Starring Role for alphataurus
Title: Starring Role
For: alphataurus
Pairing: Baekhyun/Tao
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~9000
Summary: Baekhyun doesn't have a crush. No, really. He doesn't. That is, until he does. Movie!AU
"I want him."
Baekhyun turns his face toward Jongdae, only half paying attention to what he's saying. He's already got his eye settled elsewhere, on his own carved Adonis of a man standing by the bar. Well, that may have been exaggeration, but Baekhyun wouldn't mind taking him home for a night. Or more.
He's reluctant to tear his eyes away, but he does anyway when Jongdae starts sighing wistfully. "What?" he murmurs, following Jongdae's line of sight toward the dance floor where he spots a short man, probably around his height, attempting some convoluted version of the robot, and laughing beside him, Cho Kyuhyun - or as Baekhyun preferred to refer to him, director from hell.
Vampire High. 67 takes for one scene. Never again.
Baekhyun shrugs. "Well? Is that it?" he asks, sighing. The disinterest is clear in his voice.
Jongdae makes an affronted noise and shoots him an annoyed look from the corner of his eye. "It's Kim Junmyeon," he says, resting his chin in his hands, gaze turning wistful. "I've been trying to get him to look at my scripts for ages."
Baekhyun snorts. It looks like he's been trying to do more than just that. He turns back to his own entertainment for the night, still over by the bar. This time he's talking to a boy, tall and lanky, hair dyed white blonde. Baekhyun thinks he might have seen him in a fashion magazine before. Adonis slings an arm around model boy's neck, and Baekhyun's throat feels particularly parched at the way his arm flexes in his dress shirt.
He clutches the champagne flute, raising the glass to his lips, ready to finish off his drink when he's abruptly whisked out of his seat. A bit of champagne sloshes onto his jacket, and Baekhyun clicks his tongue before shooting a glare at Jongdae. "Dude, what the hell?"
"I'm going to talk to him, come with me." Baekhyun is helpless as Jongdae drags him along to the dance floor. Junmyeon and Kyuhyun have long since stopped dancing since the music turned mellower, opting instead to watch from the side. Jongdae lets go of Baekhyun's wrist as he sidles up to them. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and follows anyway, plastering on a smile.
"Kim Junmyeon-ssi!" Jongdae stammers, his voice going high-pitched like it does when he gets nervous. Oh, boy, Baekhyun thinks.
Junmyeon turns around and gives the pair a polite smile, while Kyuhyun gives them a look of utter judgement, which Jongdae is completely oblivious to.
"Kim Jongdae, it's wonderful to meet you. An honor to be in your presence, even." It takes all of Baekhyun's willpower to not to smack him and drag him away, if not for Jongdae's sake, then his own dignity. Embarrassing friends not needed. "This is my friend-"
"Byun Baekhyun," Kyuhyun cuts in with a strong slap on the shoulder. Startled, Baekhyun nearly drops his glass. He gives Kyuhyun a wary glance. He hadn't actually expected the man to remember him.
"Oh, you know each other?" Junmyeon looks at the two of them curiously, while Jongdae just looks confused.
"He's a very up and coming talent, you know. I was rather impressed when we did Vampire High together."
Baekhyun can't help but to wonder what that was supposed to mean. It was a flop teen movie where he'd had less than a minor role. Not one of his finer moments. His name hadn't even been on the front of their IMDb page.
Jongdae shoots him a glare, seemingly annoyed that he'd stolen his spotlight. Baekhyun shrugs and shakes his head. He's just as confused. "Junmyeon-ssi, I don't know if you remember, but I sent you a script recently."
There's only so long that Baekhyun can stand to pretend to be interested in something when he's not working, and he's about reached his limit. He cranes his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the bar, only to curse his height (or lack thereof). He can't see anything past the crowded dance floor.
"Ah, yes," Junmyeon replies, "about the werewolf? I actually did get around to reading it, and I found it quite interesting, especially the bit about the foreign student..."
Right, so that was enough. Baekhyun escapes with the excuse of refilling his drink. Well, it's not totally an excuse, he is heading to the bar, and with any luck he'll see his man and try to talk him up. He might need drink for that.
Except he's not there. Or anywhere that Baekhyun can see. He slumps against the counter. The dejected look on his face must be obvious because the bartender slides a drink over to him without a word. He downs it with a small thanks, not sparing a glance or even bothering to find out what it is.
--
But Baekhyun's not the type to get hung-up over failed conquests. Not that this was even a conquest, or had even begun before it could fail in the first place. Especially when it comes to nameless characters, Baekhyun puts them out of mind, never to be seen again.
He does know if it's some odd twist of fate or if he just hadn't noticed before, but suddenly he's bombarded with magazine headlines and online articles.
China's latest export: Huang Zitao
Huang Zitao: Could he be the next Jackie Chan?
They're everywhere. On the newstands on the way to the train station. In the coffee shop near his apartment. The man is on the front page of Naver. Baekhyun frowns. He's never been on the front page of Naver before.
So, really, if he finds himself knowing more than he should about this Zitao it's really not any of his doing.
"Did you know Huang Zitao placed third in the International Wushu Competition?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Baekhyun, focus, please! We're doing Star King!."
It's not like he spends hours scouring blogs and forums. It's not like he's watched every single one of Huang Zitao's movies and dramas, subtitled and not. It's not like he's looked him up on Youtube or anything. It's not like he's jealous of his model ex-boyfriend Oh Sehun.
It's just curiosity. Really. Months-long curiosity.
There's one article, especially, that catches his eye.
Werewolves and school uniforms: Huang Zitao set to star in Cho Kyuhyun/Kim Junmyeon upcoming project
Baekhyun's got his phone out before he's even halfway through skimming the article.
To: Jongdae
you sold the script?? when???? why didn't you tell me???
To: Baekhyun
please tell me you have a good reason for waking me up at 4am
To: Baekhyun
and yes. last month. because i hate you.
To: Jongdae
WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME ABUOT HUANG ZITAO
To: Baekhyun
...you never asked? why? are you in love with him?
Baekhyun can already picture the smarmy look on Jongdae's face.
To: Jongdae
excuse you i only have eyes for kim taeyeon >:(
It's not that he's in love, Baekhyun thinks to himself as he closes his browser to stare at his Huang Zitao wallpaper. A fan, maybe. But not in love.
--
Sighing, Kyungsoo drops a stack of scripts onto the coffee table. It creaks under the weight.
Baekhyun gasps. "Hey, be careful! That's glass!"
Kyungsoo ignores him, hurriedly pacing back in forth. It makes Baekhyun dizzy. "Did you read over the scripts I brought last time?"
"Last time?" Baekhyun vaguely remembers seeing a neat stack sitting on the corner of his breakfast table. He hadn't touched them. "Oh, yeah. I did."
"...And?"
"I wasn't really into them."
"Really? Did you even read them?" Baekhyun is really positive that if looks could kill, Kyungsoo would be a murderer, reaching out to strangle him with his eyes. It's enough to make him cower.
Baekhyun darts his eyes away, in favor of fiddling with his phone. He opens up a game of Candy Crush. "I may have been busy," he murmurs. Kyungsoo snatches his phone out of his hands. Baekhyun pouts.
"Busy? You haven't been to an audition in months. I have to get paid, you know."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Kyungsoo glares. "Okay, look, look! I have a goal. You see, there's the new werewolf film that Cho Kyuhyun is doing..."
Kyungsoo crooks an eyebrow in suspicion. In addition to being Baekhyun's manager, he was also one of his best friends, so it comes as no surprise that he always seems to notice when something is amiss. "I thought you hated Kyuhyun... This isn't because of the thing, is it?"
"I just think he is a wonderful director that I would be honored to work under again." He tries to sound nonchalant. There's no trying about it. He just is nonchalant. He is the epitome of nonchalant. If he had a middle name, nonchalant would be it. "What thing? I don't know what you're talking about."
Kyungsoo leaps onto the couch and leans forward, intently peering into Baekhyun's eyes. Baekhyun scoots back nervously. "It's because of the thing, isn't it? Your crush?"
Baekhyun widens his eyes. "It's not a crush," he snaps, scowling. "Why would you say that? It's not a crush."
"You changed your Taeyeon wallpaper! God, you are in deep. Wait until I tell Chanyeol."
Baekhyun gasps and clutches a hand to his chest, gaping at Kyungsoo in near terror. "You wouldn't."
Park Chanyeol was a friend of Baekhyun's from film school. He had a ridiculous amount of connections. He also could not keep a secret to save his life. If you told him something that would potentially keep him breathing, the entire world, plus the tabloids, would know by the next week. And then he would die.
"I would."
Baekhyun makes a deflated noise, burying his face in the back of a cushion.
Kyungsoo snatches the pillow away only to smack him in the face with it. "I'll get Ryeowook to see what he can do about the movie, but you have to look at the other scripts, okay? There's some good stuff that I think you'd do well in."
"Okay," Baekhyun grumbles reluctantly.
"Good. So we got a request for an interview..."
--
Baekhyun auditions for a small, supporting role. He gets second lead.
The first read-through goes well, all things considering. The cast seems nice, talented, and Baekhyun appreciates the few familiar faces. Huang Zitao sits next to him. Baekhyun's palms feel a little sweaty.
But it's not a crush.
So he once drooled over his muscles for a locker room scene. Big deal. Anyone else would've done the same if they were standing mere inches from him wearing very minimal clothing.
Just because he finds himself unable to stop staring whenever they're in close proximity of each other doesn't mean anything. Just because he likes the way Zitao greets him each day with a smile to rival the sun, and the way his lips curl up at the corners that remind Baekhyun of a kitten doesn't mean anything anything either.
Baekhyun finds that Zitao just has this eager, childlike friendliness about him that always draws others in. It's nothing like Baekhyun had imagined. Less of a leopard, more of a leopard cub.
But then there's the switch, the moment the camera starts rolling, the look in his eyes suddenly turning dark, everything from his words to the way his muscles shift under his skin oozes intensity. Baekhyun both admires and envies the way Zitao can become his character so seamlessly. With everyone Baekhyun portrays, there's always a bit of himself left inside, but with Zitao, he becomes a whole new person.
"Okay, cut! Let's take that from the top again."
Baekhyun has lost count of the number of takes they've done, but it's enough now that his legs are sore from running into the classroom every single time. He runs a hand through his hair, clutching the ends of it, and turns to glance at Kyuhyun who is giving him a stink eye to rival Kyungsoo's. It's not his fault he keeps missing his lines, really.
In the scene, his character, Jihwan, bursts into class just moments before the bell rings, only to find his seat occupied. The rumors of a new exchange student had been of little interest to him until now. He sneers at the unfamiliar face and slams his books down onto the desk. All heads turn to stare at him.
"So you're the new kid?"
And this is where the act crumbles.
Zitao - no, Jun lifts his head to send him a glare, hard and piercing, and there's a dangerous gleam there as well that chills him to the bone. It steals the breath from his lungs, holding him in place like he's been petrified. The gasp that leaves Baekhyun's mouth isn't Jihwan's, but his own.
He composes himself just moments too late. "T-that's my seat you're in," he stammers, tongue stumbling over his words and he sighs in frustration at himself. "Shit," Baekhyun mutters, kicking at the leg of an empty desk.
Kyuhyun calls cut. "We're not stopping until we get this scene down. I don't care if we get behind schedule. I will make sure it comes out of your pay." He stares directly at Baekhyun.
It's about eight more takes before Junmyeon steps in and deems the scene decent enough to keep. The entire set seems to release a huge sigh of relief, and there's a bunch of shuffling as everyone makes to scurry off the set and off to grab lunch from the craft services table. Baekhyun trudges off the set, collapsing into one of the plastic fold-out chairs and buries his face in his hands. He's thankful that he's not in the next scene because he needs the time to collect himself.
There's a soft hand wrapping around his wrist and a tug on his arm. Baekhyun looks up to see Zitao's smiling at him sympathetically, all traces of his character gone. "Hyung, eat," he says softly, handing him a paper plate. While there are tables set up for eating, Zitao opts to take a seat beside Baekhyun, dragging his chair close enough for their arms to brush. Baekhyun tries to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach.
Baekhyun looks down at the food in his lap. The salad is made up of cucumbers, which he normally might have thrown a fit over, but he doesn't mention it, only wrinkles his nose at the smell. He takes the breadstick, tearing off small pieces and nibbling on them instead.
Zitao, on the otherhand, has his plate piled with three times as much food, nearly shoveling it all into his mouth haphazardly. He cleans off his plate before Baekhyun can even finish his bread. "I think I'll get seconds. Do you want me to get you anything?" Baekhyun can't help but to laugh. Zitao peers at him in confusion until he catches sight of his untouched plate, then his expression turns into one of concern. "Oh, no," he gasps, "are you allergic?"
Baekhyun shakes his head, chuckling. "No, I just don't eat cucumbers."
Zitao's eyes widen apologetically and he shoots out of his seat, and Baekhyun's about to tell him it's okay. That is, until he immediately proceeds to dump out handful upon handful of candy from his pockets, which only makes Baekhyun laugh even harder.
"Hyung, eat!" Zitao is so insistent he's nearly stomping his feet like a little kid.
Baekhyun chuckles and picks out a lemon candy. "You're cute." He only realizes what exactly he'd said when Zitao looks at him in surprise. He prays that his reddening face goes unnoticed because he sure can feel it. Baekhyun frantically grabs another couple candies and stuffs them all into his mouth. The sourness is overwhelming, but supposes that's what he deserves. "Thanks," he murmurs weakly.
They share candy in silence that seems fairly comfortable for Zitao who watches filming with the straight face, but awkward for Baekhyun who can't help sneaking glances at him every other second. "You know," Zitao speaks up after a while, "I wanted to ask...since you've been having trouble, would it help to maybe rehearse our lines together?"
Wait, what? "Y-you mean just the two of us?" Baekhyun croaks.
"Yes."
"Alone?"
"Mmhmm."
"On our own?"
Zitao nods.
"Together?"
So alone with no one around meaning a larger chance for Baekhyun to humiliate himself. Nope. Definitely a bad idea. The worst idea. He should definitely say no and not even consider the notion.
Zitao scratches at the back of his neck while staring at his feet. He lets out a nervous laugh. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to, but it usually helps me a lot, so I just thought maybe you'd like to..." His voice trails off. He starts to look as though someone had stolen all his candy, and it's just not fair. Really, who is he to look like a wounded animal when Baekhyun is so obviously weak? If he could kiss his frown away...
In a completely platonic way, of course.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Instantly, the smile returns to Zitao's face. Well, that was simple. "Great! We're not filming tomorrow, so I'll text you."
Baekhyun wonders what had he gotten himself into.
--
The clock reads 2:14 PM. What an ungodly hour of the day for someone to be ringing Baekhyun's doorbell. On his day off, no less. Whoever dared to interrupt his plans to sleep in clearly did not know him very well.
Baekhyun trudges to the door with eyes less than half open, bumping into corners along the way. He doesn't bother looking through the peephole - not that he could anyway, when it's above his head. Standing on tiptoe is for losers with no dignity. Baekhyun has plenty of dignity.
"Is this a bad time?"
Baekhyun freezes. That...voice................
Suddenly Baekhyun is wide awake. His eyes grow wide and he slams the door shut, leaning his back against it. He's not wearing clothes. Zitao is at his door, and he just answered him in nothing but boxers. "Shit, fuck, shit," he mutters.
"Um, Baekhyun? Hello?" Zitao knocks at the door. Baekhyun whimpers.
"Can you just, um, wait?" he hollers as he scurries back into his bedroom.
His mind blanks as soon as he opens up his closet, staring blankly at the clothes hanging from the racks. Pants, pants, he needs pants. Baekhyun grabs a pair of worn, grey sweats lying at the foot of his bed that he's sure should've gone into the laundry a week ago. There's a dark stain on the front that he hopes is just soda as he slips them on hastily. He throws on the first t-shirt he can get his hands on and a hoodie that probably clashes before scrambling toward the door and throwing it open, an apology on the tip of his tongue. But there's no one there on the other side.
"I'm here."
Baekhyun jumps with a surprised cry, heart nearly bursting out of his chest. Zitao has already made himself at home on his couch, feet propped up on his coffee table like he belongs there. It's only then that Baekhyun notices what he's wearing. A beige fedora, a leopard print sweater, and quite possibly the tightest jeans he's ever seen on a man. If he were a lesser man, he'd be drooling right about now.
"How did you get in here?" he asks
"You left the door unlocked," Zitao replies with a shrug, "so I let myself in."
Baekhyun whines and stomps over to throw himself onto the couch. "Don't scare me like that," he cries, elbowing Zitao in the stomach, but Zitao simply grins, unaffected by the tiny force.
Baekhyun lets out a loud yawn. With so many re-shoots and takes, filming had run long past midnight the night before. By the time he'd gotten home, it was already four in the morning, and he didn't even have the energy to do much more than strip down on his underwear and collapse on top of his sheets.
"What are you doing here anyway? I thought we agreed to meet in the evening."
There's a sheepish look on Zitao's face as he bites the corner of his lip. No, don't do that, Baekhyun thinks as his gaze is drawn to his mouth. There are words coming out of it, he knows, but not that he can tell with the way Zitao's tongue swipes over his lips, chapped and bitten. Baekhyun wonders what it would be like if he'd been the one to do that.
No. Bad. It's not a crush.
"...also I had plans with Minseok, but he had to cancel at the last minute, so...here I am. Sorry for waking you."
Baekhyun shakes his head slightly and pastes a smile on his face, trying to play it cool as his eyes drift back to meet Zitao's. "It's okay. What were you doing with Minseok again?"
"Rehearsing our lines."
Baekhyun's face falls. Well, that's dumb. "Oh?" He could almost just laugh. For some absurd reason, he feels so dejected by this, to know that Zitao had extended his offer to others because why wouldn't he have done so? This is work, and they're professionals. This is work, Baekhyun reminds himself. It's not as though Zitao had asked him on a date.
"I would've gone home instead, but I had been hoping if you would want to get lunch with me?"
Baekhyun hesitates to reply. It's just lunch, nothing to get worked up over. It doesn't mean anything. But it also doesn't hurt, Baekhyun reasons. "Well, I'm awake, aren't I?" he says with a wry smile. "So I might as well. Just don't expect me to pay for your meal, even though I'm older."
An hour later, they end up at a cafe about a block away from Baekhyun's apartment that happened to be Baekhyun's favorite. Zitao's smile is giddy from the moment they step in through the door. "I saw the cakes in the window on my way here and I really wanted to try it!"
Baekhyun waits for Zitao to order with his regular coffee and sandwich already in hand, while Zitao crouches over the cake display, gazing at each one carefully. "I think...I think I'll have two of each. And a coffee."
Baekhyun nearly spits out his drink. He stares at Zitao incredulously. "What? How will you finish that?"
Zitao rolls his eyes. "It's not all for me. I ordered some for you too." He gives Baekhyun a look as if to say that should've been obvious. Of course.
"But I already ordered for myself."
"Hyung, it's cake."
Well, that settled it.
Minutes later, they're surrounded by platters full of tiny, colorful slices, all iced and glazed to perfection with their tiny sugar roses and sprinkles scattered on top. There's probably enough to feed a party. Baekhyun stares at it all apprehensively.
Zitao, on the other hand, digs in eagerly, making torturous, pleased noises every once in a while. It's endearing, though, how he seems to wholeheartedly enjoy every single bite he takes. Baekhyun is just content to watch.
After a while, Zitao finally catches his eye, looking up from his fourth slice. Baekhyun's eyes widen, not expecting to be noticed. "Is there something on my face?" he asks, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Oh, no, it was nothing." Baekhyun shakes his head and looks away quickly. He grabs his fork for the sake of distracting himself and stabs it into the piece sitting right in front of him. The cake has a light orange flavor, not too sweet, and the icing is made of sticky caramel. It's quite possibly the best thing Baekhyun has ever tasted. "Have you tried this one yet?" he asks as he scoops a couple more forkfuls into his mouth.
Zitao glances at his cakes, then glances at Baekhyun's and frowns slightly, a longing expression on his face. "I don't think I got that one."
"You didn't? You can have some of mine!" Baekhyun cuts off a piece to serve onto Zitao's plate, but before he can do anything, Zitao leans over and eats the piece right off his fork. He nearly moans at the taste, and Baekhyun feels his mouth go dry.
"Thanks, hyung!" Zitao grins at Baekhyun as if he'd saved his life, licking the cream off his lips.
"You're welcome," Baekhyun tries to say but it comes out as an odd, strangled noise that Zitao is happily oblivious to as he scarfs down the rest of his cakes.
Surprisingly, Baekhyun manages to finish off half of his, packing up the rest to take home, along with his actual lunch. He'd probably end up giving them away to Kyungsoo or something because he's pretty sure he's never going to eat sugar again.
The two take their time heading back to Baekhyun's place, walking closely side-by-side on the busy sidewalk. Every time their arms brush even just the slightly, Baekhyun shivers a bit and the butterflies in his stomach flutter just that much more. Because he's cold. That's it.
Somewhere behind him, Baekhyun hears the tell-tale click of a shutter. He glances over his shoulder, only to be nearly blinded by a flash. He whips around to look at Zitao. "Is that a camera following us?" Baekhyun has never had cameras follow him.
Zitao nods, not bothering to turn around and check. "Fansites. They're harmless. They keep their distance. But just, you know, don't do anything incriminating."
"Incriminating, huh..." Baekhyun takes a cautious step to the left, just in case. From the corner of his eye, Zitao takes note and picks up the speed.
"Come on, let's get back. You know they say you should get about four hours of rehearsal a day."
Baekhyun knows they're scheduled to shoot a scene tomorrow where Jihwan nurses the werewolf Jun back to health after a nasty encounter with the antagonist, so they agree to work on that. To Baekhyun's surprise, the lines come much easier than they ever have while filming. He manages to only stumble a few times before he gets them right.
He doesn't know if it's the comfort of being at home or if it was lunch that put him at ease and helped settled his nerves around Zitao. Jihwan and Jun are friends now and so are they.
"Why are these hunters out to get you? I mean, you didn't even provoke them!"
"Vengeance. It doesn't matter if I did anything. They hate our kind."
"Well, I won't let them touch you. Not if I can help it."
There's a long pause before Zitao is supposed to deliver his next line. "Hey, let's watch a movie!" Baekhyun blinks in confusion. That's not in the script. Zitao tosses his script carelessly onto the table and leaps onto the couch, pulling his knees up to his chest. It's jarring how he'd just gone from intensely brooding to cheerful and excited.
"But what about...?" Baekhyun stares at him, then down at the pages in his hand. "It hasn't even been four hours yet."
Zitao rolls his eyes and pats the spot beside him, gesturing at Baekhyun to sit. "I know, but I didn't feel like it. I want to do some day off things on our day off!"
"Oh. Okay, then. I guess you can go ahead and choose something you like." Baekhyun nods toward the rack of DVDs sitting beneath his television as he grabs their mugs of tea from the table to take to the kitchen sink. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"
"Popcorn?"
"Alright."
He grabs a bag of popcorn from the pantry and sticks it into the microwave, then grabs two beers from his fridge, popping one open and taking a sip.
"You have all my movies?"
Baekhyun promptly spits out his drink. He has a look of horror on his face as he peers into the living room. Zitao sits cross-legged on the floor, grinning at the pile of movies in his lap. He really should've hidden those.
"And my dramas?"
And a magazine or two, but he's taking those to his grave. He's already lost enough dignity for one day.
"You can just ignore those!" Baekhyun brings the beers and the popcorn out with a stiff smile. But Zitao is already crouched over the DVD player, putting a disc in. "What did you pick?"
"Dark Warrior."
"You narcissist!"
Zitao simply smirks and sprawls out across the floor, leaning back against the couch.
The movie opens with Zitao, dressed in dark armor, riding slowly into a field on a pitch black horse. Baekhyun had watched this movie three times already. It was one of his favorites, and not just because most of the fighting involved wearing much, much less than just the armor.
Zitao, the real one, squirms uncomfortably at Baekhyun's feet. "It's hot," he murmurs, voice barely audible over the sounds of battle. Baekhyun's about to get up to turn the A/C up when Zitao stretches his arms above his head and pulls his sweater off, leaving him in just a thin, white tank top. He settles back to lean in against Baekhyun's leg.
Why.
It's a good thing that Baekhyun's watched the movie so many times because it's absolutely impossible now with the heat from Zitao's skin practically radiating off of him, and he can feel it through his jeans. God, he feels jittery all over. He doesn't know what to do, so he chugs the rest of his beer.
While he does feel relaxed after that, it doesn't make Baekhyun stop stealing peeks at Zitao. For every glimpse of his arms in the movie, Baekhyun stares at them in real life.
Before he knows it, the movie is over and the credits are rolling. Neither of them move to stop it, instead just letting it play until it ends.
"Thanks," Zitao utters quietly from his spot on the floor. He lets his head rest on the seat of the couch and looks up at Baekhyun. "For doing this with me, I mean. I'm not...I'm not really that good at Korean, so I get nervous during filming. This practicing really helped a lot."
"You're perfect," Baekhyun whispers, and his face turns red. He hadn't meant to say that.
Zitao's eyes turn soft and something about his expression shifts, but before Baekhyun can determine what it is, it's gone and Zitao's is already on his feet.
"I guess I'd better head home now. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
--
Rehearsing together ends up becoming a routine thing for them. Always on their days off, as well as after filming on the days that they manage to wrap up at a regular hour - which are starting to happen much more frequently now that Baekhyun has been making fewer mistakes. Kyuhyun stops yelling and starts nodding quietly in approval.
It also becomes a routine for Zitao to arrive early on days off so that they can do "day off things", dragging him out for shopping and eating and dancing and movies. Baekhyun suspects he really is the only one and that thought is comforting, for some reason.
It's probably a horrible idea for them to go clubbing when they have filming early the next morning, but Baekhyun can't find it in him to protest. He's fallen hopeless victim to all of Zitao's whims, and it would be a lie to say that he didn't mind.
He clings tightly to the back of Zitao's grey, mesh sweater as they make their way through the crowd, Zitao effortlessly shoving past people. It's almost as if the crowd parts just for him. Baekhyun thinks he may have to bring him along the next time he goes out.
Zitao nearly trips as he spins around to grin at him, significantly more tipsy than Baekhyun from their trip to the bar earlier. Baekhyun grabs his hips to steady him as he leans in to speak into his ear. "Come on, let's dance!"
Baekhyun shakes his head. "You go ahead," he says. He's going to need a few more drinks in him before he's willing to humiliate himself on the dancefloor.
Baekhyun can see everything from the bar on the second floor that overlooks the rest of the nightclub. After some scanning of the floor, he spots Zitao easily with his hair dyed a sandy blond (for his character in the movie, but Baekhyun had been surprised at how good it looked). There's a small circle carved out of the crowd just for him.
Zitao is by no means a great dancer, but he rolls his body like no other. He dances without reserve, writhing and swaying to the music, commanding attention from the people surrounding him. Never, in the past few months that Baekhyun had known him, had he felt such desire.
Baekhyun downs the rest of his drink, then he's down the stairs in no time. It's a little more effort to find Zitao when he's part of the crowd himself now and unable to see over everyone's heads. He lets himself get jostled to the center of the dancefloor, and that's where he find Zitao. He catches his eye. Zitao smiles and mouths out his name.
Baekhyun shoves past the few people in his way, and then he's got hands all over him. On his chest, on his waist, on his hips, dragging him closer and closer until there's no breath in his lungs. Until all he can breathe is Zitao.
Zitao has his face pressed in his neck, whispering words that Baekhyun can't hear against his skin. There's probably something wrong with this picture. Friends aren't supposed to be dancing on each other like this, but Baekhyun couldn't care less.
He reaches a hand into Zitao's hair and tugs hard. Zitao pulls away with a groan to gaze at him. His gaze is dark, eyes clouded with lust. Baekhyun feels his breath catch in his throat.
All of a sudden Zitao is dragging him away from the dancefloor and down a corridor, bypassing the long bathroom lines until they turn a corner, and it's empty. Baekhyun grunts as his back hits the wall. Zitao grips his shoulders tightly, his face only a few centimeters away.
"I want to kiss you," he whispers, "so badly."
Baekhyun can't find any reason to argue with that. His tongue darts out to lick his lips slowly. "Okay then."
He surges surges forward and kisses Zitao like he'd always imagined, lips pressed hard against his, and the only thing on his mind is, finally. Zitao kisses him back with no hesitation at all, opening his mouth to Baekhyun's tongue and drinking him down like a man lost in a desert.
Baekhyun's hands, itching for something to do, come to tangle in Zitao's hair once again, and he pulls at it like he had on the dance floor. Zitao makes a noise that sends heat straight down Baekhyun's groin and Baekhyun tightens his grip even further just to hear it again.
Baekhyun is the first one to break away, gasping for breath. Zitao scrambles to chase after his mouth, fingers trying to drag him closer by the collar of his shirt. Baekhyun tilts his head back, and instead lets Zitao bury his face in his neck again, shivering as he feels a tongue trace his skin and a knee press inbetween his thighs.
"I've wanted this for so long," Baekhyun murmurs, rolling his hips.
Zitao kisses a line right up to his ear. "Take me home."
The night air is cool and sobering as they stumble a block down the road and hail a taxi. Baekhyun can hardly believe this is happening.
"Your place or my place," he whispers, feeling breathless.
"Yours." Zitao smiles and rests his head on Baekhyun's shoulder and a hand on his thigh, tracing circles with this thumb which sends jitters up Baekhyun's spine.
But by the time they reach Baekhyun's apartment, Zitao is already snoring in his ears. It's impossible to wake him up once he's like this, so Baekhyun quickly pays the driver and slowly maneuvers Zitao out of the car.
He works up a good sweat lugging Zitao up to his floor - the man is nearly made out of muscle - that all Baekhyun can do once they reach his bedroom is deposit him onto his bed and collapse down beside him. As he lays on his back, desperately trying to catch his breath, his mind goes back to the club.
It's like Baekhyun can feel a phantom sensation on his lips. Zitao had kissed him, and it had been wonderful, but Baekhyun also wonders what had brought it on. He doesn't think he can do this unless he can have all of Zitao.
Because he wants him, god, does he want him. And while it may have begun as pure lust for Baekhyun, it's much more than that now.
Baekhyun takes a deep breath and shifts onto his side, carefully bringing a hand up to cup Zitao's cheek. He snores loudly and sleeps with his mouth open and he doesn't look pretty at all
"Please," is the last word that leaves Baekhyun's lips before he drifts off to sleep.
--
Baekhyun wakes up to an empty bed and his phone waking him up much earlier than his alarm was set to go off.
"Hello?" he croaks, voice hoarse from sleep.
It's Kyungsoo. "We need you down at the agency right now. Be ready in ten minutes. I'm coming to pick you up."
Normally Baekhyun would've ignored the call and gone back to sleep, but the urgent tone of Kyungsoo's voice propels him out of bed and into the shower. It's a tone he rarely uses, so Baekhyun knows he really means business. There's a part of him that desperately hopes it's not bad news, though he knows it can only be nothing but, and that has his stomach churning from nervousness.
Baekhyun's hastily toweling off his hair with one hand as he returns to his room to get dressed. It's the sight, however, of his messy bed that stops him in his tracks, and he feels even more nauseous. Though he's curious about the situation, his curiosity gets shoved to the back of his mind, bringing Zitao to the forefront.
The sheets beside Baekhyun had been devoid of any body heat at all when he woke, and he wonders if he dreamt up last night. He knows he didn't, but perhaps it would be better if he had. Maybe it would hurt less.
It wasn't a crush, no.
Baekhyun had fallen for him hook, line, and sinker.
--
Huang Zitao seen getting cozy with co-star Byun Baekhyun outside of club
The picture is completely innocuous at first glance. Zitao with his arm slung over Baekhyun's shoulder. Just a couple of friends who went drinking together. But then there's the way Baekhyun grins up at Zitao's face and the way his fingers are twined in the mesh of his sweater and Zitao's fingers slipping beneath the collar of Baekhyun's shirt.
For the third time that day, Baekhyun feels sick to his stomach.
He walks out of the meeting with the higher-ups in a daze.
"We can make this go way, as long as you don't do this again," they'd said before they dismissed him. Vague and simple, but Baekhyun had understood they were really saying. Don't. Fuck. Up.
"Come on," Kyungsoo says quietly, dragging him back to the car. Neither of them speak as he drives away, nor do either of them bother to turn on the radio.
Ten minutes later, they're sitting in a nearly empty parking lot with breakfast from a McDonald's drive-thru. Kyungsoo tosses a biscuit into his lap. He's in best friend mode now. "Eat, then tell me everything," he says.
Baekhyun stares at the greasy wrapper in distaste. He isn't hungry at all.
"We were just rehearsing lines at his place, and then we just decided to go out for a few drinks, and after that he wanted to go to a club, so we did. All we did was dance. And I mean, we didn't even drink that much. I mean, I had one more drink but it wasn't even- He wasn't..."
Baekhyun trails off and presses the heels of his palms against his eyes.
"We kissed."
"Oh, Baekhyun..."
"And...and then he was gone this morning without a word and without a note and I don't get it!" Baekhyun's starting to sound hysterical. "We didn't do anything, all we did was sleep. It wasn't even the first time he'd spent the night, so I don't know why. Why did he leave like that? I just don't get it."
A hand squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. "You really like him a lot, don't you?" Kyungsoo looks at him with sympathetic eyes, and Baekhyun can tell that he already knows the answer to that question. He keeps quiet and leans his head back against the headrest.
"Let's leave. I'm going to be late."
--
Zitao isn't at filming that day. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
Baekhyun finally pulls Kyuhyun to the side to ask. "Where is he?"
Kyuhyun gives an exasperated sigh, but he has a knowing look in his eyes. "Filming for a show in China. Zitao will be back this weekend. Now get back into place, Baekhyun-ssi."
It's not the first time Zitao has disappeared to China, but it's the first time he's gone without saying a word to him about it. No wonder he hadn't been picking up his calls. With a disheartened sigh, Baekhyun trudges back to his position on the set.
By the end of the day, though, he's grown desperate enough send a text.
To: Zitao
can we talk?
He hopes Zitao will at least see it when he gets back.
If Zitao sees the message, Baekhyun can't tell because he doesn't text him back. Nor does he answer his phone calls. For an entire week. They've finished all their scenes together, so he stops coming over now that there's no legitimate reason for him to do so.
Baekhyun feels like a teenage girl moping over a breakup. Kyungsoo comes over every night to keep him company, while Jongdae bring tons and tons of junk food.
"I just don't understand," Baekhyun whines, chucking his phone at the carpet when it goes to voicemail for the fifth time. "Why won't he talk to me? Why won't he like me? Why- I swear to god, Jongdae, stop shoving those marshmallows in my face! How will I maintain my lady hips?"
Jongdae smirks and pats his butt lightly. "It's okay, it will just go to your ass. Maybe Zitao will fall in love with you then."
Baekhyun huffs, grabs a handful of marshmallows, and tries to shove as many as he can into his mouth. Kyungsoo shoots Jongdae a scathing look before kicking him out for the night.
Baekhyun finds himself becoming stupidly jealous at work now that Zitao clings to the rest of the cast while completely avoiding him. With every attempt to talk, he's ready with an excuse on his tongue, only to go snuggle up to someone else. It sends an angry, burning feeling down to the pit of Baekhyun's stomach, and it's not pleasant at all.
He had been hoping to corner Zitao alone, but it seems that it's always missed opportunity after missed opportunity. When Baekhyun is free for lunch, Zitao has gone out for food. When Baekhyun is ready to go home, Zitao has already left.
With filming wrapping up soon, everything becomes frantic and rushed, and Kyuhyun is constantly screaming about staying on schedule every other minute. It's a miracle Baekhyun can even find the time to breathe, much less find time to reconcile relationships.
Filming for the day finally ends at two in the morning, just as Baekhyun is ready to collapse. At this point, he feels exhausted right down to his bones, and all he wants to do is get changed and get home.
It's just as he's nearing his dressing room that he hears someone speaking in a raised voice from the room right beside his. It's Zitao's. Suddenly, Baekhyun is not so tired any more.
The door is open just a sliver, and Baekhyun knows it's bad to stick his nose into other people's business, but he can't help it, not when all he's wanted to do it just see Zitao.
"Ge, what do you mean you're on your way? I should've been gone an hour ago."
From the sounds of it, he was talking to his manager, who always seemed to have a penchant for running late, which at the moment, Baekhyun found himself personally thankful for.
Zitao's voice gets quieter and quieter, and just standing with his ear to the door isn't helping, so Baekhyun pushes it open further, just slightly so as to not make a sound.
"Yifan, please." Zitao sounds desperate. He paces the room faster. "You know they told me to cut things off with him, but I can't do that if I have to see him. I want to see him so badly."
Was Zitao talking about...him? Baekhyun's eyes widen, and he lets out a gasp. "Oh," he says, slapping a hand over his mouth afterwards. Zitao had heard him.
Zitao's phone clatters to the floor, it's battery falling out and ending the call. They stare at one another for a long while, and there are a million different emotions rushing through Baekhyun's head. The loudest and the clearest one is the one going don'tgodon'tgodon'tgo.
So fuck it, Baekhyun thinks, he won't let him go. He slips into the room and locks the door behind him before Zitao can even think to run away. It's two in the morning, but he just doesn't care. "Can we talk?"
Zitao lets out a long, defeated sigh before he drops down onto the couch in the corner, curling into himself on the seat. "Baekhyun, I can't."
Baekhyun makes an indignant noise and throws his hands up in the air. "Can't what?" He moves to stand in front of Zitao. "You can't spend two minutes exchanging words with a co-star? What will they do? Send you to time-out?"
Zitao shakes his head in frustration. "That's not what I mean, and you know that," he replies. Baekhyun scoffs.
"Just tell me this. Do you regret that night?"
Zitao refuses to meet his eyes. He buries his face in his hands and slowly shakes his head. "Never," he whispers.
Baekhyun feels a tiny sliver of hope start to grow in his chest. His heartbeat quickens. "But then you left?"
"I didn't want to," Zitao lifts his head and his eyes are pleading. "I didn't want to, but they called me in that morning. They told me to stay at home. They said we couldn't-"
"Fuck them," Baekhyun hisses, as he climbs into Zitao's lap and cuts him off with his own lips. It's a little more frenzied and desperate than last time, but his lips are just as soft as Baekhyun remembers. Zitao's hands slide around to Baekhyun's hips and hold him closer. And, yes, this is how it should be.
Baekhyun pulls away for a moment, adjusting himself in Zitao's lap to grind against him more easily, but he can already feel a telltale stiffening against his thigh. He grins smugly. "You want me."
Zitao groans and steadily lifts his hips against Baekhyun's. "Hyung, I like you so much. Why do you think I asked you to rehearse with me? Why do you think I spent so much time with you? My best friend is jealous of you, and he doesn't even know you. You're just so cute and I like your hips and I like your everything-"
Baekhyun just places a hand over his mouth and sighs. "Oh, shut up," he says. And he kisses him again. And again and again and again until his lips are chapped and it's hard to breathe.
He rests his forehead against Zitao's to catch his breath, stroking Zitao's hair lightly with one hand. "We can have this," Baekhyun whispers. "Do you want this? I want this. We can do it. We just don't tell anyone. No one has to know."
It's definitely not the end of things, and there's more to discuss, but for now Zitao can only nod. "Yes, yes, yes, yes."
--
Baekhyun can't help it. Can never help it. The tiny breath that leaves his mouth, the look of awe on his face. He doesn't think he'll ever be able to help it whenever he gazes at Zitao like this, laid flushed and bare beneath him. Time and time again, it's always the same feelings that strike deep inside his chest.
Frustration, that is, when Kyuhyun calls cut once again.
Baekhyun fights a groan when he rolls off Zitao. He's breathing too hard to apologize when he offers a hand to help lift Zitao to his feet. It's not like he needs one at this point when they've spent much of the day trying to get the scene just right.
It's one where Jihwan accidentally discovers that the foreign exchange student Jun is harboring a dark and dangerous secret - one that he'd been fearing since the boy had first arrived - which results in a fight in the woods right behind their school's football field.
"I would've liked it if you could've used more force when you pushed him to the ground, but for now it's okay." It's a testament to how exhausted they've all become that he settles for just okay. "Alright, we'll take a break before we move on."
As soon as Kyuhyun turns away, Baekhyun sinks to a crouch, the groan he'd been holding back leaving his mouth as his back bows over his legs. It's not the worst pain he'd felt throughout his career, but that didn't mean he didn't want to complain about it. He looks around for his manager. Maybe if he whines enough, he can convince Kyungsoo to buy him a pack of cigarettes.
Kyungsoo's over on the side of the set, seemingly engrossed in a conversation with that annoying cameraman with the wonky smile. He looked like Chanyeol. Well, that's a no go.
A floating water bottle appears in front of his face. When Baekhyun looks up, he sees Zitao smiling down at him. "Here you go. You looked like you needed it." His hair is still drenched in sweat, but he's got a shirt on now. Inwardly, Baekhyun frowns a bit. That had been a nice sight.
Baekhyun takes the water bottle with a small thanks. He cracks the bottle open and takes a long drink while watching Zitao through the corner of his eye. Zitao stares back while fiddling with something distinctly rectangular in his pocket. "Hey..." Baekhyun says, nodding toward Zitao's pocket, "you wouldn't mind if I'd borrowed one of those, would you?"
Zitao raises an eyebrow at him. Baekhyun grins. As if he hadn't already borrowed Zitao's toothbrush the night before. "Of course not. Jongin wanted to go outside for a bit. Come with us." Zitao gestures toward one of the fire exits with a tilt of his head.
Baekhyun spots Jongin leaning against a wall beside the door, playing with his phone. His styling is nearly identical to his own. Artfully tousled hair, a wrinkled school uniform, and enough makeup to mask the dark circles that mark all their faces. All the proper makings of a proper high school student. He catches Baekhyun's eye and waves at him with a smile.
With a grunt, Baekhyun pushes himself off the floor and follows Zitao outside.
Baekhyun is content to huddle in the shade of the building and listen as Zitao and Jongin joke around and whine about their hunger. It's nice to just lean back and let the stress leave his body along with the smoke. He's tired, but he feels good. His eyes slide over to glance at Zitao. Everything is good now.
Jongin's phone chimes and he frowns, stubbing out his cigarette with his shoe. "Krystal always freaks out when I'm not in her sight."
Baekhyun snorts. "Well, you do have a tendency to get lost."
"That was, like, one time-"
"Five times." All three heads turn to find Jongin's manager standing at the door with a very unamused expression on her face. "I'm not your mother. Junmyeon-ssi wanted to speak to you. Now, come on." She grabs Jongin by the arm and drags him back inside.
Baekhyun laughs at the two of them, then turns back around to look at Zitao, only to find him already staring back. God, and it's that stare. The one that makes him feel goosebumps, the one that sends shudders down his spine, the one that makes him feel like the only one in the world, the one that gets his palms sweating and his stomach churning every time. Baekhyun wants to kiss him.
Zitao looks away. "We should probably head back in now," he says, tossing out his cigarette and heading for the door. Baekhyun makes a split decision before he can get away and reaches out for Zitao's collar, tugging him into a corner obscured by shadows where no one could possibly see. He feels the corner of Zitao's lips curling up into a smile against his mouth before pulling back with a nip to his bottom lip.
"Ow," Zitao murmurs, running his tongue over the bite. That's going to hard to hide from the stylists.
"Hey, boyfriend," Baekhyun chuckles, slipping right past him toward the door with a slap to his ass. "I'll see you at home."
a/n: I know almost nothing about the entertainment industry, but I hope this was enjoyable, regardless! Also thank you to S, who I think I would be nothing without, as well as everyone else who listened to me whine about this ♥♥♥
For: alphataurus
Pairing: Baekhyun/Tao
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~9000
Summary: Baekhyun doesn't have a crush. No, really. He doesn't. That is, until he does. Movie!AU
"I want him."
Baekhyun turns his face toward Jongdae, only half paying attention to what he's saying. He's already got his eye settled elsewhere, on his own carved Adonis of a man standing by the bar. Well, that may have been exaggeration, but Baekhyun wouldn't mind taking him home for a night. Or more.
He's reluctant to tear his eyes away, but he does anyway when Jongdae starts sighing wistfully. "What?" he murmurs, following Jongdae's line of sight toward the dance floor where he spots a short man, probably around his height, attempting some convoluted version of the robot, and laughing beside him, Cho Kyuhyun - or as Baekhyun preferred to refer to him, director from hell.
Vampire High. 67 takes for one scene. Never again.
Baekhyun shrugs. "Well? Is that it?" he asks, sighing. The disinterest is clear in his voice.
Jongdae makes an affronted noise and shoots him an annoyed look from the corner of his eye. "It's Kim Junmyeon," he says, resting his chin in his hands, gaze turning wistful. "I've been trying to get him to look at my scripts for ages."
Baekhyun snorts. It looks like he's been trying to do more than just that. He turns back to his own entertainment for the night, still over by the bar. This time he's talking to a boy, tall and lanky, hair dyed white blonde. Baekhyun thinks he might have seen him in a fashion magazine before. Adonis slings an arm around model boy's neck, and Baekhyun's throat feels particularly parched at the way his arm flexes in his dress shirt.
He clutches the champagne flute, raising the glass to his lips, ready to finish off his drink when he's abruptly whisked out of his seat. A bit of champagne sloshes onto his jacket, and Baekhyun clicks his tongue before shooting a glare at Jongdae. "Dude, what the hell?"
"I'm going to talk to him, come with me." Baekhyun is helpless as Jongdae drags him along to the dance floor. Junmyeon and Kyuhyun have long since stopped dancing since the music turned mellower, opting instead to watch from the side. Jongdae lets go of Baekhyun's wrist as he sidles up to them. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and follows anyway, plastering on a smile.
"Kim Junmyeon-ssi!" Jongdae stammers, his voice going high-pitched like it does when he gets nervous. Oh, boy, Baekhyun thinks.
Junmyeon turns around and gives the pair a polite smile, while Kyuhyun gives them a look of utter judgement, which Jongdae is completely oblivious to.
"Kim Jongdae, it's wonderful to meet you. An honor to be in your presence, even." It takes all of Baekhyun's willpower to not to smack him and drag him away, if not for Jongdae's sake, then his own dignity. Embarrassing friends not needed. "This is my friend-"
"Byun Baekhyun," Kyuhyun cuts in with a strong slap on the shoulder. Startled, Baekhyun nearly drops his glass. He gives Kyuhyun a wary glance. He hadn't actually expected the man to remember him.
"Oh, you know each other?" Junmyeon looks at the two of them curiously, while Jongdae just looks confused.
"He's a very up and coming talent, you know. I was rather impressed when we did Vampire High together."
Baekhyun can't help but to wonder what that was supposed to mean. It was a flop teen movie where he'd had less than a minor role. Not one of his finer moments. His name hadn't even been on the front of their IMDb page.
Jongdae shoots him a glare, seemingly annoyed that he'd stolen his spotlight. Baekhyun shrugs and shakes his head. He's just as confused. "Junmyeon-ssi, I don't know if you remember, but I sent you a script recently."
There's only so long that Baekhyun can stand to pretend to be interested in something when he's not working, and he's about reached his limit. He cranes his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the bar, only to curse his height (or lack thereof). He can't see anything past the crowded dance floor.
"Ah, yes," Junmyeon replies, "about the werewolf? I actually did get around to reading it, and I found it quite interesting, especially the bit about the foreign student..."
Right, so that was enough. Baekhyun escapes with the excuse of refilling his drink. Well, it's not totally an excuse, he is heading to the bar, and with any luck he'll see his man and try to talk him up. He might need drink for that.
Except he's not there. Or anywhere that Baekhyun can see. He slumps against the counter. The dejected look on his face must be obvious because the bartender slides a drink over to him without a word. He downs it with a small thanks, not sparing a glance or even bothering to find out what it is.
--
But Baekhyun's not the type to get hung-up over failed conquests. Not that this was even a conquest, or had even begun before it could fail in the first place. Especially when it comes to nameless characters, Baekhyun puts them out of mind, never to be seen again.
He does know if it's some odd twist of fate or if he just hadn't noticed before, but suddenly he's bombarded with magazine headlines and online articles.
China's latest export: Huang Zitao
Huang Zitao: Could he be the next Jackie Chan?
They're everywhere. On the newstands on the way to the train station. In the coffee shop near his apartment. The man is on the front page of Naver. Baekhyun frowns. He's never been on the front page of Naver before.
So, really, if he finds himself knowing more than he should about this Zitao it's really not any of his doing.
"Did you know Huang Zitao placed third in the International Wushu Competition?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Baekhyun, focus, please! We're doing Star King!."
It's not like he spends hours scouring blogs and forums. It's not like he's watched every single one of Huang Zitao's movies and dramas, subtitled and not. It's not like he's looked him up on Youtube or anything. It's not like he's jealous of his model ex-boyfriend Oh Sehun.
It's just curiosity. Really. Months-long curiosity.
There's one article, especially, that catches his eye.
Werewolves and school uniforms: Huang Zitao set to star in Cho Kyuhyun/Kim Junmyeon upcoming project
Baekhyun's got his phone out before he's even halfway through skimming the article.
To: Jongdae
you sold the script?? when???? why didn't you tell me???
To: Baekhyun
please tell me you have a good reason for waking me up at 4am
To: Baekhyun
and yes. last month. because i hate you.
To: Jongdae
WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME ABUOT HUANG ZITAO
To: Baekhyun
...you never asked? why? are you in love with him?
Baekhyun can already picture the smarmy look on Jongdae's face.
To: Jongdae
excuse you i only have eyes for kim taeyeon >:(
It's not that he's in love, Baekhyun thinks to himself as he closes his browser to stare at his Huang Zitao wallpaper. A fan, maybe. But not in love.
--
Sighing, Kyungsoo drops a stack of scripts onto the coffee table. It creaks under the weight.
Baekhyun gasps. "Hey, be careful! That's glass!"
Kyungsoo ignores him, hurriedly pacing back in forth. It makes Baekhyun dizzy. "Did you read over the scripts I brought last time?"
"Last time?" Baekhyun vaguely remembers seeing a neat stack sitting on the corner of his breakfast table. He hadn't touched them. "Oh, yeah. I did."
"...And?"
"I wasn't really into them."
"Really? Did you even read them?" Baekhyun is really positive that if looks could kill, Kyungsoo would be a murderer, reaching out to strangle him with his eyes. It's enough to make him cower.
Baekhyun darts his eyes away, in favor of fiddling with his phone. He opens up a game of Candy Crush. "I may have been busy," he murmurs. Kyungsoo snatches his phone out of his hands. Baekhyun pouts.
"Busy? You haven't been to an audition in months. I have to get paid, you know."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Kyungsoo glares. "Okay, look, look! I have a goal. You see, there's the new werewolf film that Cho Kyuhyun is doing..."
Kyungsoo crooks an eyebrow in suspicion. In addition to being Baekhyun's manager, he was also one of his best friends, so it comes as no surprise that he always seems to notice when something is amiss. "I thought you hated Kyuhyun... This isn't because of the thing, is it?"
"I just think he is a wonderful director that I would be honored to work under again." He tries to sound nonchalant. There's no trying about it. He just is nonchalant. He is the epitome of nonchalant. If he had a middle name, nonchalant would be it. "What thing? I don't know what you're talking about."
Kyungsoo leaps onto the couch and leans forward, intently peering into Baekhyun's eyes. Baekhyun scoots back nervously. "It's because of the thing, isn't it? Your crush?"
Baekhyun widens his eyes. "It's not a crush," he snaps, scowling. "Why would you say that? It's not a crush."
"You changed your Taeyeon wallpaper! God, you are in deep. Wait until I tell Chanyeol."
Baekhyun gasps and clutches a hand to his chest, gaping at Kyungsoo in near terror. "You wouldn't."
Park Chanyeol was a friend of Baekhyun's from film school. He had a ridiculous amount of connections. He also could not keep a secret to save his life. If you told him something that would potentially keep him breathing, the entire world, plus the tabloids, would know by the next week. And then he would die.
"I would."
Baekhyun makes a deflated noise, burying his face in the back of a cushion.
Kyungsoo snatches the pillow away only to smack him in the face with it. "I'll get Ryeowook to see what he can do about the movie, but you have to look at the other scripts, okay? There's some good stuff that I think you'd do well in."
"Okay," Baekhyun grumbles reluctantly.
"Good. So we got a request for an interview..."
--
Baekhyun auditions for a small, supporting role. He gets second lead.
The first read-through goes well, all things considering. The cast seems nice, talented, and Baekhyun appreciates the few familiar faces. Huang Zitao sits next to him. Baekhyun's palms feel a little sweaty.
But it's not a crush.
So he once drooled over his muscles for a locker room scene. Big deal. Anyone else would've done the same if they were standing mere inches from him wearing very minimal clothing.
Just because he finds himself unable to stop staring whenever they're in close proximity of each other doesn't mean anything. Just because he likes the way Zitao greets him each day with a smile to rival the sun, and the way his lips curl up at the corners that remind Baekhyun of a kitten doesn't mean anything anything either.
Baekhyun finds that Zitao just has this eager, childlike friendliness about him that always draws others in. It's nothing like Baekhyun had imagined. Less of a leopard, more of a leopard cub.
But then there's the switch, the moment the camera starts rolling, the look in his eyes suddenly turning dark, everything from his words to the way his muscles shift under his skin oozes intensity. Baekhyun both admires and envies the way Zitao can become his character so seamlessly. With everyone Baekhyun portrays, there's always a bit of himself left inside, but with Zitao, he becomes a whole new person.
"Okay, cut! Let's take that from the top again."
Baekhyun has lost count of the number of takes they've done, but it's enough now that his legs are sore from running into the classroom every single time. He runs a hand through his hair, clutching the ends of it, and turns to glance at Kyuhyun who is giving him a stink eye to rival Kyungsoo's. It's not his fault he keeps missing his lines, really.
In the scene, his character, Jihwan, bursts into class just moments before the bell rings, only to find his seat occupied. The rumors of a new exchange student had been of little interest to him until now. He sneers at the unfamiliar face and slams his books down onto the desk. All heads turn to stare at him.
"So you're the new kid?"
And this is where the act crumbles.
Zitao - no, Jun lifts his head to send him a glare, hard and piercing, and there's a dangerous gleam there as well that chills him to the bone. It steals the breath from his lungs, holding him in place like he's been petrified. The gasp that leaves Baekhyun's mouth isn't Jihwan's, but his own.
He composes himself just moments too late. "T-that's my seat you're in," he stammers, tongue stumbling over his words and he sighs in frustration at himself. "Shit," Baekhyun mutters, kicking at the leg of an empty desk.
Kyuhyun calls cut. "We're not stopping until we get this scene down. I don't care if we get behind schedule. I will make sure it comes out of your pay." He stares directly at Baekhyun.
It's about eight more takes before Junmyeon steps in and deems the scene decent enough to keep. The entire set seems to release a huge sigh of relief, and there's a bunch of shuffling as everyone makes to scurry off the set and off to grab lunch from the craft services table. Baekhyun trudges off the set, collapsing into one of the plastic fold-out chairs and buries his face in his hands. He's thankful that he's not in the next scene because he needs the time to collect himself.
There's a soft hand wrapping around his wrist and a tug on his arm. Baekhyun looks up to see Zitao's smiling at him sympathetically, all traces of his character gone. "Hyung, eat," he says softly, handing him a paper plate. While there are tables set up for eating, Zitao opts to take a seat beside Baekhyun, dragging his chair close enough for their arms to brush. Baekhyun tries to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach.
Baekhyun looks down at the food in his lap. The salad is made up of cucumbers, which he normally might have thrown a fit over, but he doesn't mention it, only wrinkles his nose at the smell. He takes the breadstick, tearing off small pieces and nibbling on them instead.
Zitao, on the otherhand, has his plate piled with three times as much food, nearly shoveling it all into his mouth haphazardly. He cleans off his plate before Baekhyun can even finish his bread. "I think I'll get seconds. Do you want me to get you anything?" Baekhyun can't help but to laugh. Zitao peers at him in confusion until he catches sight of his untouched plate, then his expression turns into one of concern. "Oh, no," he gasps, "are you allergic?"
Baekhyun shakes his head, chuckling. "No, I just don't eat cucumbers."
Zitao's eyes widen apologetically and he shoots out of his seat, and Baekhyun's about to tell him it's okay. That is, until he immediately proceeds to dump out handful upon handful of candy from his pockets, which only makes Baekhyun laugh even harder.
"Hyung, eat!" Zitao is so insistent he's nearly stomping his feet like a little kid.
Baekhyun chuckles and picks out a lemon candy. "You're cute." He only realizes what exactly he'd said when Zitao looks at him in surprise. He prays that his reddening face goes unnoticed because he sure can feel it. Baekhyun frantically grabs another couple candies and stuffs them all into his mouth. The sourness is overwhelming, but supposes that's what he deserves. "Thanks," he murmurs weakly.
They share candy in silence that seems fairly comfortable for Zitao who watches filming with the straight face, but awkward for Baekhyun who can't help sneaking glances at him every other second. "You know," Zitao speaks up after a while, "I wanted to ask...since you've been having trouble, would it help to maybe rehearse our lines together?"
Wait, what? "Y-you mean just the two of us?" Baekhyun croaks.
"Yes."
"Alone?"
"Mmhmm."
"On our own?"
Zitao nods.
"Together?"
So alone with no one around meaning a larger chance for Baekhyun to humiliate himself. Nope. Definitely a bad idea. The worst idea. He should definitely say no and not even consider the notion.
Zitao scratches at the back of his neck while staring at his feet. He lets out a nervous laugh. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to, but it usually helps me a lot, so I just thought maybe you'd like to..." His voice trails off. He starts to look as though someone had stolen all his candy, and it's just not fair. Really, who is he to look like a wounded animal when Baekhyun is so obviously weak? If he could kiss his frown away...
In a completely platonic way, of course.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Instantly, the smile returns to Zitao's face. Well, that was simple. "Great! We're not filming tomorrow, so I'll text you."
Baekhyun wonders what had he gotten himself into.
--
The clock reads 2:14 PM. What an ungodly hour of the day for someone to be ringing Baekhyun's doorbell. On his day off, no less. Whoever dared to interrupt his plans to sleep in clearly did not know him very well.
Baekhyun trudges to the door with eyes less than half open, bumping into corners along the way. He doesn't bother looking through the peephole - not that he could anyway, when it's above his head. Standing on tiptoe is for losers with no dignity. Baekhyun has plenty of dignity.
"Is this a bad time?"
Baekhyun freezes. That...voice................
Suddenly Baekhyun is wide awake. His eyes grow wide and he slams the door shut, leaning his back against it. He's not wearing clothes. Zitao is at his door, and he just answered him in nothing but boxers. "Shit, fuck, shit," he mutters.
"Um, Baekhyun? Hello?" Zitao knocks at the door. Baekhyun whimpers.
"Can you just, um, wait?" he hollers as he scurries back into his bedroom.
His mind blanks as soon as he opens up his closet, staring blankly at the clothes hanging from the racks. Pants, pants, he needs pants. Baekhyun grabs a pair of worn, grey sweats lying at the foot of his bed that he's sure should've gone into the laundry a week ago. There's a dark stain on the front that he hopes is just soda as he slips them on hastily. He throws on the first t-shirt he can get his hands on and a hoodie that probably clashes before scrambling toward the door and throwing it open, an apology on the tip of his tongue. But there's no one there on the other side.
"I'm here."
Baekhyun jumps with a surprised cry, heart nearly bursting out of his chest. Zitao has already made himself at home on his couch, feet propped up on his coffee table like he belongs there. It's only then that Baekhyun notices what he's wearing. A beige fedora, a leopard print sweater, and quite possibly the tightest jeans he's ever seen on a man. If he were a lesser man, he'd be drooling right about now.
"How did you get in here?" he asks
"You left the door unlocked," Zitao replies with a shrug, "so I let myself in."
Baekhyun whines and stomps over to throw himself onto the couch. "Don't scare me like that," he cries, elbowing Zitao in the stomach, but Zitao simply grins, unaffected by the tiny force.
Baekhyun lets out a loud yawn. With so many re-shoots and takes, filming had run long past midnight the night before. By the time he'd gotten home, it was already four in the morning, and he didn't even have the energy to do much more than strip down on his underwear and collapse on top of his sheets.
"What are you doing here anyway? I thought we agreed to meet in the evening."
There's a sheepish look on Zitao's face as he bites the corner of his lip. No, don't do that, Baekhyun thinks as his gaze is drawn to his mouth. There are words coming out of it, he knows, but not that he can tell with the way Zitao's tongue swipes over his lips, chapped and bitten. Baekhyun wonders what it would be like if he'd been the one to do that.
No. Bad. It's not a crush.
"...also I had plans with Minseok, but he had to cancel at the last minute, so...here I am. Sorry for waking you."
Baekhyun shakes his head slightly and pastes a smile on his face, trying to play it cool as his eyes drift back to meet Zitao's. "It's okay. What were you doing with Minseok again?"
"Rehearsing our lines."
Baekhyun's face falls. Well, that's dumb. "Oh?" He could almost just laugh. For some absurd reason, he feels so dejected by this, to know that Zitao had extended his offer to others because why wouldn't he have done so? This is work, and they're professionals. This is work, Baekhyun reminds himself. It's not as though Zitao had asked him on a date.
"I would've gone home instead, but I had been hoping if you would want to get lunch with me?"
Baekhyun hesitates to reply. It's just lunch, nothing to get worked up over. It doesn't mean anything. But it also doesn't hurt, Baekhyun reasons. "Well, I'm awake, aren't I?" he says with a wry smile. "So I might as well. Just don't expect me to pay for your meal, even though I'm older."
An hour later, they end up at a cafe about a block away from Baekhyun's apartment that happened to be Baekhyun's favorite. Zitao's smile is giddy from the moment they step in through the door. "I saw the cakes in the window on my way here and I really wanted to try it!"
Baekhyun waits for Zitao to order with his regular coffee and sandwich already in hand, while Zitao crouches over the cake display, gazing at each one carefully. "I think...I think I'll have two of each. And a coffee."
Baekhyun nearly spits out his drink. He stares at Zitao incredulously. "What? How will you finish that?"
Zitao rolls his eyes. "It's not all for me. I ordered some for you too." He gives Baekhyun a look as if to say that should've been obvious. Of course.
"But I already ordered for myself."
"Hyung, it's cake."
Well, that settled it.
Minutes later, they're surrounded by platters full of tiny, colorful slices, all iced and glazed to perfection with their tiny sugar roses and sprinkles scattered on top. There's probably enough to feed a party. Baekhyun stares at it all apprehensively.
Zitao, on the other hand, digs in eagerly, making torturous, pleased noises every once in a while. It's endearing, though, how he seems to wholeheartedly enjoy every single bite he takes. Baekhyun is just content to watch.
After a while, Zitao finally catches his eye, looking up from his fourth slice. Baekhyun's eyes widen, not expecting to be noticed. "Is there something on my face?" he asks, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Oh, no, it was nothing." Baekhyun shakes his head and looks away quickly. He grabs his fork for the sake of distracting himself and stabs it into the piece sitting right in front of him. The cake has a light orange flavor, not too sweet, and the icing is made of sticky caramel. It's quite possibly the best thing Baekhyun has ever tasted. "Have you tried this one yet?" he asks as he scoops a couple more forkfuls into his mouth.
Zitao glances at his cakes, then glances at Baekhyun's and frowns slightly, a longing expression on his face. "I don't think I got that one."
"You didn't? You can have some of mine!" Baekhyun cuts off a piece to serve onto Zitao's plate, but before he can do anything, Zitao leans over and eats the piece right off his fork. He nearly moans at the taste, and Baekhyun feels his mouth go dry.
"Thanks, hyung!" Zitao grins at Baekhyun as if he'd saved his life, licking the cream off his lips.
"You're welcome," Baekhyun tries to say but it comes out as an odd, strangled noise that Zitao is happily oblivious to as he scarfs down the rest of his cakes.
Surprisingly, Baekhyun manages to finish off half of his, packing up the rest to take home, along with his actual lunch. He'd probably end up giving them away to Kyungsoo or something because he's pretty sure he's never going to eat sugar again.
The two take their time heading back to Baekhyun's place, walking closely side-by-side on the busy sidewalk. Every time their arms brush even just the slightly, Baekhyun shivers a bit and the butterflies in his stomach flutter just that much more. Because he's cold. That's it.
Somewhere behind him, Baekhyun hears the tell-tale click of a shutter. He glances over his shoulder, only to be nearly blinded by a flash. He whips around to look at Zitao. "Is that a camera following us?" Baekhyun has never had cameras follow him.
Zitao nods, not bothering to turn around and check. "Fansites. They're harmless. They keep their distance. But just, you know, don't do anything incriminating."
"Incriminating, huh..." Baekhyun takes a cautious step to the left, just in case. From the corner of his eye, Zitao takes note and picks up the speed.
"Come on, let's get back. You know they say you should get about four hours of rehearsal a day."
Baekhyun knows they're scheduled to shoot a scene tomorrow where Jihwan nurses the werewolf Jun back to health after a nasty encounter with the antagonist, so they agree to work on that. To Baekhyun's surprise, the lines come much easier than they ever have while filming. He manages to only stumble a few times before he gets them right.
He doesn't know if it's the comfort of being at home or if it was lunch that put him at ease and helped settled his nerves around Zitao. Jihwan and Jun are friends now and so are they.
"Why are these hunters out to get you? I mean, you didn't even provoke them!"
"Vengeance. It doesn't matter if I did anything. They hate our kind."
"Well, I won't let them touch you. Not if I can help it."
There's a long pause before Zitao is supposed to deliver his next line. "Hey, let's watch a movie!" Baekhyun blinks in confusion. That's not in the script. Zitao tosses his script carelessly onto the table and leaps onto the couch, pulling his knees up to his chest. It's jarring how he'd just gone from intensely brooding to cheerful and excited.
"But what about...?" Baekhyun stares at him, then down at the pages in his hand. "It hasn't even been four hours yet."
Zitao rolls his eyes and pats the spot beside him, gesturing at Baekhyun to sit. "I know, but I didn't feel like it. I want to do some day off things on our day off!"
"Oh. Okay, then. I guess you can go ahead and choose something you like." Baekhyun nods toward the rack of DVDs sitting beneath his television as he grabs their mugs of tea from the table to take to the kitchen sink. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"
"Popcorn?"
"Alright."
He grabs a bag of popcorn from the pantry and sticks it into the microwave, then grabs two beers from his fridge, popping one open and taking a sip.
"You have all my movies?"
Baekhyun promptly spits out his drink. He has a look of horror on his face as he peers into the living room. Zitao sits cross-legged on the floor, grinning at the pile of movies in his lap. He really should've hidden those.
"And my dramas?"
And a magazine or two, but he's taking those to his grave. He's already lost enough dignity for one day.
"You can just ignore those!" Baekhyun brings the beers and the popcorn out with a stiff smile. But Zitao is already crouched over the DVD player, putting a disc in. "What did you pick?"
"Dark Warrior."
"You narcissist!"
Zitao simply smirks and sprawls out across the floor, leaning back against the couch.
The movie opens with Zitao, dressed in dark armor, riding slowly into a field on a pitch black horse. Baekhyun had watched this movie three times already. It was one of his favorites, and not just because most of the fighting involved wearing much, much less than just the armor.
Zitao, the real one, squirms uncomfortably at Baekhyun's feet. "It's hot," he murmurs, voice barely audible over the sounds of battle. Baekhyun's about to get up to turn the A/C up when Zitao stretches his arms above his head and pulls his sweater off, leaving him in just a thin, white tank top. He settles back to lean in against Baekhyun's leg.
Why.
It's a good thing that Baekhyun's watched the movie so many times because it's absolutely impossible now with the heat from Zitao's skin practically radiating off of him, and he can feel it through his jeans. God, he feels jittery all over. He doesn't know what to do, so he chugs the rest of his beer.
While he does feel relaxed after that, it doesn't make Baekhyun stop stealing peeks at Zitao. For every glimpse of his arms in the movie, Baekhyun stares at them in real life.
Before he knows it, the movie is over and the credits are rolling. Neither of them move to stop it, instead just letting it play until it ends.
"Thanks," Zitao utters quietly from his spot on the floor. He lets his head rest on the seat of the couch and looks up at Baekhyun. "For doing this with me, I mean. I'm not...I'm not really that good at Korean, so I get nervous during filming. This practicing really helped a lot."
"You're perfect," Baekhyun whispers, and his face turns red. He hadn't meant to say that.
Zitao's eyes turn soft and something about his expression shifts, but before Baekhyun can determine what it is, it's gone and Zitao's is already on his feet.
"I guess I'd better head home now. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
--
Rehearsing together ends up becoming a routine thing for them. Always on their days off, as well as after filming on the days that they manage to wrap up at a regular hour - which are starting to happen much more frequently now that Baekhyun has been making fewer mistakes. Kyuhyun stops yelling and starts nodding quietly in approval.
It also becomes a routine for Zitao to arrive early on days off so that they can do "day off things", dragging him out for shopping and eating and dancing and movies. Baekhyun suspects he really is the only one and that thought is comforting, for some reason.
It's probably a horrible idea for them to go clubbing when they have filming early the next morning, but Baekhyun can't find it in him to protest. He's fallen hopeless victim to all of Zitao's whims, and it would be a lie to say that he didn't mind.
He clings tightly to the back of Zitao's grey, mesh sweater as they make their way through the crowd, Zitao effortlessly shoving past people. It's almost as if the crowd parts just for him. Baekhyun thinks he may have to bring him along the next time he goes out.
Zitao nearly trips as he spins around to grin at him, significantly more tipsy than Baekhyun from their trip to the bar earlier. Baekhyun grabs his hips to steady him as he leans in to speak into his ear. "Come on, let's dance!"
Baekhyun shakes his head. "You go ahead," he says. He's going to need a few more drinks in him before he's willing to humiliate himself on the dancefloor.
Baekhyun can see everything from the bar on the second floor that overlooks the rest of the nightclub. After some scanning of the floor, he spots Zitao easily with his hair dyed a sandy blond (for his character in the movie, but Baekhyun had been surprised at how good it looked). There's a small circle carved out of the crowd just for him.
Zitao is by no means a great dancer, but he rolls his body like no other. He dances without reserve, writhing and swaying to the music, commanding attention from the people surrounding him. Never, in the past few months that Baekhyun had known him, had he felt such desire.
Baekhyun downs the rest of his drink, then he's down the stairs in no time. It's a little more effort to find Zitao when he's part of the crowd himself now and unable to see over everyone's heads. He lets himself get jostled to the center of the dancefloor, and that's where he find Zitao. He catches his eye. Zitao smiles and mouths out his name.
Baekhyun shoves past the few people in his way, and then he's got hands all over him. On his chest, on his waist, on his hips, dragging him closer and closer until there's no breath in his lungs. Until all he can breathe is Zitao.
Zitao has his face pressed in his neck, whispering words that Baekhyun can't hear against his skin. There's probably something wrong with this picture. Friends aren't supposed to be dancing on each other like this, but Baekhyun couldn't care less.
He reaches a hand into Zitao's hair and tugs hard. Zitao pulls away with a groan to gaze at him. His gaze is dark, eyes clouded with lust. Baekhyun feels his breath catch in his throat.
All of a sudden Zitao is dragging him away from the dancefloor and down a corridor, bypassing the long bathroom lines until they turn a corner, and it's empty. Baekhyun grunts as his back hits the wall. Zitao grips his shoulders tightly, his face only a few centimeters away.
"I want to kiss you," he whispers, "so badly."
Baekhyun can't find any reason to argue with that. His tongue darts out to lick his lips slowly. "Okay then."
He surges surges forward and kisses Zitao like he'd always imagined, lips pressed hard against his, and the only thing on his mind is, finally. Zitao kisses him back with no hesitation at all, opening his mouth to Baekhyun's tongue and drinking him down like a man lost in a desert.
Baekhyun's hands, itching for something to do, come to tangle in Zitao's hair once again, and he pulls at it like he had on the dance floor. Zitao makes a noise that sends heat straight down Baekhyun's groin and Baekhyun tightens his grip even further just to hear it again.
Baekhyun is the first one to break away, gasping for breath. Zitao scrambles to chase after his mouth, fingers trying to drag him closer by the collar of his shirt. Baekhyun tilts his head back, and instead lets Zitao bury his face in his neck again, shivering as he feels a tongue trace his skin and a knee press inbetween his thighs.
"I've wanted this for so long," Baekhyun murmurs, rolling his hips.
Zitao kisses a line right up to his ear. "Take me home."
The night air is cool and sobering as they stumble a block down the road and hail a taxi. Baekhyun can hardly believe this is happening.
"Your place or my place," he whispers, feeling breathless.
"Yours." Zitao smiles and rests his head on Baekhyun's shoulder and a hand on his thigh, tracing circles with this thumb which sends jitters up Baekhyun's spine.
But by the time they reach Baekhyun's apartment, Zitao is already snoring in his ears. It's impossible to wake him up once he's like this, so Baekhyun quickly pays the driver and slowly maneuvers Zitao out of the car.
He works up a good sweat lugging Zitao up to his floor - the man is nearly made out of muscle - that all Baekhyun can do once they reach his bedroom is deposit him onto his bed and collapse down beside him. As he lays on his back, desperately trying to catch his breath, his mind goes back to the club.
It's like Baekhyun can feel a phantom sensation on his lips. Zitao had kissed him, and it had been wonderful, but Baekhyun also wonders what had brought it on. He doesn't think he can do this unless he can have all of Zitao.
Because he wants him, god, does he want him. And while it may have begun as pure lust for Baekhyun, it's much more than that now.
Baekhyun takes a deep breath and shifts onto his side, carefully bringing a hand up to cup Zitao's cheek. He snores loudly and sleeps with his mouth open and he doesn't look pretty at all
"Please," is the last word that leaves Baekhyun's lips before he drifts off to sleep.
--
Baekhyun wakes up to an empty bed and his phone waking him up much earlier than his alarm was set to go off.
"Hello?" he croaks, voice hoarse from sleep.
It's Kyungsoo. "We need you down at the agency right now. Be ready in ten minutes. I'm coming to pick you up."
Normally Baekhyun would've ignored the call and gone back to sleep, but the urgent tone of Kyungsoo's voice propels him out of bed and into the shower. It's a tone he rarely uses, so Baekhyun knows he really means business. There's a part of him that desperately hopes it's not bad news, though he knows it can only be nothing but, and that has his stomach churning from nervousness.
Baekhyun's hastily toweling off his hair with one hand as he returns to his room to get dressed. It's the sight, however, of his messy bed that stops him in his tracks, and he feels even more nauseous. Though he's curious about the situation, his curiosity gets shoved to the back of his mind, bringing Zitao to the forefront.
The sheets beside Baekhyun had been devoid of any body heat at all when he woke, and he wonders if he dreamt up last night. He knows he didn't, but perhaps it would be better if he had. Maybe it would hurt less.
It wasn't a crush, no.
Baekhyun had fallen for him hook, line, and sinker.
--
Huang Zitao seen getting cozy with co-star Byun Baekhyun outside of club
The picture is completely innocuous at first glance. Zitao with his arm slung over Baekhyun's shoulder. Just a couple of friends who went drinking together. But then there's the way Baekhyun grins up at Zitao's face and the way his fingers are twined in the mesh of his sweater and Zitao's fingers slipping beneath the collar of Baekhyun's shirt.
For the third time that day, Baekhyun feels sick to his stomach.
He walks out of the meeting with the higher-ups in a daze.
"We can make this go way, as long as you don't do this again," they'd said before they dismissed him. Vague and simple, but Baekhyun had understood they were really saying. Don't. Fuck. Up.
"Come on," Kyungsoo says quietly, dragging him back to the car. Neither of them speak as he drives away, nor do either of them bother to turn on the radio.
Ten minutes later, they're sitting in a nearly empty parking lot with breakfast from a McDonald's drive-thru. Kyungsoo tosses a biscuit into his lap. He's in best friend mode now. "Eat, then tell me everything," he says.
Baekhyun stares at the greasy wrapper in distaste. He isn't hungry at all.
"We were just rehearsing lines at his place, and then we just decided to go out for a few drinks, and after that he wanted to go to a club, so we did. All we did was dance. And I mean, we didn't even drink that much. I mean, I had one more drink but it wasn't even- He wasn't..."
Baekhyun trails off and presses the heels of his palms against his eyes.
"We kissed."
"Oh, Baekhyun..."
"And...and then he was gone this morning without a word and without a note and I don't get it!" Baekhyun's starting to sound hysterical. "We didn't do anything, all we did was sleep. It wasn't even the first time he'd spent the night, so I don't know why. Why did he leave like that? I just don't get it."
A hand squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. "You really like him a lot, don't you?" Kyungsoo looks at him with sympathetic eyes, and Baekhyun can tell that he already knows the answer to that question. He keeps quiet and leans his head back against the headrest.
"Let's leave. I'm going to be late."
--
Zitao isn't at filming that day. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
Baekhyun finally pulls Kyuhyun to the side to ask. "Where is he?"
Kyuhyun gives an exasperated sigh, but he has a knowing look in his eyes. "Filming for a show in China. Zitao will be back this weekend. Now get back into place, Baekhyun-ssi."
It's not the first time Zitao has disappeared to China, but it's the first time he's gone without saying a word to him about it. No wonder he hadn't been picking up his calls. With a disheartened sigh, Baekhyun trudges back to his position on the set.
By the end of the day, though, he's grown desperate enough send a text.
To: Zitao
can we talk?
He hopes Zitao will at least see it when he gets back.
If Zitao sees the message, Baekhyun can't tell because he doesn't text him back. Nor does he answer his phone calls. For an entire week. They've finished all their scenes together, so he stops coming over now that there's no legitimate reason for him to do so.
Baekhyun feels like a teenage girl moping over a breakup. Kyungsoo comes over every night to keep him company, while Jongdae bring tons and tons of junk food.
"I just don't understand," Baekhyun whines, chucking his phone at the carpet when it goes to voicemail for the fifth time. "Why won't he talk to me? Why won't he like me? Why- I swear to god, Jongdae, stop shoving those marshmallows in my face! How will I maintain my lady hips?"
Jongdae smirks and pats his butt lightly. "It's okay, it will just go to your ass. Maybe Zitao will fall in love with you then."
Baekhyun huffs, grabs a handful of marshmallows, and tries to shove as many as he can into his mouth. Kyungsoo shoots Jongdae a scathing look before kicking him out for the night.
Baekhyun finds himself becoming stupidly jealous at work now that Zitao clings to the rest of the cast while completely avoiding him. With every attempt to talk, he's ready with an excuse on his tongue, only to go snuggle up to someone else. It sends an angry, burning feeling down to the pit of Baekhyun's stomach, and it's not pleasant at all.
He had been hoping to corner Zitao alone, but it seems that it's always missed opportunity after missed opportunity. When Baekhyun is free for lunch, Zitao has gone out for food. When Baekhyun is ready to go home, Zitao has already left.
With filming wrapping up soon, everything becomes frantic and rushed, and Kyuhyun is constantly screaming about staying on schedule every other minute. It's a miracle Baekhyun can even find the time to breathe, much less find time to reconcile relationships.
Filming for the day finally ends at two in the morning, just as Baekhyun is ready to collapse. At this point, he feels exhausted right down to his bones, and all he wants to do is get changed and get home.
It's just as he's nearing his dressing room that he hears someone speaking in a raised voice from the room right beside his. It's Zitao's. Suddenly, Baekhyun is not so tired any more.
The door is open just a sliver, and Baekhyun knows it's bad to stick his nose into other people's business, but he can't help it, not when all he's wanted to do it just see Zitao.
"Ge, what do you mean you're on your way? I should've been gone an hour ago."
From the sounds of it, he was talking to his manager, who always seemed to have a penchant for running late, which at the moment, Baekhyun found himself personally thankful for.
Zitao's voice gets quieter and quieter, and just standing with his ear to the door isn't helping, so Baekhyun pushes it open further, just slightly so as to not make a sound.
"Yifan, please." Zitao sounds desperate. He paces the room faster. "You know they told me to cut things off with him, but I can't do that if I have to see him. I want to see him so badly."
Was Zitao talking about...him? Baekhyun's eyes widen, and he lets out a gasp. "Oh," he says, slapping a hand over his mouth afterwards. Zitao had heard him.
Zitao's phone clatters to the floor, it's battery falling out and ending the call. They stare at one another for a long while, and there are a million different emotions rushing through Baekhyun's head. The loudest and the clearest one is the one going don'tgodon'tgodon'tgo.
So fuck it, Baekhyun thinks, he won't let him go. He slips into the room and locks the door behind him before Zitao can even think to run away. It's two in the morning, but he just doesn't care. "Can we talk?"
Zitao lets out a long, defeated sigh before he drops down onto the couch in the corner, curling into himself on the seat. "Baekhyun, I can't."
Baekhyun makes an indignant noise and throws his hands up in the air. "Can't what?" He moves to stand in front of Zitao. "You can't spend two minutes exchanging words with a co-star? What will they do? Send you to time-out?"
Zitao shakes his head in frustration. "That's not what I mean, and you know that," he replies. Baekhyun scoffs.
"Just tell me this. Do you regret that night?"
Zitao refuses to meet his eyes. He buries his face in his hands and slowly shakes his head. "Never," he whispers.
Baekhyun feels a tiny sliver of hope start to grow in his chest. His heartbeat quickens. "But then you left?"
"I didn't want to," Zitao lifts his head and his eyes are pleading. "I didn't want to, but they called me in that morning. They told me to stay at home. They said we couldn't-"
"Fuck them," Baekhyun hisses, as he climbs into Zitao's lap and cuts him off with his own lips. It's a little more frenzied and desperate than last time, but his lips are just as soft as Baekhyun remembers. Zitao's hands slide around to Baekhyun's hips and hold him closer. And, yes, this is how it should be.
Baekhyun pulls away for a moment, adjusting himself in Zitao's lap to grind against him more easily, but he can already feel a telltale stiffening against his thigh. He grins smugly. "You want me."
Zitao groans and steadily lifts his hips against Baekhyun's. "Hyung, I like you so much. Why do you think I asked you to rehearse with me? Why do you think I spent so much time with you? My best friend is jealous of you, and he doesn't even know you. You're just so cute and I like your hips and I like your everything-"
Baekhyun just places a hand over his mouth and sighs. "Oh, shut up," he says. And he kisses him again. And again and again and again until his lips are chapped and it's hard to breathe.
He rests his forehead against Zitao's to catch his breath, stroking Zitao's hair lightly with one hand. "We can have this," Baekhyun whispers. "Do you want this? I want this. We can do it. We just don't tell anyone. No one has to know."
It's definitely not the end of things, and there's more to discuss, but for now Zitao can only nod. "Yes, yes, yes, yes."
--
Baekhyun can't help it. Can never help it. The tiny breath that leaves his mouth, the look of awe on his face. He doesn't think he'll ever be able to help it whenever he gazes at Zitao like this, laid flushed and bare beneath him. Time and time again, it's always the same feelings that strike deep inside his chest.
Frustration, that is, when Kyuhyun calls cut once again.
Baekhyun fights a groan when he rolls off Zitao. He's breathing too hard to apologize when he offers a hand to help lift Zitao to his feet. It's not like he needs one at this point when they've spent much of the day trying to get the scene just right.
It's one where Jihwan accidentally discovers that the foreign exchange student Jun is harboring a dark and dangerous secret - one that he'd been fearing since the boy had first arrived - which results in a fight in the woods right behind their school's football field.
"I would've liked it if you could've used more force when you pushed him to the ground, but for now it's okay." It's a testament to how exhausted they've all become that he settles for just okay. "Alright, we'll take a break before we move on."
As soon as Kyuhyun turns away, Baekhyun sinks to a crouch, the groan he'd been holding back leaving his mouth as his back bows over his legs. It's not the worst pain he'd felt throughout his career, but that didn't mean he didn't want to complain about it. He looks around for his manager. Maybe if he whines enough, he can convince Kyungsoo to buy him a pack of cigarettes.
Kyungsoo's over on the side of the set, seemingly engrossed in a conversation with that annoying cameraman with the wonky smile. He looked like Chanyeol. Well, that's a no go.
A floating water bottle appears in front of his face. When Baekhyun looks up, he sees Zitao smiling down at him. "Here you go. You looked like you needed it." His hair is still drenched in sweat, but he's got a shirt on now. Inwardly, Baekhyun frowns a bit. That had been a nice sight.
Baekhyun takes the water bottle with a small thanks. He cracks the bottle open and takes a long drink while watching Zitao through the corner of his eye. Zitao stares back while fiddling with something distinctly rectangular in his pocket. "Hey..." Baekhyun says, nodding toward Zitao's pocket, "you wouldn't mind if I'd borrowed one of those, would you?"
Zitao raises an eyebrow at him. Baekhyun grins. As if he hadn't already borrowed Zitao's toothbrush the night before. "Of course not. Jongin wanted to go outside for a bit. Come with us." Zitao gestures toward one of the fire exits with a tilt of his head.
Baekhyun spots Jongin leaning against a wall beside the door, playing with his phone. His styling is nearly identical to his own. Artfully tousled hair, a wrinkled school uniform, and enough makeup to mask the dark circles that mark all their faces. All the proper makings of a proper high school student. He catches Baekhyun's eye and waves at him with a smile.
With a grunt, Baekhyun pushes himself off the floor and follows Zitao outside.
Baekhyun is content to huddle in the shade of the building and listen as Zitao and Jongin joke around and whine about their hunger. It's nice to just lean back and let the stress leave his body along with the smoke. He's tired, but he feels good. His eyes slide over to glance at Zitao. Everything is good now.
Jongin's phone chimes and he frowns, stubbing out his cigarette with his shoe. "Krystal always freaks out when I'm not in her sight."
Baekhyun snorts. "Well, you do have a tendency to get lost."
"That was, like, one time-"
"Five times." All three heads turn to find Jongin's manager standing at the door with a very unamused expression on her face. "I'm not your mother. Junmyeon-ssi wanted to speak to you. Now, come on." She grabs Jongin by the arm and drags him back inside.
Baekhyun laughs at the two of them, then turns back around to look at Zitao, only to find him already staring back. God, and it's that stare. The one that makes him feel goosebumps, the one that sends shudders down his spine, the one that makes him feel like the only one in the world, the one that gets his palms sweating and his stomach churning every time. Baekhyun wants to kiss him.
Zitao looks away. "We should probably head back in now," he says, tossing out his cigarette and heading for the door. Baekhyun makes a split decision before he can get away and reaches out for Zitao's collar, tugging him into a corner obscured by shadows where no one could possibly see. He feels the corner of Zitao's lips curling up into a smile against his mouth before pulling back with a nip to his bottom lip.
"Ow," Zitao murmurs, running his tongue over the bite. That's going to hard to hide from the stylists.
"Hey, boyfriend," Baekhyun chuckles, slipping right past him toward the door with a slap to his ass. "I'll see you at home."
a/n: I know almost nothing about the entertainment industry, but I hope this was enjoyable, regardless! Also thank you to S, who I think I would be nothing without, as well as everyone else who listened to me whine about this ♥♥♥