hello angel (you're like a painting); for lawlipoppie
For: lawlipoppie
By: ANONYMOUS
Word count: 2,787
Ratings: PG-15
Summary: "He wonders if any other artist ever wants to press their muse against the kitchen counter to kiss them breathless as much as he does sometimes."
Author's note: this was edited a little from the original prompt and I hope it doesn't disappoint despite its length TT
"You're at it again." Jongin's voice causes Baekhyun to jerk, and he's barely able to save his paintbrush from landing a stray stroke on the canvas he's currently painting on. He briefly takes his eyes away from his painting to send Jongin a glare.
"At what?"
"Drawing me," says Jongin as he sits up with an eyebrow raised.
Baekhyun takes a look at his canvas, then at Jongin. The guy on his canvas was definitely not wearing a shirt so thin it barely covered anything, much less have green checkered boxers like what Jongin is wearing now.
"This doesn't look one bit like you."
Jongin scoffs and gets up from the couch to settle himself right next to Baekhyun's canvas, trying to make his point known as he gestures between his own face and the face in Baekhyun's work.
"Are you really sure about that?"
Baekhyun squints at the face next to the canvas. Maybe he ought to add more definition to the eyes in his painting. The lips could be thicker too. "Yes, I'm sure about that."
At Baekhyun's persistence, Jongin gives up and moves back to the couch. Baekhyun is never any fun when he's painting.
"So when is Sehun's final game?" Baekhyun finally continues, getting up from where he was sitting to join Jongin on the couch, sitting atop Jongin's stretched out legs until the younger finally gives in and makes space for Baekhyun.
"Next Thursday? I think." Jongin hums when Baekhyun places his legs into his lap, knowing that Jongin's knees will start to ache if he keeps them folded for prolonged periods of time. "Why aren't you asking about mine instead? My performance is coming before his game."
"I figured you'd tell me about it some time anyway." Baekhyun laughs and Jongin lets himself drown in the sound, his eyes closing as he snuggles further into the couch. If only Baekhyun would let him pull him down for a quick cuddle.
Finals are coming and everyone is thrown into panic and distress, but Jongin's main exam is his performance next week, being a dance major and all. Baekhyun is only just as lucky that his final submissions are a week later than everybody else's, which also means that he starts vacation a week later as well.
This is the period where everyone in their group of friends would whine that they have it easier than everybody else, and they can only laugh it off. After all, they aren't the ones who catch Jongin at their doorstep when he's about to collapse after ending his dance practice for the fifth time in a week, or the one who has to clean up after all the crumpled pieces of paper thrown across the floor thanks to Baekhyun.
"My performance is on Tuesday. Will you be there?"
"I don't know, will I?" The conversation ends when Baekhyun turns away to watch the television instead of Jongin, and Jongin slowly begins to drift off.
Baekhyun will come, that much he knows for sure.
//
If I can't have your heart, can I at least have you within these pages?
/
Final submissions are on Monday for Baekhyun, which gives him some time to rest before he drags himself to Jongin's concert on Tuesday-or not really.
He has known Jongin since they were kids, and he watched Jongin take his first ballet class where Jongin watched Baekhyun win his first award for his drawing. The fact that they were attending the same college and even rooming together surprised no one, for they were never apart. It only helped that their interests were both in the same field, and that they are able to pursue it together.
Thinking back, Baekhyun has never exactly ran into any sort of block before. He doesn't want to jinx it by voicing this fact aloud, but when he thinks about it, he finds himself lucky. Picturing a perfect smile in his mind gets his pen moving, being beside someone gets his paintbrush moving, and seeing a certain someone dance makes him lift his camera automatically.
Jongin has always been art, and Baekhyun would be stupid to not take advantage of that.
It doesn't help that Jongin is as graceful as one can get, moving like water when he dances, or even when he's just walking around in their dorm wearing nothing but underwear.
Jongin is art, and Baekhyun never wants to stop looking.
"-Earth to Baekhyun?" At the mention of his name, Baekhyun suddenly jerks in his seat, almost falling off of it at the same time.
"Yes? What's happening?" He takes a moment to calm his heart down, hoping that he didn't do anything embarrassing while he was dreaming away again.
"Nothing much. Just you admiring Jongin again." Baekhyun hates how Sehun emphasised that last word, hates it even more that he knows that it has become a habit. A bad habit at that.
A look around the table finds that everyone has stopped writing to look at Baekhyun, who is currently trying not to flush in embarrassment at being caught in one of his moments-and positively failing. He should have gotten used to being caught by now, really. Every time their group of friends study together, this always happens. Baekhyun likes to say that his eyes naturally gravitate towards Jongin when he's thinking because he's next to him.
Of course, nobody believes that.
"Give him a break," Jongin says, but not without laughing. Baekhyun really wants the ground to swallow him up now.
Everyone snickers at Jongin's attempt to save Baekhyun, while Baekhyun tries to get back into doing some last minute editing.
A piece of crumpled paper suddenly lands on his keyboard, effectively disrupting Baekhyun's train of thought. He looks up, all ready to scowl at the person, when he finds Jongin looking at him, nodding towards the piece of paper he threw.
Wanna grab a drink together before we go home later?
Baekhyun writes back an Okay before he continues his work.
When they reach the cafe they frequent, Baekhyun tells Jongin to find a seat while he buys their drinks.
"Iced caramel ma-"
"-cchiato with less syrup, right? Got it." Jongin is left blinking at Baekhyun's back view as Baekhyun quickly makes his way to the counter.
He returns soon enough, and Jongin fishes his wallet out to pay for it.
"How much is it?"
"I'm treating you. I mean, I'm always taking inspiration from you and all, I ought to give some back to my muse too, right?" Baekhyun's laugh does little to distract Jongin away from what he had just said, but before Jongin can question it, Baekhyun begins asking him about his performance, and Jongin promptly forgets what he wanted to ask.
//
Muse.
Something that's very important to an artist of any sort.
Baekhyun doesn't think he could have gotten this far without one.
Without his muse, he would have lost his reason to pick up his pen long ago, much less touch his paint or bother with taking photographs. Growing up, Baekhyun has always thought of Jongin as someone he could simply create art from, even though he wasn't sure if it was possible to create artwork out of something that's already art. Simply put, he thought of Jongin as a source of inspiration even before he knew what the word muse meant.
There are pros and cons to being around his muse this often, though, or living with his muse even.
There are the times when Jongin turns on some music and starts free styling in their living room, pretending that Baekhyun isn't there even though he can feel Baekhyun's gaze. There are the days when Jongin comes home all bruised and injured, and Baekhyun is the only one who is there to piece Jongin back together, whisper soothing words into his ear as Jongin tries not to cry as he thinks about how all these injuries would one day lead up to something more, and that that something more might eventually cause him to stop dancing.
On some days, Jongin is as bright as he can be, chirping a Good morning! to Baekhyun as soon as he spots Baekhyun walking out of his room, and Baekhyun would internally lament at how his hands aren't able to shield himself from the blinding light that Jongin's smile is radiating, except that he never wants Jongin to stop being happy.
On certain days, Baekhyun catches Jongin humming to the radio when he's making breakfast for them on some days, swaying his hips along to the music even.
He wonders if any other artist ever wants to press their muse against the kitchen counter to kiss them breathless as much as he does sometimes.
Baekhyun is almost positive that no one else in his classes are exhausting notebooks as fast as he is, and he is always most thankful when he has submissions for all he needs to worry about is which piece to actually submit. But he also hates how Jongin gives him feelings faster than he can ever really write them down, and how his words will probably never do Jongin any real justice.
//
Tuesday comes by faster than expected.
Baekhyun feels weirdly empty when he doesn't hear Jongin's playlist when he walks out of his room this time, until Jongin has to be out of the house in the morning, since he has rehearsals to attend and what not.
When Baekhyun wakes up and walks into the kitchen after washing up, he finds a note and breakfast already on the table.
6.30 p.m. at our school's auditorium, don't forget!
Baekhyun simply laughs and gets to eating, but not before sending off a short text to Jongin.
I haven't forgotten. I hope you're practicing well right now! My eyes will only be looking at you later >:)
After he's done, he gets up to wash the dishes, and finds Jongin's dishes left in the sink, half-eaten breakfast still on the plate. He can't even find it in himself to be angry at that, and he can only laugh because Jongin probably woke up too late again, which explains why he didn't even have time to finish eating or wash the dishes, for the Jongin he knows would be the one nagging at Baekhyun for being too lazy with dishes instead.
Before he knows it, he's being seated in the auditorium, camera all ready in his hands as he sits on the edge almost anxiously, waiting for the performance to just start already.
"Stop fidgeting, hyung. It's getting distracting," says Sehun from his side. Baekhyun smiles sheepishly in apology and immediately directs his attention to the stage when the lights start to dim and the curtains begin to dim.
Jongrn appears more than once, before he actually has a solo at the end. Baekhyun recognises certain moves from Jongin's random solo dance sessions in their living room, and makes sure to capture as much as he can with his camera while enjoying with his own eyes.
Everything goes well and Baekhyun has got at least a few hundred more photos of Jongin dancing by the time the concert ends, ready for usage or admiration should he ever need them.
The concert ends well-or at least, until Jongin collapses when all the dancers come out to bow to the audience to thank them for attending, right in the middle of the stage. Baekhyun has never gotten out of his seat this fast before.
/
I forgot the times when a simple brush of a shoulder was enough, and I tried to reach out for your hand
/
It is all Jongin's fault. And Baekhyun's too. How could he not have noticed how thin Jongin was getting, given that he spends such a great amount of time staring at him? He should have known-Jongin never remembers to eat when he starts dancing, and he has proven to be perfectly able to ignore the growing in his stomach for more hours than acceptable, shown by how this isn't the first time this has happened.
Recently they have both been too busy for anything more than takeouts, the two of them shoving the food down before they go back to preparing for their submissions and performance respectively. The only time they ever really spend together is when Jongin is done with his practice and he asks Baekhyun to join him on the couch for a little unwinding before he sleeps, yet Baekhyun failed to see how Jongin was getting paler as well.
Before he can beat himself up any further, the nurse opens the door and allows Baekhyun to go in, reminding him not to overwhelm Jongin because he has just woken up and might be disoriented.
He thanks her briefly before he rushes in, and sighs in relief when Jongin smiles at him.
"Hey, hyung."
The smile he gets isn't enough to stop him from getting angry just the littlest bit, at how Jongin can't take care of himself well enough, at how he can't take care of Jongin well enough.
Jongin's smile suddenly turns into a frown when he sees that Baekhyun isn't smiling back at him, but Baekhyun shushes him the moment he tries to open his mouth.
"It's just-I saw you faint and that wasn't the nicest scene, you know? You suddenly collapsed there and my heart beat faster than it ever has and I was this close to running up onstage except that they had already carried you away by then and all I could do was rush here instead-
"It didn't even occur to me that me losing my muse could mean that I'd probably not be picking up my pen in a long time-I just thought that I couldn't lose you. I don't want to not wake up to you dancing around in the kitchen, or stop seeing you walk around our apartment wearing close to nothing, or not be able to hear you whine about how socks are the most horrible invention ever.
"I... sometimes I look at you and I want to hold you close, breathe you in, just lie around with you. And I've been thinking about all these so much recently. I spend time just wondering if this is how muses are supposed to be like for artists, if they are supposed to be something more than just an inspiration." Baekhyun finally manages more than a few shallow breaths after he finishes, jerking his hand away from Jongin's when he suddenly realises that somehow somewhere along his speech, he found Jongin's hand to hold. Pretty tightly, if he might say so himself.
"He isn't just a muse to you. You like him, hyung."
Baekhyun's head immediately whips around to find the owner of that voice, and a mix of horror and shock overcomes him when he finds not only Sehun, but Jongdae and Kyungsoo standing at the door of Jongin's room, all looking smug.
He should be worried about how Sehun had said it so matter-of-factly, as if it was as known as how Seoul is the capital of South Korea, but he's more worried at how Jongin would take that, and that makes him afraid to look at Jongin, even if that's what he really wants to do for the rest of his life-or for as long as he can, at least.
Somehow, Jongin manages to force a laugh out of his lungs and Baekhyun is stuck between wanting to smother Jongin or smother himself instead.
"He has been waiting for you to realise that for some time now. Poor boy has been making us listen to him whine about how his hyung wouldn't do anything more than paint him onto canvases or make him the subject of his poetry." When Baekhyun finally looks back, he finds a horrified looking Jongin and somehow it comforts him to know that he isn't the only one who wants to bury himself right now.
He likes Jongin.
Why has he never thought of that?
"I like you?" It comes out sounding more like a question than Baekhyun had intended for it to be, yet he thinks it's a question he already knows the answer to.
Slowly, Jongin lifts an eyebrow. "I don't know, do you?"
"...I hate you." At that, Jongin laughs because he knows Baekhyun doesn't mean it, and his hand finds Baekhyun's to hold again.
Amongst the sound of blood rushing to his ears and his still quickly beating heart, Baekhyun makes a mental note to mention the twinkle in his eyes in his next poem, to make sure that such beauty never becomes forgotten.
By: ANONYMOUS
Word count: 2,787
Ratings: PG-15
Summary: "He wonders if any other artist ever wants to press their muse against the kitchen counter to kiss them breathless as much as he does sometimes."
Author's note: this was edited a little from the original prompt and I hope it doesn't disappoint despite its length TT
"You're at it again." Jongin's voice causes Baekhyun to jerk, and he's barely able to save his paintbrush from landing a stray stroke on the canvas he's currently painting on. He briefly takes his eyes away from his painting to send Jongin a glare.
"At what?"
"Drawing me," says Jongin as he sits up with an eyebrow raised.
Baekhyun takes a look at his canvas, then at Jongin. The guy on his canvas was definitely not wearing a shirt so thin it barely covered anything, much less have green checkered boxers like what Jongin is wearing now.
"This doesn't look one bit like you."
Jongin scoffs and gets up from the couch to settle himself right next to Baekhyun's canvas, trying to make his point known as he gestures between his own face and the face in Baekhyun's work.
"Are you really sure about that?"
Baekhyun squints at the face next to the canvas. Maybe he ought to add more definition to the eyes in his painting. The lips could be thicker too. "Yes, I'm sure about that."
At Baekhyun's persistence, Jongin gives up and moves back to the couch. Baekhyun is never any fun when he's painting.
"So when is Sehun's final game?" Baekhyun finally continues, getting up from where he was sitting to join Jongin on the couch, sitting atop Jongin's stretched out legs until the younger finally gives in and makes space for Baekhyun.
"Next Thursday? I think." Jongin hums when Baekhyun places his legs into his lap, knowing that Jongin's knees will start to ache if he keeps them folded for prolonged periods of time. "Why aren't you asking about mine instead? My performance is coming before his game."
"I figured you'd tell me about it some time anyway." Baekhyun laughs and Jongin lets himself drown in the sound, his eyes closing as he snuggles further into the couch. If only Baekhyun would let him pull him down for a quick cuddle.
Finals are coming and everyone is thrown into panic and distress, but Jongin's main exam is his performance next week, being a dance major and all. Baekhyun is only just as lucky that his final submissions are a week later than everybody else's, which also means that he starts vacation a week later as well.
This is the period where everyone in their group of friends would whine that they have it easier than everybody else, and they can only laugh it off. After all, they aren't the ones who catch Jongin at their doorstep when he's about to collapse after ending his dance practice for the fifth time in a week, or the one who has to clean up after all the crumpled pieces of paper thrown across the floor thanks to Baekhyun.
"My performance is on Tuesday. Will you be there?"
"I don't know, will I?" The conversation ends when Baekhyun turns away to watch the television instead of Jongin, and Jongin slowly begins to drift off.
Baekhyun will come, that much he knows for sure.
//
If I can't have your heart, can I at least have you within these pages?
/
Final submissions are on Monday for Baekhyun, which gives him some time to rest before he drags himself to Jongin's concert on Tuesday-or not really.
He has known Jongin since they were kids, and he watched Jongin take his first ballet class where Jongin watched Baekhyun win his first award for his drawing. The fact that they were attending the same college and even rooming together surprised no one, for they were never apart. It only helped that their interests were both in the same field, and that they are able to pursue it together.
Thinking back, Baekhyun has never exactly ran into any sort of block before. He doesn't want to jinx it by voicing this fact aloud, but when he thinks about it, he finds himself lucky. Picturing a perfect smile in his mind gets his pen moving, being beside someone gets his paintbrush moving, and seeing a certain someone dance makes him lift his camera automatically.
Jongin has always been art, and Baekhyun would be stupid to not take advantage of that.
It doesn't help that Jongin is as graceful as one can get, moving like water when he dances, or even when he's just walking around in their dorm wearing nothing but underwear.
Jongin is art, and Baekhyun never wants to stop looking.
"-Earth to Baekhyun?" At the mention of his name, Baekhyun suddenly jerks in his seat, almost falling off of it at the same time.
"Yes? What's happening?" He takes a moment to calm his heart down, hoping that he didn't do anything embarrassing while he was dreaming away again.
"Nothing much. Just you admiring Jongin again." Baekhyun hates how Sehun emphasised that last word, hates it even more that he knows that it has become a habit. A bad habit at that.
A look around the table finds that everyone has stopped writing to look at Baekhyun, who is currently trying not to flush in embarrassment at being caught in one of his moments-and positively failing. He should have gotten used to being caught by now, really. Every time their group of friends study together, this always happens. Baekhyun likes to say that his eyes naturally gravitate towards Jongin when he's thinking because he's next to him.
Of course, nobody believes that.
"Give him a break," Jongin says, but not without laughing. Baekhyun really wants the ground to swallow him up now.
Everyone snickers at Jongin's attempt to save Baekhyun, while Baekhyun tries to get back into doing some last minute editing.
A piece of crumpled paper suddenly lands on his keyboard, effectively disrupting Baekhyun's train of thought. He looks up, all ready to scowl at the person, when he finds Jongin looking at him, nodding towards the piece of paper he threw.
Wanna grab a drink together before we go home later?
Baekhyun writes back an Okay before he continues his work.
When they reach the cafe they frequent, Baekhyun tells Jongin to find a seat while he buys their drinks.
"Iced caramel ma-"
"-cchiato with less syrup, right? Got it." Jongin is left blinking at Baekhyun's back view as Baekhyun quickly makes his way to the counter.
He returns soon enough, and Jongin fishes his wallet out to pay for it.
"How much is it?"
"I'm treating you. I mean, I'm always taking inspiration from you and all, I ought to give some back to my muse too, right?" Baekhyun's laugh does little to distract Jongin away from what he had just said, but before Jongin can question it, Baekhyun begins asking him about his performance, and Jongin promptly forgets what he wanted to ask.
//
Muse.
Something that's very important to an artist of any sort.
Baekhyun doesn't think he could have gotten this far without one.
Without his muse, he would have lost his reason to pick up his pen long ago, much less touch his paint or bother with taking photographs. Growing up, Baekhyun has always thought of Jongin as someone he could simply create art from, even though he wasn't sure if it was possible to create artwork out of something that's already art. Simply put, he thought of Jongin as a source of inspiration even before he knew what the word muse meant.
There are pros and cons to being around his muse this often, though, or living with his muse even.
There are the times when Jongin turns on some music and starts free styling in their living room, pretending that Baekhyun isn't there even though he can feel Baekhyun's gaze. There are the days when Jongin comes home all bruised and injured, and Baekhyun is the only one who is there to piece Jongin back together, whisper soothing words into his ear as Jongin tries not to cry as he thinks about how all these injuries would one day lead up to something more, and that that something more might eventually cause him to stop dancing.
On some days, Jongin is as bright as he can be, chirping a Good morning! to Baekhyun as soon as he spots Baekhyun walking out of his room, and Baekhyun would internally lament at how his hands aren't able to shield himself from the blinding light that Jongin's smile is radiating, except that he never wants Jongin to stop being happy.
On certain days, Baekhyun catches Jongin humming to the radio when he's making breakfast for them on some days, swaying his hips along to the music even.
He wonders if any other artist ever wants to press their muse against the kitchen counter to kiss them breathless as much as he does sometimes.
Baekhyun is almost positive that no one else in his classes are exhausting notebooks as fast as he is, and he is always most thankful when he has submissions for all he needs to worry about is which piece to actually submit. But he also hates how Jongin gives him feelings faster than he can ever really write them down, and how his words will probably never do Jongin any real justice.
//
Tuesday comes by faster than expected.
Baekhyun feels weirdly empty when he doesn't hear Jongin's playlist when he walks out of his room this time, until Jongin has to be out of the house in the morning, since he has rehearsals to attend and what not.
When Baekhyun wakes up and walks into the kitchen after washing up, he finds a note and breakfast already on the table.
6.30 p.m. at our school's auditorium, don't forget!
Baekhyun simply laughs and gets to eating, but not before sending off a short text to Jongin.
I haven't forgotten. I hope you're practicing well right now! My eyes will only be looking at you later >:)
After he's done, he gets up to wash the dishes, and finds Jongin's dishes left in the sink, half-eaten breakfast still on the plate. He can't even find it in himself to be angry at that, and he can only laugh because Jongin probably woke up too late again, which explains why he didn't even have time to finish eating or wash the dishes, for the Jongin he knows would be the one nagging at Baekhyun for being too lazy with dishes instead.
Before he knows it, he's being seated in the auditorium, camera all ready in his hands as he sits on the edge almost anxiously, waiting for the performance to just start already.
"Stop fidgeting, hyung. It's getting distracting," says Sehun from his side. Baekhyun smiles sheepishly in apology and immediately directs his attention to the stage when the lights start to dim and the curtains begin to dim.
Jongrn appears more than once, before he actually has a solo at the end. Baekhyun recognises certain moves from Jongin's random solo dance sessions in their living room, and makes sure to capture as much as he can with his camera while enjoying with his own eyes.
Everything goes well and Baekhyun has got at least a few hundred more photos of Jongin dancing by the time the concert ends, ready for usage or admiration should he ever need them.
The concert ends well-or at least, until Jongin collapses when all the dancers come out to bow to the audience to thank them for attending, right in the middle of the stage. Baekhyun has never gotten out of his seat this fast before.
/
I forgot the times when a simple brush of a shoulder was enough, and I tried to reach out for your hand
/
It is all Jongin's fault. And Baekhyun's too. How could he not have noticed how thin Jongin was getting, given that he spends such a great amount of time staring at him? He should have known-Jongin never remembers to eat when he starts dancing, and he has proven to be perfectly able to ignore the growing in his stomach for more hours than acceptable, shown by how this isn't the first time this has happened.
Recently they have both been too busy for anything more than takeouts, the two of them shoving the food down before they go back to preparing for their submissions and performance respectively. The only time they ever really spend together is when Jongin is done with his practice and he asks Baekhyun to join him on the couch for a little unwinding before he sleeps, yet Baekhyun failed to see how Jongin was getting paler as well.
Before he can beat himself up any further, the nurse opens the door and allows Baekhyun to go in, reminding him not to overwhelm Jongin because he has just woken up and might be disoriented.
He thanks her briefly before he rushes in, and sighs in relief when Jongin smiles at him.
"Hey, hyung."
The smile he gets isn't enough to stop him from getting angry just the littlest bit, at how Jongin can't take care of himself well enough, at how he can't take care of Jongin well enough.
Jongin's smile suddenly turns into a frown when he sees that Baekhyun isn't smiling back at him, but Baekhyun shushes him the moment he tries to open his mouth.
"It's just-I saw you faint and that wasn't the nicest scene, you know? You suddenly collapsed there and my heart beat faster than it ever has and I was this close to running up onstage except that they had already carried you away by then and all I could do was rush here instead-
"It didn't even occur to me that me losing my muse could mean that I'd probably not be picking up my pen in a long time-I just thought that I couldn't lose you. I don't want to not wake up to you dancing around in the kitchen, or stop seeing you walk around our apartment wearing close to nothing, or not be able to hear you whine about how socks are the most horrible invention ever.
"I... sometimes I look at you and I want to hold you close, breathe you in, just lie around with you. And I've been thinking about all these so much recently. I spend time just wondering if this is how muses are supposed to be like for artists, if they are supposed to be something more than just an inspiration." Baekhyun finally manages more than a few shallow breaths after he finishes, jerking his hand away from Jongin's when he suddenly realises that somehow somewhere along his speech, he found Jongin's hand to hold. Pretty tightly, if he might say so himself.
"He isn't just a muse to you. You like him, hyung."
Baekhyun's head immediately whips around to find the owner of that voice, and a mix of horror and shock overcomes him when he finds not only Sehun, but Jongdae and Kyungsoo standing at the door of Jongin's room, all looking smug.
He should be worried about how Sehun had said it so matter-of-factly, as if it was as known as how Seoul is the capital of South Korea, but he's more worried at how Jongin would take that, and that makes him afraid to look at Jongin, even if that's what he really wants to do for the rest of his life-or for as long as he can, at least.
Somehow, Jongin manages to force a laugh out of his lungs and Baekhyun is stuck between wanting to smother Jongin or smother himself instead.
"He has been waiting for you to realise that for some time now. Poor boy has been making us listen to him whine about how his hyung wouldn't do anything more than paint him onto canvases or make him the subject of his poetry." When Baekhyun finally looks back, he finds a horrified looking Jongin and somehow it comforts him to know that he isn't the only one who wants to bury himself right now.
He likes Jongin.
Why has he never thought of that?
"I like you?" It comes out sounding more like a question than Baekhyun had intended for it to be, yet he thinks it's a question he already knows the answer to.
Slowly, Jongin lifts an eyebrow. "I don't know, do you?"
"...I hate you." At that, Jongin laughs because he knows Baekhyun doesn't mean it, and his hand finds Baekhyun's to hold again.
Amongst the sound of blood rushing to his ears and his still quickly beating heart, Baekhyun makes a mental note to mention the twinkle in his eyes in his next poem, to make sure that such beauty never becomes forgotten.