“Sorry for taking so long, the coffee machine was not working properly and I had to watch the employee almost destroy the machine before it magically started working again.” Jongdae struggles to talk over the music, offering one of the cardboard cups to Baekhyun before taking a sip of his own and wrinkling his nose “uh, well, at least something is something."
Baekhyun says nothing, instead, he takes a sip of his coffee slowly. Tastes disgusting: too burnt and watery to be considered a coffee, god, even he could make better coffee with his eyes closed. Still, his body is grateful for the bitter taste of caffeine, the haze that surrounded his eyes clearing a little. The clock on the radio is now 3:30 AM and Baekhyun notices Jongdae biting his lip as he looks at the time, his eyebrows furrowing in that way he does when he's frustrated. It's cute, the way Jongdae rubs his eyes after buckling his belt, his shoulders slumped against his own body, perhaps because of the cold.
Baekhyun is about to ask him if he doesn't want to wear his sweatshirt when Jongdae's gaze meets his, a shy smile on his lips as he offers him a pair of pink wraps in his hand.
strawberry candies.
"I saw them in the store and thought I'd buy them for you, you know, as an apology for dragging you out so late with me."
The neon lights of the 24-Hour Open sign paint Jongdae's face in shades of red and blue, the pinkish hue still adorning his cheeks and nose, his hair tousled by the wind outside the car. And it is at that very moment that Baekhyun realizes that he really doesn't mind losing hours of sleep and drinking coffee of dubious quality when Jongdae looks so beautiful in front of his eyes.