Work Text
Baekhyun had always been a little clumsy with his words, especially when it came to texting. No mouth filter is what they called it. A bit too hyper and too much energy flowing within him. But today, it was different—worse than usual one might say. He had his phone in hand, furiously typing a message to his best friend Jongdae, who, as usual, had refused to sleep. Jongdae had been up all night, going on and on about some new business idea that he
swears
will be their ticket out of university, a chance to drop this whole hell hole, known as a “traditional academic career path”, his excitement uncontainable. Baekhyun, exhausted and barely holding onto his sanity, had come to a conclusion: he was about to resort to drastic measures.
He typed furiously:
"WHAT? DO I HAVE TO GO OVER THERE AND TIE YOU UP TO THE BED?"
He paused for a second, thinking that Jongdae would laugh at the suggestion of him very literally tying him to the bed to force him to sleep. Without further thought, Baekhyun hit "send".
But with one additional look at his phone, he quickly realized something. He had accidentally sent the message to
Kyungsoo
.
Do Kyungsoo, his classmate and chemistry lab partner, was probably the last person he wanted to see that message. Sure, they were acquainted. But their relationship was nothing more than polite exchanges over homework or lab work. Kyungsoo was quiet, serious, and—if Baekhyun was being honest with himself—kind of cute. Okay, maybe
very
cute with his silky dark hair that Kyungsoo had the habit of always running his hand through, the cute moles that decorate his skin, and
especially
those plump lips that form a subtle heart shape whenever he smiles, a rare occasion around him.
Baekhyun remembers the times he caught a few glimpses of that full smile accompanied by a deep laugh when he walked past Kyungsoo hanging out with his own group of friends.
And now, Baekhyun had sent him a message that could easily be misinterpreted as something... very inappropriate.
Baekhyun’s eyes went wide as he stared at the screen. His heart raced in his chest.
“Oh fuck–” Baekhyun whispered to himself, mortified.
The phone vibrated in his hand. Kyungsoo had replied.
Kyungsoo:
"Didn’t know you were that bold, Byun."
He stared at the message for a moment too long before realizing there was no way to take it back. Panicking, he immediately started typing another message without processing Kyungsoo’s reply, but his fingers couldn’t keep up with his racing thoughts.
Instead, he sent:
"Sorry, that was meant for Jongdae. My bad."But that didn’t seem nearly enough to explain himself, or worse it made it sound like him and Jongdae were a thing. He hit send again:
"Wait shit- it's not what you think!"
He stared at the screen, waiting, praying for a response from Kyungsoo. What if Kyungsoo thought he was some kind of... weirdo? Or worse—what if Kyungsoo thought this was some sort of deep dark secret confession?
Baekhyun’s thoughts spiraled, each second more disastrous than the last. He imagined Kyungsoo reading the message, his face growing more and more perplexed. What if Kyungsoo thought he was trying to get him into something… something more? What if Kyungsoo read it as a weird, suggestive proposition?
Baekhyun’s face flushed.
No, no, no.
This was so embarrassing.
He closed his eyes for a moment, mentally kicking himself, thoughts racing his mind.
This is it. This is how it all ends. Kyungsoo is going to hate me now. He’s going to think I’m a creep or sicko. He’s going to tell everyone and this was a social suicide.
“What did I just do?” he muttered to himself, pacing around his room. He imagined Kyungsoo sitting in class, their seats right next to each other, his face turning bright red, or worse,
grimacing
. Kyungsoo probably already thought Baekhyun was too loud, too energetic, and now—
now
—he was going to think Baekhyun was some pervert who needed to be avoided at all costs.
No way he’s going to talk to me again,
Baekhyun thought, clutching his phone tighter, shaking it as if it might somehow magically fix the situation.
How am I going to look him in the eye tomorrow?
Baekhyun’s face burned. What did his reply even mean? Was Kyungsoo
teasing
him? Was he making fun of him? How could he face Kyungsoo after this? He couldn't just act normal. There was no way he could go back to pretending everything was fine.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't want to see what Kyungsoo’s next response would be, he simply wanted to forget it all ever happened.
So, he did what any rational person would do when they were in this situation: he tried to avoid Kyungsoo at all costs.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
It had been three days since
the incident
, and Baekhyun had carefully constructed a plan to avoid Kyungsoo at all costs, even skipping class the day after from sheer panic and embarrassment. He knew it was ridiculous, but his mind was still reeling from sending the wrong text. Every time he saw Kyungsoo’s name pop up on his phone or even glanced at him across the hall, his stomach twisted in knots. What if Kyungsoo thought he was a freak? What if Kyungsoo thought he was... interested in
more
than just their chemistry study dates (okay maybe they weren’t
dates
, but Baekhyun liked to call them that)?
This morning, Baekhyun had intentionally walked around the campus in the opposite direction of where he knew Kyungsoo would be. He had taken the long route to class, buying extra time before he had to sit next to his lab partner. He even made sure to arrive a whole
five minutes early
—something Baekhyun never did—to avoid the awkward silence of waiting for Kyungsoo to sit down beside him.
It worked for the most part. But now, there was no escaping.
Kyungsoo had already claimed his seat in the lab, looking unusually focused. As Baekhyun entered the classroom, he thought of a genius new plan and quickly looked for a seat—any seat that was
not
beside Kyungsoo’s. He spotted a seat in the back of the room, and without a second thought, made a beeline for it, hoping to disappear into the corner.
But as he passed Kyungsoo’s desk, he heard the familiar voice that made his heart race.
“Baekhyun.”
Baekhyun froze mid-step, his body tensing as if he’d been caught in the act of something unforgivable. He didn’t want to turn around, didn’t want to face what was about to happen, but the command in Kyungsoo’s voice was too much to ignore rich, calm, and steady but not overbearing. His throat went dry as he slowly pivoted, bracing himself for the inevitable awkwardness.
Kyungsoo was staring at him, his expression unreadable. The focus in his eyes from moments ago had shifted, replaced by something that seemed… almost teasing? Baekhyun couldn’t tell. Kyungsoo's lips quirked up slightly, and for a moment, Baekhyun was convinced the universe was playing some cruel joke on him.
“I thought we were partners,” Kyungsoo said, tilting his head slightly as he glanced toward the empty seat Baekhyun had been aiming for. “You’re not ditching me, are you?”
Ditching him? Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and embarrassment flood his chest. He had spent the past three days imagining every possible scenario in which Kyungsoo would confront him about the message with a red face and disgust in his eyes, or perhaps his voice cold and accusing. But this? This wasn’t it.
Baekhyun stammered, his words coming out all wrong, he swears he’s never like this, usually quick on his feet when it came to words. “N-no, I wasn’t—I mean, I just—uh—just thought I’d give you some space, you know?”
Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but his smile widened just a little, making the whole situation feel a little less like an impending disaster and more like something Baekhyun could actually survive. “Right. Space. Got it.”
It was silent for a moment, and Baekhyun could feel the weight of the unspoken tension hanging in the air. He didn’t know how much longer he could stand it. His eyes darted to the seat next to Kyungsoo—
his
seat, the one he’d tried to avoid. The one that, for reasons he couldn’t explain, seemed suddenly a lot more intimidating now that he was standing on the edge of it.
“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo said again, this time softer, a hint of amusement threading through his voice. “You’re not seriously avoiding me, are you?”
A lump formed in Baekhyun’s throat, and he tried to laugh it off, but it came out sounding more like a strangled cough. “What? Avoid you? Of course not. Just… thinking about the project and stuff.” He gestured vaguely to the lab equipment around them, but Kyungsoo wasn’t buying it.
“I see.” Kyungsoo’s gaze softened for a fraction of a second, and then he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “Listen, I’m not mad or anything about the message, okay?”
Baekhyun’s blood ran cold. His mind short-circuited as he processed the words. Of course Kyungsoo knew what was on Baekhyun’s mind. But the casual tone, the teasing smile—it was almost like Kyungsoo found it amusing.
"I—um—I didn’t mean—" Baekhyun fumbled with his words, his fingers trembling slightly. It felt like the room was closing in around him. “It was for Jongdae. I—I was just trying to get him to sleep, you know? He—he’s been talking non-stop about some ridiculous business idea—"
Kyungsoo chuckled, cutting him off. "I know the feeling. Jongdae never shuts up, huh?”
Baekhyun blinked, he had forgotten that Kyungsoo also knew Jongdae. He still forgets exactly how, but it came up in conversation once, something about being Chanyeol’s roommate or whatever. The realization noticeably eases Baekhyun up, his shoulders dropping down into a natural fall, "Yeah, exactly!" he exclaimed a little too loudly, earning a few curious looks from the other students in the lab. “So, uh, yeah. It was supposed to be a joke. But—well, you know, I—uh... kind of sent it to the wrong person.”
Kyungsoo’s lips curved upward again, a soft smile tugging at the corners. “I get it.”
Baekhyun stared at him, his heart racing again. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was relieved or because Kyungsoo’s casual response made him even more nervous. There was something about the way Kyungsoo looked at him now that made him feel like he was missing some important context—like Kyungsoo knew something he didn’t.
"Look, it’s fine," Kyungsoo said, settling back in his chair, all traces of tension gone. "But next time, make sure your ‘urgent’ messages don’t end up on my phone. I’m not really into bondage.” with a completely deadpan tone but an unmistakable playful glint in his eyes.
Baekhyun’s face turned crimson, his mind spinning again. “I—I didn’t—"
Kyungsoo held up a hand, silencing him. “I’m just messing with you. But hey, if you ever get to the point where you need to tie
me
up to make me sleep, just ask. Maybe I’ll be a willing volunteer.”
Baekhyun’s jaw dropped as his brain tried to catch up with Kyungsoo’s words. Was he… Was Kyungsoo teasing him again? Or was there something more to it?
“I—uh, yeah, sure. Okay, thanks.” His voice came out strangled, and he quickly sat down in his seat next to Kyungsoo, resigned to his fate and turned his attention to the lab equipment, desperate to focus on something, anything that could distract him from the strange tension bubbling between them now.
But as he glanced over at Kyungsoo, he couldn’t shake the feeling that things between them were about to change. Whether for better or worse, Baekhyun didn’t know—but he was certainly going to find out.
And for once, he wasn’t sure if he was ready.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Baekhyun stared down at his hands, trying to steady his breath as he fiddled with the edge of his notebook. His heart was still thumping loudly in his chest, making it impossible to concentrate on today’s three hour lecture. His mind keeps floating back to the same thing. Kyungsoo’s casual, teasing comments had caught him completely off guard. For a moment, he thought he was going to pass out from sheer embarrassment, but now, in the quiet after their conversation, things felt... different. Kyungsoo wasn’t glaring at him or judging him like Baekhyun had imagined. Instead, he’d made a joke, a soft smile lingering on his lips, as if the whole thing had been nothing more than a little moment of miscommunication that they could laugh about.
Baekhyun’s mind raced as he replayed the conversation in his head. There was something in the way Kyungsoo had smiled, in the warmth that flickered behind his eyes, that made Baekhyun’s chest tighten. It felt like the wall between them had cracked just a little bit, something that had never happened before. Their relationship—if you could even call it that—had always been polite, impersonal, maybe even distant. But now?
Now things were different.
It was a text. Just a silly, stupid, clumsy text. But in that single moment, everything had shifted. What had once been a simple, maybe even boring, academic partnership was now something more. He wasn’t sure if that meant they were friends, or something else entirely, but whatever it was, it was enough to make Baekhyun’s stomach do flips whenever he thought about it.
He hadn’t noticed how long he had been staring at the table until he heard Kyungsoo’s voice again, softer this time.
“Hey, Baekhyun.”
Baekhyun’s head snapped up. Kyungsoo was looking at him from his seat across the table, that same knowing, teasing smile on his lips. The usual calmness in his voice had been replaced with something more... inviting.
“Uh, yeah?” Baekhyun asked, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. He could already feel his face heating up again. “What’s up?”
Kyungsoo glanced toward the door, where a few students were beginning to filter out of the lab. “You don't have anything after class, right?”
Baekhyun nodded, still unsure where this was going or how Kyungsoo knew his schedule.
“I was thinking,” Kyungsoo continued, his gaze flicking back to Baekhyun, “maybe we could grab lunch? You know, talk about that project we need to finish.” He paused, eyes glinting with a hint of amusement. “Or… just to get away from all the chaos for a bit.”
Baekhyun blinked, completely taken aback by the offer.
Lunch? With Kyungsoo?
This wasn’t something he had expected, not in a million years. In his mind, they’d always just been lab partners, and that he was just blessed with not only a smart one, but a
cute
one at that. The idea of sitting down with Kyungsoo outside of their academic bubble felt... foreign, yet oddly thrilling.
“Uh, yeah. Sure. That sounds good,” Baekhyun said, his voice coming out a little too eager, but he didn’t care. The fact that Kyungsoo was asking him to lunch meant something, didn’t it? Maybe this wasn’t just about the project. Maybe it was more than that. Maybe—just maybe—it was the start of something else.
As they both gathered their things and walked toward the door, Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel like something had changed. The awkwardness that had initially surrounded them after the message had dissipated, replaced by something lighter. Something like the beginnings of friendship. Or more. He couldn’t be sure yet, but he was okay with that.
As they stepped out into the hallway, Baekhyun allowed himself to relax for the first time in days. Whatever happened next, it felt like a new chapter was unfolding between him and Kyungsoo. A chapter that, for the first time, didn’t feel so terrifying. Maybe, just maybe, things would be okay between them.
And if they were lucky, maybe this lunch would be the beginning of something more.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Three years later.
The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm, golden light across the room. The sheets were tangled around their legs, a perfect mess of comfort and intimacy. Kyungsoo lay on his side, facing Baekhyun, while Baekhyun had his head nestled comfortably against the pillow, one hand casually resting on Kyungsoo’s chest. It was one of those peaceful moments, the kind that felt timeless, where nothing really needed to be said but everything was understood.
The gentle hum of the fan in the corner of the room filled the silence between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, it was the kind of quiet that felt like home—the type of peace that had become a natural part of their routine after being together for three years.
Baekhyun shifted slightly, turning his head to look up at Kyungsoo, his voice soft, almost as if testing the waters. “Can you believe it’s been three years?” he asked, his tone reflective.
Kyungsoo met his gaze, his lips curling into a small smile. “Three years, huh?” he murmured, running his hand through Baekhyun’s messy hair, parting it in the middle the way he likes it. “I think I’m still surprised with how everything started.”
Baekhyun snorted lightly, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “You and me both,” he said with a grin. “All of this—us, the way we are now—going past lab partners started because of a stupid mistake I made. I still can’t believe I sent that message.”
Kyungsoo laughed softly, the sound rich and warm, his breath tickling Baekhyun’s skin as he leaned in closer. “You were so panicked afterward. It’s kind of cute when I think about it,” he teased, his hand gently brushing Baekhyun’s cheek.
Baekhyun rolled his eyes, a playful groan escaping his lips. “I wasn’t panicked,” he protested weakly. “I was
mortified
. I thought you were going to think I was a freak.”
Kyungsoo chuckled again, the sound vibrating through Baekhyun’s chest as they were so close. “I never thought that. You’re just...
Baekhyun
.” He paused, eyes twinkling as he added, “And maybe a little bold, but I kind of liked that about you. Maybe later I learned that you were a freak though, just in different ways.” he adds the last part with a wandering hand on Baekhyun’s thighs, tracing over the budding marks left on the milky skin.
Baekhyun's heart fluttered in his chest at the compliment, cheeks turning impossibly red at the implications. He shifted closer to Kyungsoo, his face scrunching up against the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck in exaggerated thought. “So, that text... It wasn’t as much of a disaster as I thought?”
Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, the teasing glint in his eyes making Baekhyun feel both warm and slightly embarrassed when he peaked up. “It wasn’t a disaster. I mean realizing it was to Jongdae somehow made sense, knowing just how batshit insane you two were when together. But you should’ve seen yourself. You looked like you were about to combust every time I saw you.”
Baekhyun laughed, his cheeks flushing at the memory. “I honestly tried to avoid you for like three days straight. Fully planned out escape routes and all! I thought you were going to be awkward around me forever.” He shook his head, still amazed at how that panic had overtaken him. “But... you didn’t, and that’s the part that still blows my mind. You just teased me and made it all better.”
Kyungsoo shrugged lightly, a hint of fondness in his eyes. “You seemed like you could handle it. Plus, I wasn’t really weirded out. If anything, I was curious about you.” He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead. “And, honestly? I think I’m glad you sent that text. If you hadn’t, I don’t know how long it would’ve taken for us to actually break the ice and talk properly.”
Baekhyun looked up at him, the weight of Kyungsoo’s words sinking in. Three years ago, they had barely been more than polite classmates—awkward in their interactions and almost entirely focused on their work. But now... now they are here, in this bed, with their lives and hearts intertwined.
“Fine, maybe it wasn’t the worst thing to happen,” Baekhyun said quietly, his voice softening with the warmth of the moment. He shifted again, tangling his legs with Kyungsoo’s beneath the blankets. “I think we both needed a push to... stop being so distant. I have trouble talking to cute boys, you know? It was a mess, but I’m glad we got to this.”
Kyungsoo smiled gently, his hand finding Baekhyun’s and holding it tenderly, their fingers lacing together effortlessly. “Yeah. I never expected it to lead here either, but... I’m not complaining.” He leaned in again, kissing the top of Baekhyun’s head, feeling a deep sense of contentment settle over him. “It’s funny how one small thing can change everything.”
Baekhyun hummed in agreement, snuggling closer to Kyungsoo as if trying to absorb every inch of him. “Yeah. A text, of all things. A stupid, clumsy text that almost made me die from embarrassment.” He laughed softly, and Kyungsoo joined in with a quiet chuckle of his own.
For a few moments, they simply lay there, basking in the afterglow of the conversation and the quiet comfort of being together. The years that had passed seemed to blur into the present, as if their journey from lab partners to boyfriends had been nothing more than a natural progression, despite the chaotic beginning.
Baekhyun’s fingers traced absent circles on Kyungsoo’s chest, his eyes drifting shut as he let out a contented sigh. “I love you, you know that?”
Kyungsoo tightened his hold on Baekhyun, pulling him closer still. “I love you, too,” he whispered back, his voice a gentle reassurance, pressing a gentle kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.
As the silence enveloped them once again, Baekhyun couldn’t help but think how lucky he was. A simple, clumsy message—one that had seemed like the worst mistake of his life—had brought them here, to this bed, in this moment. It had been the push they both needed to break through their shells, to let their walls come down, and to let each other in.
And now, here they were—together, looking back at the past with fondness, their love stronger than ever.
Baekhyun smiled sleepily, feeling Kyungsoo’s steady breathing beside him. Maybe the text had been a mistake, but it was the best mistake he’d ever made.