pairing: BaekChen
length: 3010 words

Baekhyun let out a deep breath as he carefully adjusted his silver tie before delicately sweeping his thin fingers through his hair, knocking a few loose strands into place. He then straightened his dark navy suit jacket and smoothed out the tiny creases that inevitably showed up before taking one last long stare at himself in the mirror.

He looked good. Great, even. Dressed to the nines for the fanciest cast party there would ever be.

After sending himself a half-smile, Baekhyun swept his car keys into his pants pocket and hurried out the door before his cat could take the opportunity to bolt out of his apartment.

--

There was already a group of people milling around the homely bar and Baekhyun nervously patted his hair again, which had gotten slightly mussed thanks to the torrential rain he’d been forced to dash through after parking his car. After letting out another deep breath, he pushed open the door and entered the dimly lit bar with a bright smile. “Hey!”

“Baekhyun, you made it!” A beautiful woman wearing a long red dress quickly disentangled herself from the crowd and met him halfway, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. “How was the drive?”

“Not too bad, considering how awful the weather was over the weekend,” Baekhyun answered with a slight chuckle. “When did you get here, Seulgi?”

“Only a few minutes ago,” she replied, beaming brightly. “And I brought Joohyun with me!” Seulgi continued in excitement as she tugged her castmate towards the large group.

“What’s up, Baekhyun!”

“Good to see you, Baekhyun!”

“How’ve you been, Baekhyun?”

Everyone began greeting him all at once, and Baekhyun smiled and nodded as he tried his best to match faces to names, having only known half of them through their online interactions in their cast group chat. Thankfully, Seulgi was able to navigate him through the crowd until they reached her girlfriend, Bae Joohyun, who was animatedly chatting with a stranger that Baekhyun instantly recognized, even though this was the first time they had ever seen each other in person.

The actor’s pulse immediately skyrocketed, because seeing Kim Jongdae up-close and in-person was a completely different experience from just seeing his online profile picture in the cast’s group chat. It was hard to believe that someone who was already incredibly photogenic could be even more stunning in the flesh with his smooth skin, perfectly coiffed hair, and angled cheekbones. Baekhyun couldn’t help but stare in awe as Jongdae sent him the prettiest smile and stood up, arms extended for a hug.

“Hey, you’re Baekhyun, right?”

The starstruck actor nodded as he returned the hug, almost melting in Jongdae’s strong and secure embrace. “And you’re, uh, Jongdae?”

“Yup, that’s me! It’s great to finally meet you!” the younger male replied with an even wider grin after they let go of each other. “Your work is amazing! I’m a huge fan!”

“Oh, uh, thanks!” Baekhyun let out a shaky chuckle, already feeling the tips of his ears burn bright red. “You did an incredible job as well. I just finished playing through the newest update and you sounded awesome. One of the best performances I’ve heard in a long time, to be honest.”

“Thank you! That makes me really happy to hear.” Jongdae continued beaming like the sun, the edges of his thin lips curling up with glee. “I actually took a lot of inspiration from you.”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows raised in confusion. “Wait a second, me?”

Jongdae vigorously nodded. “Your character quest was phenomenal. One of my favorites in the entire game so far. It was so lighthearted, yet emotional, and the twist at the end made me cry for the rest of the night.” He dramatically dabbed away the nonexistent tears at the edges of his eyes, causing Baekhyun to laugh out loud.

“Thanks, that’s really flattering to hear. I had a lot of fun recording that quest, so I’m really glad it turned out well,” the older male said with a small smile, trying to ignore how quickly his heart was beating within his chest. It didn’t help that he could feel Seulgi’s strong gaze boring holes into his back, especially since she was within Jongdae’s line of vision. Baekhyun internally cursed at himself for ever revealing his crush on their newest castmate to his best friend while simultaneously attempting to keep his cool in front of Jongdae, lest the other man puzzle together the unspoken words in Seulgi’s smug stare.

Joohyun, who also had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, lightly tapped Jongdae’s shoulder. After he turned around, looking at her curiously, she coyly asked, “By the way, are you?”

It only took a split second for Jongdae to send back a knowing grin as he answered, “Oh, yes, definitely.”

And without warning, Baekhyun felt a sudden jab aimed at his lower torso and automatically let out a soft “Oof!” before zapping a glare in Seulgi’s direction.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered before elegantly gliding over to join Joohyun’s side while continuing to smirk at the flustered male.

Baekhyun lightly bit his lower lip, silently spitting swears at Seulgi, as he hastily straightened up before Jongdae could see him doubled over like an old man. When the other male briefly glanced over at him, eyes wide with curiosity, Baekhyun awkwardly smiled while trying to ignore the warm flush that was beginning to spread across the back of his neck. He could see Seulgi trying to stifle her devilish giggles out of the corner of his eye and that only caused his cheeks to stiffen even more, to his chagrin.

“Hey guys!” Choi Minho, another one of their castmates, suddenly slung his long arms across Baekhyun and Jongdae’s shoulders, to the older male’s immense relief. “Now that everyone’s here, we’re gonna take a group photo!”

“Over here!” With his long arms, Son Hyunwoo, who was one of their tallest castmates, already had his phone camera aimed at the large group, most of whom were already gathered in place.

Baekhyun, knowing that he was one of the shorter ones, quickly wormed his way to the front before Hyunwoo could take the photo.

However, just as he settled in place, ready to smile for the camera, the actor heard a familiar voice say, “Oh man, I’m short though.”

Im Jinah, who was the tallest woman in the cast, kindly said, “Don’t worry! There’s some space for you in the front.”

And before he knew it, Kim Jongdae appeared right next to him, his handsome face dangerously close as the group clumped together more tightly so that all fifteen of them could fit within the shot. Baekhyun’s breath instantly caught in his throat as he tried his absolute best to not move even the slightest millimeter, both for the picture’s sake and his own sanity which was gradually slipping away the longer he remained in Jongdae’s close presence.

It only took five seconds for Hyunwoo to snap a handful of pictures, but they were the most agonizing five seconds that Baekhyun had ever experienced in his life.

All of his senses were heightened to the max, to the point that Baekhyun could perfectly hear every even breath that Jongdae took. Baekhyun could perfectly see the outline of Jongdae’s sharp cheeks in his peripheral vision. Baekhyun could perfectly feel the warmth radiating off of Jongdae’s body, in spite of the gap that existed between them.

But it may as well have not been there.

Jongdae was just…so close.

If Baekhyun shifted even one millimeter to the right, their faces would be touching.

And that thought caused his heartrate to spike again, forcing Baekhyun to exercise every last modicum of self-control that existed within his body to stand absolutely still.

When Hyunwoo finally lowered his arm, Baekhyun bolted to the left, away from Jongdae, and leaned against a pillar as he tried to calm his racing heart.

“You’re being silly,” Seulgi suddenly whispered to Baekhyun, having snuck up on him while he caught his breath.

“And you’re embarrassing me!” he hissed back, eyes quickly darting behind him to make sure that Jongdae wasn’t within earshot. Luckily, the other male was now in conversation with some of the other new castmates that had been introduced alongside him the previous week.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t being such a shy doofus, Joohyun and I wouldn’t have to do all the work for you,” Seulgi smartly shot back. “He literally confirmed that he’s gay, right in front of you. What more do you need?”

“I—I don’t know! Just because he’s also gay doesn’t mean that he’d be into me.”

Seulgi let out a snort in disbelief. “Right now, you’re the hottest you’ve looked all year. Literally, all you have to do is talk to him,” she pointed out. “Besides, if he’s not into this,” the actress gestured grandly towards Baekhyun’s outfit, “then there’s nothing I can do to help you anymore.”

“I didn’t need your help in the first place,” Baekhyun petulantly replied as he straightened his suit jacket again, trying to shake out his jitters along with the newly formed creases.

Seulgi rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Well, if you’re not going to do anything when you literally have the perfect opportunity right in front of you, then don’t come crying to me later about how hot you think he is.”

“When have I ever cried?!”

“Trust me, I have screenshots,” Seulgi deadpanned while holding up her phone. “Anyway, if you’re not going to make a move, then I’m going to go hang out with my lovely girlfriend.”

Baekhyun groaned as she walked away before rubbing his temples in frustration. After all, she was right. Opportunities to dress up like this were few and far between. Since most of their work was conducted in an isolated booth at home, there was no reason to dress to impress.

Baekhyun also hadn’t felt this confident about his self-image in months, thanks to his new workout routine, and he couldn’t let it all go to waste.

He had to talk to Jongdae tonight. Seulgi would never let him live it down.

Even if it killed him, out of sheer fear and embarrassment, he’d somehow work up the courage to approach Jongdae tonight.

But first, he needed a drink.

Or two.

Or ten.

So Baekhyun made his way to the bar counter and opened up a tab. Two other castmates, Kim Sunggyu and Cha Hakyeon, soon joined him and the three men formed a small group as they merrily laughed and drank together. Conversation flowed easily, since all three actors had been in multiple projects together over the years, and Baekhyun was finally able to relax for the first time tonight.

After several rounds of drinks, Sunggyu and Hakyeon decided to rejoin the main group and continue socializing with some of their newer castmates. They invited Baekhyun to come with him, but he politely declined, knowing that Jongdae was with that group. Even though he was markedly more relaxed by this point, Baekhyun knew himself well enough that the jitters would reappear the second he was in Jongdae’s presence again.

And, in spite of all of the drinks he’d already had at this point, Baekhyun…wasn’t quite ready for that. Yet.

So the actor mindlessly stared at the wall of alcohol in front of him, letting the soft jazz music in the background wash over him.

And minutes passed by, blissfully filled with peace and tranquility.

Until a familiar voice said, “I’ll take a sangria, please.”

Baekhyun immediately stiffened upon recognizing that melodic voice, and the actor surreptitiously dug his fingers under the counter to keep himself from toppling over and making a fool out of himself.

“Hey, Baekhyun! Enjoying the drinks?” Jongdae asked with his million-watt smile.

“Y-yeah, they’re…pretty good,” the older male replied, trying his best to sound smooth and suave but utterly failing thanks to his shot nerves.

“They must be, since you’ve been here most of the night,” Jongdae cheekily pointed out.

A strawberry blush bloomed across Baekhyun’s pale cheeks and he instantly angled his body away, letting out a rough cough. “Y-you noticed?”

“Uh-huh. I was hoping you’d join the group again with Sunggyu and Hakyeon when they came back, but you ended up staying here by yourself. So I decided to come join you instead,” Jongdae said, grinning widely.

“Oh.”

But…why?

Baekhyun desperately wanted to verbalize the question, but found himself at a loss for words after he gingerly turned back and saw Jongdae’s warm brown eyes staring back at him.

There was a brief stretch of silence—miniscule, perhaps—until the younger male cheerfully asked, “By the way, how did you get into the industry? What’s your story?”

Baekhyun was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question—although it wasn’t that surprising when he really thought about it, considering this was just as much a business function as it was a social one—and it showed on his face, causing Jongdae to laugh.

“Like I said earlier, I’m a big fan of the work you did in the game, so I’m really interested in knowing how you got here. I’m still relatively new to all of this, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can in case any other big opportunities like this come up again,” the younger male explained with a lopsided smile. “I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, you know?”

“You won’t be,” Baekhyun hastily reassured him, sending Jongdae a kind smile. “Your performance was fantastic and I don’t think the newest update would’ve been such a hit if you hadn’t been cast. It really was my favorite part.”

Jongdae smiled sweetly as he held up his newly arrived glass of sangria and wordlessly gestured to Baekhyun’s half-empty glass of daiquiri. The older male obediently followed suit and clinked glasses with Jongdae, who cheered, “Here’s to you, to me, and the fanciest cast that’ll ever grace the gaming world! And here’s to more heart-wrenching stories that’ll make me sob all night long, because wow, the game devs really decided they wanted to traumatize the entire player base.” The younger male trilled with laughter before they each downed their drinks with ease.

And the night continued on with the two men chatting with each other, their inhibitions gradually loosening with every new drink they consumed. Baekhyun’s nerves slowly melted into nothingness and he stopped overthinking every tiny action as the two castmates instinctively leaned closer and closer. And when their shoulders and knees finally brushed against each other, Baekhyun slightly jolted in his seat at the sudden realization that he and Jongdae were more than just “close” at this point.

He resisted the automatic urge to pull away, doing everything he could to ignore how terrifying this was. His hands were beginning to clam up and Baekhyun’s eyes began darting around the room as he tried to hyper-focus on everything but Jongdae’s smooth skin, Jongdae’s bright laughter, Jongdae’s pretty smile, Jongdae’s—

A hand suddenly covered Baekhyun’s on the counter and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to be nervous.”

The older male looked up and locked eyes with Jongdae, who was smiling kindly at him. His soft brown eyes twinkled as he gave Baekhyun’s hand another short squeeze.

God, he had never met a more attractive man in his entire life. Kim Jongdae was…perfect.

Not trusting himself to not make a fool himself and ruin the moment, Baekhyun just silently reveled over how Jongdae’s warm hand fit like a glove over his. It was neither too big nor too small, covering just the right amount of Baekhyun’s hand for them to look like a pair. The perfect pair, if Baekhyun dared.

His pulse was roaring in his ears at this point. He could no longer hear the cacophonous din of their castmates in the distance or the random chatter from fellow bar patrons that sat nearby. His entire world consisted of one thing and one thing only.

So much so that Baekhyun wished he could freeze this moment in time and stay in it forever.

Until Jongdae quietly asked in his beautiful, dulcet voice, “Would you like to come over to my place tonight to talk more?”

Baekhyun stared at the other male, eyes wide with disbelief that this was actually happening.

Jongdae let out a soft laugh as he leaned closer to Baekhyun, whose breath immediately hitched. “I’d love to get to know you better. After all, it isn’t every day that someone gets to bask in the presence of a good-looking guy like yourself.”

The older male’s cheeks pinkened in response, which caused Jongdae’s grin to widen.

“It’s totally fine if you’re not comfortable, since we just met tonight. But if you are interested, then…”

Then he’d be an absolute, utter fool to say no.

“I’d love to come over, if you’ll have me.”

And the stunning smile that Jongdae sent him was more than enough for Baekhyun to know that coming to the cast party tonight had been the best decision he had ever made in his life, thus far.

“Are you okay with leaving now then?” the younger male asked, subtly tilting his head towards the exit.

Baekhyun nodded, completely swept up in the moment.

“Great. Then let’s get out of here,” Jongdae declared while throwing down a large wad of bills to cover their tab.

And as the two men left the counter and made their way out of the bar, Baekhyun briefly looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Seulgi grinning triumphantly at him as she and Joohyun waved from the wall couch that they’d been stationed at for most of the night.

Baekhyun sent back a bashful wave, knowing that he’d have a dozen notifications from his best friend the next morning.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Right now, all that mattered was Jongdae’s hand perfectly interlocked with his as the younger male led him through the door, beaming like the brightest star in the night sky.

♈♈♈