The front door creaks a little in the gentle way it always does whenever Chanyeol hasnât oiled it for a while. The sound makes Baekhyun smile as he closes it behind himself, only to realize after a moment the reason for that sound reappearing.
Chanyeol hasnât been home to oil it. The apartment echoes emptily in the same way it had when Baekhyun closed the door on it to leave on the afternoon of his thirtieth birthday.
He sighs, cracking his neck and letting the duffel bag fall to the floor. A nudge to it from his foot before he takes off his boots gives it some semblance of neatness. Heâll unpack it later anyway. Right now he needs a shower and a very, very long nap in his own sheets.
The apartment smells faintly stuffy so Baekhyun opens a window as he moves through to the back of the living spaces where his bedroom and en-suite lie. The scents of downtown Seoul are tangibly different to those of the training camp and for once the more industrial smells are welcome. Heâs home. Heâll be able to come home every night and that alone is a luxury he still sometimes feels guilty for. Junmyeon had talked him through processing such feelings several months ago and Baekhyun will always be eternally grateful for that. Leader-nim leading even when he could take a break.
The bed looks so inviting that Baekhyun is tempted to flop face-first into it but he knows he will ruin the fresh sheets with his camp-smell so he resists⊠barely.
The shower when he steps in is divine purely because Baekhyun can take as much time under the hot water as he wants again, unhampered by the constant regulations and timers of the regimented military. He uses every product on his shelf (including Chanyeolâs leftovers) purely because he can. Does he need three body washes? Absolutely not. But you can be sure heâs going to apply each. Liberally.
He smells a little like a fruit salad when he finally steps out and it makes him unreasonably happy. The towels he had washed and left are still there and he scrubs himself in the steamy room until heâs pink and dry all over. He almost goes to put his hair up in the remaining towel before realizing with a laugh that heâs still essentially bald; Baekhyun playfully raises his chin at himself in the mirror and clicks his tongue. âStill handsome.â
The move makes him notice a small, now heat-curled piece of paper stuck to the side of the glass. Frowning, Baekhyun plucks it off. Words are scrawled there.
âThree. Thinking of you. Box.â
Baekhyun tilts his head. Heâd been the last of the two of them to leave the apartment -Chanyeol having enlisted a fraction earlier- and this had absolutely not been here when heâd locked up.
Three? Baekhyun places the note onto the countertop and slips into some dark blue pajamas. Itâs Chanyeolâs handwriting; Baekhyun would recognize it anywhere but he doesnât understand the full message.
Wandering out with a toothbrush stuck between his lips, Baekhyun takes the note with him. Heâs still pondering over it when he passes the lounge⊠and then backtracks past the low table in front of the couch.
Three of his tissue boxes are piled up on one side of the settee. Very much not where Baekhyun had left them nearly a month ago. Eyebrows raised and curiosity piqued, Baekhyun lifts the boxes.
Another note sits underneath.
âTwo. Missing you. Just Us 2.â
Baekhyun sinks onto the couch, heart pounding almost painfully. He reaches out and picks up the piece of paper. Underneath it is a single yellow rose petal. Their little in-joke flower color.
Baekhyunâs voice cracks. âYou sentimental goof.â
Just us two. Two, two twoâŠ
Baekhyun jolts up and scrubs his teeth double-time, dashing to the bathroom to spit and rinse before getting back to the game. Because this is what it obviously is now; a little treasure hunt. Something only Park Chanyeol and his huge heart would think up.
Papers and petal in hand, Baekhyun returns and checks the cushions on the couch, tossing them up into the air before coming to the conclusion that the clue doesnât mean there. Heâs grinning before he realizes it, jogging into the next room as he scours for other items.
The two pillows on his so-far-untouched bed stand out and Baekhyun squints at them in contemplation before climbing up and onto the mattress. The left side has always been Chanyeolâs and itâs under the pillow there that Baekhyun finds another petal and one more note.
âOne. Loving you. Candy.â
Candy. Food. Scrambling off the bed nearly takes the comforter with it but Baekhyun doesnât pay it any mind as he skids up the hall and into the kitchen.
A glass vase sits on the kitchen counter, stuffed to the brim with two dozen fresh yellow roses. Baekhyun slows to a stop in front of it, heart full to burst. Heâs still so confused as to how this is all here but heâs too overwhelmed to question it right now.
The roses smell amazing and Baekhyun steps closer to inhale, realizing only as heâs next to the vase that thereâs a different kind of note below the glass.
Junmyeonâs neat handwriting covers the paper, alongside their spare key thatâs been placed there.
âChanyeol asked me a favor. Hope I followed the instructions correctly. You two are ridiculously cheesy. Drink some water before you sleep. Welcome home.â
A soft, choked-up sound leaves Baekhyunâs mouth and he just stares at the items; at the sheer amount of planning and coordination that Chanyeol would have had to do once he was able to have his phone back. Heâd have to have posted these notes out to Junmyeon from his training base too. All for Baekhyun.
His own phone beeps a text message. Baekhyun opens it without even really looking, too immersed in the overwhelming adoration he feels for the love of his life. Finally he drags his eyes away.
Itâs a recorded video message. Junmyeonâs number sits at the top of the screen but itâs not his face that appears when Baekhyun starts it playing.
Chanyeolâs grin is huge; goofy and giddy with excitement. Heâs almost rocking on the spot in his uniform, beret askew. A quick glance around and then on-screen Chanyeol holds the phone closer. Heâs flushed and suntanned.
âByun Baekhyun,â he says softly. Deeply. âCongratulations on completing your training. Welcome back home.â A bite of his lip and Chanyeol leans imperceptibly closer, eyes sparkling. âCome visit soon. But until then, think of me.â
Stretching back, Chanyeol tugs at his collar and Baekhyun nearly drops the phone because the camouflage material is open across his chest, leaving only his dog tags resting between Chanyeolâs broad pecs, defined even more now from his strict exercise routine. A faint sheen of sweat makes everything glisten and Baekhyun has never wanted to lick some skin so badly in his fucking life.
Chanyeol continues to pull the shirt aside until one dusky nipple pokes out -Chanyeolâs thumb gives it a quick flick and Baekhyun whines to himself- before letting it drop back into place. Such a fucking tease. Chanyeolâs laugh is breathless, as if shooting a video like this is affecting him too knowing Baekhyun is going to watch him.
âJunmyeon will scold me if I do too much more. So weâll save the rest for later, hmm?â A pause, a quick air kiss and Chanyeol is suddenly almost shy. âI love you,â he says. âMessage me to know youâre home safe. Iâll be able to check it after six.â
Baekhyun wonders if you can end up with whiplash from being both horny and soft for someone in the same breath. But thatâs always been Chanyeol to him; home and sin all in one six foot form. Baekhyun glances at his watch, steadying his shaky breathing.
Itsâs 6:10pm. Heâs never hit the call button as fast in his life.
Chanyeol picks up immediately as if heâs been lying there waiting with the phone in his hand in the barracks. And his voice sounds just like coming home.
