Where The Heart Is
Title: Where the Heart Is
Author: Anonymous until 1/30/14
For: chansoos
Pairing: Baekhyun/Kai
Word Count: 3,692
Summary: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Or: Baekhyun's not so into cakes, but he's really into the guy who helps sell the cakes. K-ARTS/bakery au.
Warnings: None
Rating: PG-13
One
Jongdae slams into the apartment and makes a beeline for Baekhyun before he's even gotten his shoes all the way off. "Come to the bakery with me and eat my cake."
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "That isn't even a good one." Jongdae's sneaker narrowly misses Baekhyun's nose as it flies over the music history textbook in his lap. "Gotta up your innuendo game, man."
"I'm being serious." He flops down on the couch next to him and props his feet on the coffee table. "I've been taking those baking classes, right-"
"Really?" Baekhyun tucks his thumb against his jaw. "Is this because of that weird anime you've been watching?" Apart from his vocal degree, Jongdae went in and out of phases that weirdly correlated with his media consumption. In eighth grade it'd been Naruto cosplay, in high school it'd been preoccupation with any Rachel McAdams movie he could get his hands on, and freshman year he'd gotten it into his head that he wanted to learn Latin dance. It hadn't ended well for his partner, Kim Hyoyeon, or the expensive salsa shoes currently gathering dust in the hall closet.
"Yakitate is great," Jongdae says, shoving his shoulder. "Don't hate. And yes. Maybe. That isn't the point."
"Enlighten me."
"Well, the place is a patisserie in Cheongdam, right along the river. We're supposed to invite a friend to sit in with us and eat our first creation next week." Jongdae puts on his best ingratiating smile. "You'll come with me, right?"
"Ask Chanyeol," Baekhyun says absently, turning to the next page in his textbook. "He's got a sweet tooth."
"He's busy," Jongdae whines. "And I know you like egg tarts more than anything."
"I can get egg tarts anywhere without sitting through two hours of you learning how to bake them."
"We'll be baking together, you ass." Out of the corner of his eye, Baekhyun watches Jongdae worry his lip between his teeth for a minute, trying to think. Then: "Look. Full disclosure: one of the assistant instructors has a really great ass, and I know how much you like those."
Baekhyun perks up a little. Jongdae leans forward in anticipation. "When is it?" he asks finally.
Jongdae whoops and bounces off the couch. "Sunday morning, nine AM sharp."
"Fuck," Baekhyun groans. "That early?"
"Yes, but free breakfast, Baekhyun. Focus on the food. And the hot ass."
Years of living with Chanyeol and Jongdae have conditioned him to ask: "That's it? I don't have to pay or anything?" Baekhyun furrows his brow. "What's the catch?"
Jongdae's smile goes wider. "Just trust me. There isn't one."
÷
The catch is that Jongdae's awful at baking. Even with Baekhyun's help, every egg tart they make turns out lumpy and misshapen. The crust goes ashy in Baekhyun's mouth when he bites down. The custard tastes more like steamed egg than anything. Jongdae keeps doggedly downing them like imminent famine's going to descend over Korea. He glances sideways. Baekhyun's cheekbones hurt from how hard he's trying to smile. The minute Jongdae turns back to the crust batter in his bowl, Baekhyun transfers the mush from his mouth to the paper napkin in his hand.
"How are we doing over here?" The main pastry chef swoops toward their table, hands fluttering. The hat on his head tilts precariously. His nametag says Joonmyun right above the emblazoned CAKE WALK on his apron.
"Great," Baekhyun says faintly.
Joonmyun selects one of their fresh tarts and takes a prim bite. His expression goes wooden. Baekhyun can relate. It takes Joonmyun a full minute to chew and swallow. "Good effort, you two," he wheezes afterward, patting their shoulders. Jongdae beams.
"I love you like a brother," Baekhyun moans as Joonmyun slides to the next table, "but I can't do this anymore."
Jongdae's too busy cramming another egg tart in his mouth. "Hmm?"
"Ugh." Baekhyun drops his half-eaten egg tart and the mushy napkin into the trashcan next to his seat. "Where is the ass you dangled in front of me?" he hisses, changing tacks. "Did you lie? Your integrity's at stake-"
Jongdae snorts. "Of course not. Maybe Jongin's working in the kitchen today, I haven't seen him all morning-oh. There he is. Speak of the devil."
Baekhyun squints in the direction Jongdae's bobbing his head and inhales hard half a second later, breath tangling up in his chest. Chef's assistant Jongin is tall and tan and has a jawline that could cut diamond, probably. Fluffy brown hair falling into his eyes, slow and sleepy. Full lips. And his ass-well. Jongdae wasn't lying. Jongin passes by their table on the way to the front and Baekhyun's eyes follow, trail past the cute apron bow tied across the small of his back, down to the-
Jongdae's elbow digs into Baekhyun's stomach and Baekhyun wheezes, swings back in to sucker punch Jongdae's arm. Jongdae yelps, rubbing at the sore spot, and says, incredibly smug, "Told you."
"He's cute." Baekhyun bites the inside of his cheek and watches Jongin smile at a mother there with her ten-year-old daughter, who giggles as Jongin grabs her wrist and helps her stir her batter. "I'd lend him some sugar." Jongdae clutches his heart and pretends to groan. "D'you know if he's single?"
Jongdae holds his hands up. "I'm not gonna be your wingman, alright? The rest is up to you. Help me pour the batter into the cups."
"You suck at this," Baekhyun says, placing a heavy hand on Jongdae's shoulder. "We suck. So badly."
"I know," Jongdae says serenely. "But if at first you don't succeed-"
"Try, try again!" comes Joonmyun's voice from behind them.
Jongdae jumps a little and turns, a broad, shit-eating grin spreading across his face. "I don't think this is the right consistency, hyung," he says, voice cresting as high as Baekhyun's ever heard his whine go. "Help?" Baekhyun busies himself with the rest of the custard, the corner of his mouth twitching. He should've known Jongdae had ulterior motives of his own.
Jongin swings by their table near the end of class, half an hour before noon. Jongdae's at the communal sink washing out their pots and pans. Baekhyun braces his foot against the edge of his chair and props his chin on his knee, fingers fiddling with his shoelace.
"Hi," Jongin says, leaning casually against the table. "I'm Jongin."
"I know," Baekhyun says. He laughs at Jongin's brief flash of confusion and points at his chest. "It's on your name-tag."
Jongin glances down, face flushing pink. It's possibly the cutest thing Baekhyun's ever seen. "Oh. Right."
"I'm Baekhyun," he says, and jerks his thumb in Jongdae's direction. "Jongdae brought me."
"Did you like the class?"
"It was fun," Baekhyun says, rubbing a thoughtful finger along his lower lip. "We're pretty shitty at this whole baking thing, though." He gathers a couple of stray utensils left on the table and heaps them in a pile.
When he looks up, Jongin's staring at him. "You've, um," he says. "Got a bit of flour on your cheek." He reaches out, a tentative gesture toward Baekhyun's face, fingertips about to brush his skin, and-
"Yo," Jongdae says, crowding into Baekhyun's space. Jongin steps back, eyes wide, and hurries to another table. Fuck. "Joonmyun-hyung gave us some packages for our leftover tarts."
"I don't think we'll be needing them," Baekhyun says drily. Jongdae rolls his eyes and kicks Baekhyun's seat hard enough to jar his knee into his chin. He ducks away laughing as Baekhyun swats at him in annoyance.
They finish cleaning their station up and spend the rest of their time wandering around the patisserie. Baekhyun picks up three sausage breads to take home for lunch and, after a bit of thought, grabs a tiramisu for Chanyeol.
By the time they leave, Jongin's standing at the entrance greeting patrons. He bows when he sees them. Baekhyun tries not to stare at the broad slope of his shoulders for too long. Doesn’t work, though; Jongin's gaze catches his as he straightens again, hands sliding into the pockets of his apron. "I hope you come back next time," he says, mouth pulling up into a smile.
"Next time?" Baekhyun glances sideways at Jongdae, who beams at him.
Jongdae bobs forward on the balls of his feet. "We're graduating to fruit tarts next week."
"Oh," Baekhyun says heavily. "Joy."
÷
Fortunately, he's saved from having to be Jongdae's baking guinea pig again. Hyunwoo enlists him to help set up and be part of the stage crew at another performing arts undergrad's piano recital the following Sunday evening. "K-ARTS cutting corners and gang-pressing their students into manual labor, huh?" he huffs, juggling three music stands as he hobbles up the stairs. "Isn't this like, what, child labor?"
Hyunwoo smacks him in the head with a rolled up score. "You aren't actually five years old, even if you act like it," he grumbles.
Chanyeol ended up going to Cake Walk in Baekhyun's stead. He comes to the recital later with a stomachache and another sausage roll for Baekhyun. "It was a disaster zone," he whispers, hovering backstage in the eaves with Baekhyun during intermission. "That Jongin kid was cute, though."
"Hey," Baekhyun says, sending him a quelling look. "Hands off."
Chanyeol's eyes twinkle. "Don't worry, Baekhyunnie," he says, curling a loose arm around Baekhyun's neck and giving the top of his head an obnoxious ruffle. "I won't encroach on your territory."
"He isn't my territory," he hisses, shoving Chanyeol off. He's about to say more, but the accompanying orchestra's filing on stage again and Baekhyun has a fucking harp to move. "We'll talk about this later."
÷
They don't talk about it later, but Baekhyun finds himself in the area late Wednesday night, stomach rumbling mutinously after four hours of sight-reading with Hyunwoo, and ducks into the bakery for food. He grins when he sees Jongin behind the cash register. He's in a loose black dress shirt behind the apron, fingers tapping at the keys as he rings someone up. Baekhyun slides closer and studiously examines a cute display of 50%-off red velvet cupcakes. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Jongin notice him and freeze in recognition before another customer distracts him.
Baekhyun takes his time choosing. Circles the bakery twice trying to decide what to slide on his tray, ends up with leftover egg and cheese breakfast bbang and more sausage bread. He waits until he's the last person in the place before stepping up to the counter, corner of his mouth rising as Jongin gazes at him.
"Hey," Baekhyun says. "Long time no see."
"We missed you last weekend," Jongin says, and something warm bursts in Baekhyun's chest. "You don't like apple tarts?"
Baekhyun scrunches his nose. "It's more the baking part that I'm not into, you know?" He raises his hands. "Not that I'm trying to shit on your profession. I'm just impatient. Immediate gratification, buy it and eat it."
Jongin laughs, mouth stretching wide. "It's okay. I'm just doing this to get some extra spending money, anyway. Plus, we get to take home extras at the end of the day."
"Oh?" Baekhyun says, leaning over his bread. "This is just a part-time job? Are you in school?" Please don't be in high school, he thinks, a little desperate. Jongin certainly didn't look like he was in high school, but people mistook Kyungsoo for a middle schooler all the time, so it couldn't hurt to be safe.
"Yeah," Jongin says. "I go to K-ARTS."
Baekhyun's shoulders go loose with relief. Then the statement registers. "Wait," he says, blinking. "Me too. I'm an instrumental arts major, third year, what are you-?"
"Second year dance," he says, voice going low with pleasure.
"Ah," Baekhyun says, nodding sagely. "No wonder I've never seen you around." He folds his arms. "You must really know how to move your body," he continues, and starts laughing when Jongin ducks his head.
The bell of the door jingles. Jongin straightens up and grabs Baekhyun's tray. "I'll ring you up. Is there anything from the dessert display you'd like?"
Baekhyun rubs at his lip with a finger, eyes scanning over the cakes. Everything below the glass is brightly colored and looks sweet as hell. "I don't even know what half of these are called. What would you recommend?"
Jongin hums thoughtfully and bends down to examine the showcase. Baekhyun's throat goes dry. "Here," he says, selecting something pink and fluffy and setting it on top of Baekhyun's sausage bread. "This one's my favorite."
"What if I don't like it?" Baekhyun asks.
Jongin takes the card he offers and swipes it down the side, a teasing smile playing at his mouth. "I guess you'll just have to come back and try everything to see what you do like," he says, and hands Baekhyun his paper bag.
÷
Baekhyun wakes up the next morning to Jongdae's loud squawk in the kitchen. He walks out rubbing the gunk from his eyes and gets a finger to the nose for his trouble. "What?" he groans, batting Jongdae's hand away.
"You went back to Cake Walk without me," Jongdae accuses. He waves the bag in his face.
"Bite me," Baekhyun mumbles. He rescues the bbang and tears a package open. "I was on campus, it was close enough, and their sausage bread is amazing."
Jongdae steals an egg-and-cheese bread. He follows Baekhyun back out into the living room and plops down onto the sofa next to him. "So have you gotten his number yet?"
Baekhyun chokes. "I don't even know if he's into dudes, how am I supposed to just ask for his number-"
"That's never stopped you before," Jongdae points out. "And he was watching you like a hawk last time. I'm pretty sure he's into dudes."
"Who's into dudes?" comes Chanyeol's deep voice, scratchier than usual from sleep. A huge mass of blankets erupts from his room and totters toward the bathroom.
"Kid from the bakery," Jongdae says around a mouthful of bread.
The water in the sink goes off. "Right," Chanyeol says. "The one with the ass."
"He's more than just an ass," Baekhyun snaps before he can stop himself. Jongdae sends him an incredulous look. "I mean, he can dance really well." He pauses, frowning. "Okay, I don't actually know if that's true, but he goes to K-ARTS, so he must be good-"
Jongdae squints at him. "How do you know?"
"We had a conversation when I was there yesterday," Baekhyun says, offended. "I can have conversations with people."
"Good for you," Jongdae says, sounding far too pleasantly surprised for Baekhyun's comfort. "Are you turning over a new leaf? Getting to know people before you fuck them?"
"Oh my God," Baekhyun says, kicking at him. Jongdae squirms down toward the other end of the couch. "You make me sound like some sort of monster."
Chanyeol walks out of the bathroom shedding blankets like a cocoon. "When's the last time you seriously pursued anyone for something more than sex?" Baekhyun makes a frustrated noise as he disappears into the kitchen and comes back out with the other egg-and-cheese bread. "No judgment, by the way. It's fine, that's what some people want, but you have to admit this is something of a break in character. Usually you're all about the hit-it-and-quit-it."
"We're concerned for you," Jongdae says. "You're being so cautious." He inches closer and puts his palm to Baekhyun's forehead. "Are you ill? Feeling feverish?"
Baekhyun elbows him away. "I don't need relationship advice from any of you," he says mulishly. "I can do this on my own."
"That's the spirit," Jongdae says, delighted. He catches the only projectile Baekhyun has to chuck at him-his half-finished sausage bread-and takes a huge bite out of it.
"Stop stealing my bread!" Baekhyun roars.
÷
Jongdae doesn't make Baekhyun go to his baking classes again, but post-sight-reading Wednesdays become a thing. It's late enough on a weekday that there are barely ever other people in the shop, and it's a lot more peaceful than the campus coffeehouse would be. After they swap numbers, Jongin texts him things like lemon crumble special today!! pls anticipate~ in the middle of class and has a sample ready for him when he walks through the door. Cake Walk has a sit-down area attached to the main bakery, and Baekhyun spreads his composition homework out on a table while Jongin closes up shop, the rhythmic stacking of chairs and sweep of his broom a comforting backdrop for the arpeggios stampeding through his head.
Sometimes, Jongin puts on dance music through the speakers and Baekhyun watches him sashay across empty bakery with the broom as his partner, and when Baekhyun swallows his throat is so dry it clicks.
÷
"Have you ever thought about composing something for the dance department?" Jongin asks one week in early April, staring at the sheet music laid out in front of Baekhyun with interest.
Baekhyun has dance major friends, but he's never actually been inside their building before. That's mostly Chanyeol's area of expertise. "The stuff I work with," Baekhyun says, scratching his chin, "isn't really dance music."
"What do you mean?"
"The modern stuff is more folky, and my focus is like, baroque. Ballroom dance, not contemporary. My roommate Chanyeol's more into the electronica, house, experimental mathcore. He and my other friend Kyungsoo are the composition majors."
"I studied ballroom dancing one semester," Jongin says thoughtfully. "With Hyoyeon-noona."
Baekhyun laughs. "You know Hyoyeon? Jongdae almost broke her foot freshman year. Can't dance to save his life."
"I bet I could teach him how," Jongin says, grinning, with all the confidence of someone who's never seen Jongdae dance.
Baekhyun shakes his head. "Stronger men and women than you have tried, believe me. It's your funeral." He chews on the end of his pencil and fills another measure in. Then, as Jongin deposits a plate of chocolate mousse on his table: "How are those baking classes going?"
"Oh, they ended a couple of weeks ago," Jongin says, scratching the back of his head. "Jongdae-hyung still stops by sometimes. I think he really likes-"
"Joonmyun-hyung?" Baekhyun finishes. "I only met him once and Jongdae looked like he was about to puke hearts, so. More power to him." He picks up the dessertspoon next to the chocolate mousse and takes a bite.
"How is it?" Jongin asks, the long line of his body parallel to the broom in his hands.
"Not bad," Baekhyun says, licking chocolate off his upper lip. He's not sure if it's all in his head or if Jongin actually follows the tip of his tongue, but he does it again for good measure. Jongin swallows. "I think I liked your cherry thing better, though."
"Cherry soufflé," Jongin sighs. "This cake education thing isn't taking very well, is it? It isn't that hard, hyung, I promise."
"Don't blame yourself," Baekhyun says, grinning. "I just learn better when things are a bit more hands-on."
Jongin's brows bunch together in thought before his face brightens again. "I have an idea."
"What is it?"
Jongin can, apparently, play coy with the best of them. "Come back next week," he says, eyes crinkling, "and you'll find out."
÷
The blindfold is a bit of a surprise. Jongin wraps it around Baekhyun's eyes the minute he steps into the bakery and leads him, unseeing, toward his usual table. Baekhyun lets go of his bag. It thuds to the ground. Jongin arranges him in a chair and shuffles over the opposite side. "So?" Baekhyun says, blinking behind the fabric. "What's this all about?"
Jongin coughs. "We've gone through every dessert on the menu already. It's time for the moment of truth."
"Is this like a final exam or something?" Baekhyun asks. "That's cute."
"Just eat the cake and tell me what it is," Jongin grumbles.
Baekhyun is about to reply, but there's a spoon at his lips. He opens his mouth and tastes something with chocolate, spongy layers-"Boston cream pie?"
"Hey, good job. I'm impressed."
"Don't sound so surprised," Baekhyun says. "Next." He gets through the fruit mousses without a hitch, smooth and strong-flavored, but the moist layered cakes are confusing. Jongin seems determined to get through all of them. "I think I might go into shock from all the sugar," he says, after something cloying and coconut-flavored. He makes a face, the blindfold tickling the bridge of his nose. "I don't even like cakes that much. Give me sausage bread and I'll be set for the rest of my life."
"Next one's the last one," Jongin says. His voice sounds higher than usual, a little breathy. Baekhyun isn't quite sure why until the thing that meets his lips next isn't a spoon at all but the gentle press of someone else's mouth.
Baekhyun freezes. Oh, he thinks, heart leaping to his throat. The other side of the table is suspiciously quiet. Baekhyun exhales slowly, leaning forward, and decides to play along. "Hm. I don't think I caught that. Could you let me taste it again-?"
A hand brushes down the line of Baekhyun's jaw. Jongin kisses him again and Baekhyun takes the opportunity to slip his tongue in Jongin's mouth, sugary sweet, and swipe at the roof, head tilting to accommodate.
There's a loud smack when Jongin retreats. Baekhyun's got that tight feeling in his chest again. Like the first time he saw Jongin, except he can't see a thing now and the air in his lungs feels beaten out of him when he breathes out. He wipes his mouth on his sleeve. "One more time," he says, over the vacant buzzing in his ears.
Jongin snorts quietly but obliges him. Baekhyun reaches up to pull his blindfold off. Jongin's eyes are half-lidded, his face flushed, and he nearly knocks the leftover cake off the table when he loses his balance.
Jongin sends him a wounded look when Baekhyun sits back and cackles. "I thought dancers were supposed to be graceful," he says. Jongin comes around the table just to shove him, but Baekhyun only yanks him down once more, stomach heavy with warmth, hands coming up to grab the back of Jongin's neck.
When they pull apart again, Baekhyun's panting, Jongin tucked snug between his legs, bent over his face like a willow tree. He beams down like Baekhyun's the best thing he's ever seen. Baekhyun wants to tuck his thumbs in Jongin's dimples, which is possibly the grossest, most saccharine thing that's ever crossed his mind. He blames it on the cake.
"I'm not very good at this dating thing," Baekhyun confesses, scratching his head. "But, you know. I'm great at sex, so. If you want to give it a try. We could."
"I'm not very good at it either," Jongin says, going even pinker, "but I'd like that." He cradles Baekhyun's face in his hands and leans down to give him another kiss, soft and sugary.
One
Author: Anonymous until 1/30/14
For: chansoos
Pairing: Baekhyun/Kai
Word Count: 3,692
Summary: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Or: Baekhyun's not so into cakes, but he's really into the guy who helps sell the cakes. K-ARTS/bakery au.
Warnings: None
Rating: PG-13
One
Jongdae slams into the apartment and makes a beeline for Baekhyun before he's even gotten his shoes all the way off. "Come to the bakery with me and eat my cake."
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "That isn't even a good one." Jongdae's sneaker narrowly misses Baekhyun's nose as it flies over the music history textbook in his lap. "Gotta up your innuendo game, man."
"I'm being serious." He flops down on the couch next to him and props his feet on the coffee table. "I've been taking those baking classes, right-"
"Really?" Baekhyun tucks his thumb against his jaw. "Is this because of that weird anime you've been watching?" Apart from his vocal degree, Jongdae went in and out of phases that weirdly correlated with his media consumption. In eighth grade it'd been Naruto cosplay, in high school it'd been preoccupation with any Rachel McAdams movie he could get his hands on, and freshman year he'd gotten it into his head that he wanted to learn Latin dance. It hadn't ended well for his partner, Kim Hyoyeon, or the expensive salsa shoes currently gathering dust in the hall closet.
"Yakitate is great," Jongdae says, shoving his shoulder. "Don't hate. And yes. Maybe. That isn't the point."
"Enlighten me."
"Well, the place is a patisserie in Cheongdam, right along the river. We're supposed to invite a friend to sit in with us and eat our first creation next week." Jongdae puts on his best ingratiating smile. "You'll come with me, right?"
"Ask Chanyeol," Baekhyun says absently, turning to the next page in his textbook. "He's got a sweet tooth."
"He's busy," Jongdae whines. "And I know you like egg tarts more than anything."
"I can get egg tarts anywhere without sitting through two hours of you learning how to bake them."
"We'll be baking together, you ass." Out of the corner of his eye, Baekhyun watches Jongdae worry his lip between his teeth for a minute, trying to think. Then: "Look. Full disclosure: one of the assistant instructors has a really great ass, and I know how much you like those."
Baekhyun perks up a little. Jongdae leans forward in anticipation. "When is it?" he asks finally.
Jongdae whoops and bounces off the couch. "Sunday morning, nine AM sharp."
"Fuck," Baekhyun groans. "That early?"
"Yes, but free breakfast, Baekhyun. Focus on the food. And the hot ass."
Years of living with Chanyeol and Jongdae have conditioned him to ask: "That's it? I don't have to pay or anything?" Baekhyun furrows his brow. "What's the catch?"
Jongdae's smile goes wider. "Just trust me. There isn't one."
÷
The catch is that Jongdae's awful at baking. Even with Baekhyun's help, every egg tart they make turns out lumpy and misshapen. The crust goes ashy in Baekhyun's mouth when he bites down. The custard tastes more like steamed egg than anything. Jongdae keeps doggedly downing them like imminent famine's going to descend over Korea. He glances sideways. Baekhyun's cheekbones hurt from how hard he's trying to smile. The minute Jongdae turns back to the crust batter in his bowl, Baekhyun transfers the mush from his mouth to the paper napkin in his hand.
"How are we doing over here?" The main pastry chef swoops toward their table, hands fluttering. The hat on his head tilts precariously. His nametag says Joonmyun right above the emblazoned CAKE WALK on his apron.
"Great," Baekhyun says faintly.
Joonmyun selects one of their fresh tarts and takes a prim bite. His expression goes wooden. Baekhyun can relate. It takes Joonmyun a full minute to chew and swallow. "Good effort, you two," he wheezes afterward, patting their shoulders. Jongdae beams.
"I love you like a brother," Baekhyun moans as Joonmyun slides to the next table, "but I can't do this anymore."
Jongdae's too busy cramming another egg tart in his mouth. "Hmm?"
"Ugh." Baekhyun drops his half-eaten egg tart and the mushy napkin into the trashcan next to his seat. "Where is the ass you dangled in front of me?" he hisses, changing tacks. "Did you lie? Your integrity's at stake-"
Jongdae snorts. "Of course not. Maybe Jongin's working in the kitchen today, I haven't seen him all morning-oh. There he is. Speak of the devil."
Baekhyun squints in the direction Jongdae's bobbing his head and inhales hard half a second later, breath tangling up in his chest. Chef's assistant Jongin is tall and tan and has a jawline that could cut diamond, probably. Fluffy brown hair falling into his eyes, slow and sleepy. Full lips. And his ass-well. Jongdae wasn't lying. Jongin passes by their table on the way to the front and Baekhyun's eyes follow, trail past the cute apron bow tied across the small of his back, down to the-
Jongdae's elbow digs into Baekhyun's stomach and Baekhyun wheezes, swings back in to sucker punch Jongdae's arm. Jongdae yelps, rubbing at the sore spot, and says, incredibly smug, "Told you."
"He's cute." Baekhyun bites the inside of his cheek and watches Jongin smile at a mother there with her ten-year-old daughter, who giggles as Jongin grabs her wrist and helps her stir her batter. "I'd lend him some sugar." Jongdae clutches his heart and pretends to groan. "D'you know if he's single?"
Jongdae holds his hands up. "I'm not gonna be your wingman, alright? The rest is up to you. Help me pour the batter into the cups."
"You suck at this," Baekhyun says, placing a heavy hand on Jongdae's shoulder. "We suck. So badly."
"I know," Jongdae says serenely. "But if at first you don't succeed-"
"Try, try again!" comes Joonmyun's voice from behind them.
Jongdae jumps a little and turns, a broad, shit-eating grin spreading across his face. "I don't think this is the right consistency, hyung," he says, voice cresting as high as Baekhyun's ever heard his whine go. "Help?" Baekhyun busies himself with the rest of the custard, the corner of his mouth twitching. He should've known Jongdae had ulterior motives of his own.
Jongin swings by their table near the end of class, half an hour before noon. Jongdae's at the communal sink washing out their pots and pans. Baekhyun braces his foot against the edge of his chair and props his chin on his knee, fingers fiddling with his shoelace.
"Hi," Jongin says, leaning casually against the table. "I'm Jongin."
"I know," Baekhyun says. He laughs at Jongin's brief flash of confusion and points at his chest. "It's on your name-tag."
Jongin glances down, face flushing pink. It's possibly the cutest thing Baekhyun's ever seen. "Oh. Right."
"I'm Baekhyun," he says, and jerks his thumb in Jongdae's direction. "Jongdae brought me."
"Did you like the class?"
"It was fun," Baekhyun says, rubbing a thoughtful finger along his lower lip. "We're pretty shitty at this whole baking thing, though." He gathers a couple of stray utensils left on the table and heaps them in a pile.
When he looks up, Jongin's staring at him. "You've, um," he says. "Got a bit of flour on your cheek." He reaches out, a tentative gesture toward Baekhyun's face, fingertips about to brush his skin, and-
"Yo," Jongdae says, crowding into Baekhyun's space. Jongin steps back, eyes wide, and hurries to another table. Fuck. "Joonmyun-hyung gave us some packages for our leftover tarts."
"I don't think we'll be needing them," Baekhyun says drily. Jongdae rolls his eyes and kicks Baekhyun's seat hard enough to jar his knee into his chin. He ducks away laughing as Baekhyun swats at him in annoyance.
They finish cleaning their station up and spend the rest of their time wandering around the patisserie. Baekhyun picks up three sausage breads to take home for lunch and, after a bit of thought, grabs a tiramisu for Chanyeol.
By the time they leave, Jongin's standing at the entrance greeting patrons. He bows when he sees them. Baekhyun tries not to stare at the broad slope of his shoulders for too long. Doesn’t work, though; Jongin's gaze catches his as he straightens again, hands sliding into the pockets of his apron. "I hope you come back next time," he says, mouth pulling up into a smile.
"Next time?" Baekhyun glances sideways at Jongdae, who beams at him.
Jongdae bobs forward on the balls of his feet. "We're graduating to fruit tarts next week."
"Oh," Baekhyun says heavily. "Joy."
÷
Fortunately, he's saved from having to be Jongdae's baking guinea pig again. Hyunwoo enlists him to help set up and be part of the stage crew at another performing arts undergrad's piano recital the following Sunday evening. "K-ARTS cutting corners and gang-pressing their students into manual labor, huh?" he huffs, juggling three music stands as he hobbles up the stairs. "Isn't this like, what, child labor?"
Hyunwoo smacks him in the head with a rolled up score. "You aren't actually five years old, even if you act like it," he grumbles.
Chanyeol ended up going to Cake Walk in Baekhyun's stead. He comes to the recital later with a stomachache and another sausage roll for Baekhyun. "It was a disaster zone," he whispers, hovering backstage in the eaves with Baekhyun during intermission. "That Jongin kid was cute, though."
"Hey," Baekhyun says, sending him a quelling look. "Hands off."
Chanyeol's eyes twinkle. "Don't worry, Baekhyunnie," he says, curling a loose arm around Baekhyun's neck and giving the top of his head an obnoxious ruffle. "I won't encroach on your territory."
"He isn't my territory," he hisses, shoving Chanyeol off. He's about to say more, but the accompanying orchestra's filing on stage again and Baekhyun has a fucking harp to move. "We'll talk about this later."
÷
They don't talk about it later, but Baekhyun finds himself in the area late Wednesday night, stomach rumbling mutinously after four hours of sight-reading with Hyunwoo, and ducks into the bakery for food. He grins when he sees Jongin behind the cash register. He's in a loose black dress shirt behind the apron, fingers tapping at the keys as he rings someone up. Baekhyun slides closer and studiously examines a cute display of 50%-off red velvet cupcakes. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Jongin notice him and freeze in recognition before another customer distracts him.
Baekhyun takes his time choosing. Circles the bakery twice trying to decide what to slide on his tray, ends up with leftover egg and cheese breakfast bbang and more sausage bread. He waits until he's the last person in the place before stepping up to the counter, corner of his mouth rising as Jongin gazes at him.
"Hey," Baekhyun says. "Long time no see."
"We missed you last weekend," Jongin says, and something warm bursts in Baekhyun's chest. "You don't like apple tarts?"
Baekhyun scrunches his nose. "It's more the baking part that I'm not into, you know?" He raises his hands. "Not that I'm trying to shit on your profession. I'm just impatient. Immediate gratification, buy it and eat it."
Jongin laughs, mouth stretching wide. "It's okay. I'm just doing this to get some extra spending money, anyway. Plus, we get to take home extras at the end of the day."
"Oh?" Baekhyun says, leaning over his bread. "This is just a part-time job? Are you in school?" Please don't be in high school, he thinks, a little desperate. Jongin certainly didn't look like he was in high school, but people mistook Kyungsoo for a middle schooler all the time, so it couldn't hurt to be safe.
"Yeah," Jongin says. "I go to K-ARTS."
Baekhyun's shoulders go loose with relief. Then the statement registers. "Wait," he says, blinking. "Me too. I'm an instrumental arts major, third year, what are you-?"
"Second year dance," he says, voice going low with pleasure.
"Ah," Baekhyun says, nodding sagely. "No wonder I've never seen you around." He folds his arms. "You must really know how to move your body," he continues, and starts laughing when Jongin ducks his head.
The bell of the door jingles. Jongin straightens up and grabs Baekhyun's tray. "I'll ring you up. Is there anything from the dessert display you'd like?"
Baekhyun rubs at his lip with a finger, eyes scanning over the cakes. Everything below the glass is brightly colored and looks sweet as hell. "I don't even know what half of these are called. What would you recommend?"
Jongin hums thoughtfully and bends down to examine the showcase. Baekhyun's throat goes dry. "Here," he says, selecting something pink and fluffy and setting it on top of Baekhyun's sausage bread. "This one's my favorite."
"What if I don't like it?" Baekhyun asks.
Jongin takes the card he offers and swipes it down the side, a teasing smile playing at his mouth. "I guess you'll just have to come back and try everything to see what you do like," he says, and hands Baekhyun his paper bag.
÷
Baekhyun wakes up the next morning to Jongdae's loud squawk in the kitchen. He walks out rubbing the gunk from his eyes and gets a finger to the nose for his trouble. "What?" he groans, batting Jongdae's hand away.
"You went back to Cake Walk without me," Jongdae accuses. He waves the bag in his face.
"Bite me," Baekhyun mumbles. He rescues the bbang and tears a package open. "I was on campus, it was close enough, and their sausage bread is amazing."
Jongdae steals an egg-and-cheese bread. He follows Baekhyun back out into the living room and plops down onto the sofa next to him. "So have you gotten his number yet?"
Baekhyun chokes. "I don't even know if he's into dudes, how am I supposed to just ask for his number-"
"That's never stopped you before," Jongdae points out. "And he was watching you like a hawk last time. I'm pretty sure he's into dudes."
"Who's into dudes?" comes Chanyeol's deep voice, scratchier than usual from sleep. A huge mass of blankets erupts from his room and totters toward the bathroom.
"Kid from the bakery," Jongdae says around a mouthful of bread.
The water in the sink goes off. "Right," Chanyeol says. "The one with the ass."
"He's more than just an ass," Baekhyun snaps before he can stop himself. Jongdae sends him an incredulous look. "I mean, he can dance really well." He pauses, frowning. "Okay, I don't actually know if that's true, but he goes to K-ARTS, so he must be good-"
Jongdae squints at him. "How do you know?"
"We had a conversation when I was there yesterday," Baekhyun says, offended. "I can have conversations with people."
"Good for you," Jongdae says, sounding far too pleasantly surprised for Baekhyun's comfort. "Are you turning over a new leaf? Getting to know people before you fuck them?"
"Oh my God," Baekhyun says, kicking at him. Jongdae squirms down toward the other end of the couch. "You make me sound like some sort of monster."
Chanyeol walks out of the bathroom shedding blankets like a cocoon. "When's the last time you seriously pursued anyone for something more than sex?" Baekhyun makes a frustrated noise as he disappears into the kitchen and comes back out with the other egg-and-cheese bread. "No judgment, by the way. It's fine, that's what some people want, but you have to admit this is something of a break in character. Usually you're all about the hit-it-and-quit-it."
"We're concerned for you," Jongdae says. "You're being so cautious." He inches closer and puts his palm to Baekhyun's forehead. "Are you ill? Feeling feverish?"
Baekhyun elbows him away. "I don't need relationship advice from any of you," he says mulishly. "I can do this on my own."
"That's the spirit," Jongdae says, delighted. He catches the only projectile Baekhyun has to chuck at him-his half-finished sausage bread-and takes a huge bite out of it.
"Stop stealing my bread!" Baekhyun roars.
÷
Jongdae doesn't make Baekhyun go to his baking classes again, but post-sight-reading Wednesdays become a thing. It's late enough on a weekday that there are barely ever other people in the shop, and it's a lot more peaceful than the campus coffeehouse would be. After they swap numbers, Jongin texts him things like lemon crumble special today!! pls anticipate~ in the middle of class and has a sample ready for him when he walks through the door. Cake Walk has a sit-down area attached to the main bakery, and Baekhyun spreads his composition homework out on a table while Jongin closes up shop, the rhythmic stacking of chairs and sweep of his broom a comforting backdrop for the arpeggios stampeding through his head.
Sometimes, Jongin puts on dance music through the speakers and Baekhyun watches him sashay across empty bakery with the broom as his partner, and when Baekhyun swallows his throat is so dry it clicks.
÷
"Have you ever thought about composing something for the dance department?" Jongin asks one week in early April, staring at the sheet music laid out in front of Baekhyun with interest.
Baekhyun has dance major friends, but he's never actually been inside their building before. That's mostly Chanyeol's area of expertise. "The stuff I work with," Baekhyun says, scratching his chin, "isn't really dance music."
"What do you mean?"
"The modern stuff is more folky, and my focus is like, baroque. Ballroom dance, not contemporary. My roommate Chanyeol's more into the electronica, house, experimental mathcore. He and my other friend Kyungsoo are the composition majors."
"I studied ballroom dancing one semester," Jongin says thoughtfully. "With Hyoyeon-noona."
Baekhyun laughs. "You know Hyoyeon? Jongdae almost broke her foot freshman year. Can't dance to save his life."
"I bet I could teach him how," Jongin says, grinning, with all the confidence of someone who's never seen Jongdae dance.
Baekhyun shakes his head. "Stronger men and women than you have tried, believe me. It's your funeral." He chews on the end of his pencil and fills another measure in. Then, as Jongin deposits a plate of chocolate mousse on his table: "How are those baking classes going?"
"Oh, they ended a couple of weeks ago," Jongin says, scratching the back of his head. "Jongdae-hyung still stops by sometimes. I think he really likes-"
"Joonmyun-hyung?" Baekhyun finishes. "I only met him once and Jongdae looked like he was about to puke hearts, so. More power to him." He picks up the dessertspoon next to the chocolate mousse and takes a bite.
"How is it?" Jongin asks, the long line of his body parallel to the broom in his hands.
"Not bad," Baekhyun says, licking chocolate off his upper lip. He's not sure if it's all in his head or if Jongin actually follows the tip of his tongue, but he does it again for good measure. Jongin swallows. "I think I liked your cherry thing better, though."
"Cherry soufflé," Jongin sighs. "This cake education thing isn't taking very well, is it? It isn't that hard, hyung, I promise."
"Don't blame yourself," Baekhyun says, grinning. "I just learn better when things are a bit more hands-on."
Jongin's brows bunch together in thought before his face brightens again. "I have an idea."
"What is it?"
Jongin can, apparently, play coy with the best of them. "Come back next week," he says, eyes crinkling, "and you'll find out."
÷
The blindfold is a bit of a surprise. Jongin wraps it around Baekhyun's eyes the minute he steps into the bakery and leads him, unseeing, toward his usual table. Baekhyun lets go of his bag. It thuds to the ground. Jongin arranges him in a chair and shuffles over the opposite side. "So?" Baekhyun says, blinking behind the fabric. "What's this all about?"
Jongin coughs. "We've gone through every dessert on the menu already. It's time for the moment of truth."
"Is this like a final exam or something?" Baekhyun asks. "That's cute."
"Just eat the cake and tell me what it is," Jongin grumbles.
Baekhyun is about to reply, but there's a spoon at his lips. He opens his mouth and tastes something with chocolate, spongy layers-"Boston cream pie?"
"Hey, good job. I'm impressed."
"Don't sound so surprised," Baekhyun says. "Next." He gets through the fruit mousses without a hitch, smooth and strong-flavored, but the moist layered cakes are confusing. Jongin seems determined to get through all of them. "I think I might go into shock from all the sugar," he says, after something cloying and coconut-flavored. He makes a face, the blindfold tickling the bridge of his nose. "I don't even like cakes that much. Give me sausage bread and I'll be set for the rest of my life."
"Next one's the last one," Jongin says. His voice sounds higher than usual, a little breathy. Baekhyun isn't quite sure why until the thing that meets his lips next isn't a spoon at all but the gentle press of someone else's mouth.
Baekhyun freezes. Oh, he thinks, heart leaping to his throat. The other side of the table is suspiciously quiet. Baekhyun exhales slowly, leaning forward, and decides to play along. "Hm. I don't think I caught that. Could you let me taste it again-?"
A hand brushes down the line of Baekhyun's jaw. Jongin kisses him again and Baekhyun takes the opportunity to slip his tongue in Jongin's mouth, sugary sweet, and swipe at the roof, head tilting to accommodate.
There's a loud smack when Jongin retreats. Baekhyun's got that tight feeling in his chest again. Like the first time he saw Jongin, except he can't see a thing now and the air in his lungs feels beaten out of him when he breathes out. He wipes his mouth on his sleeve. "One more time," he says, over the vacant buzzing in his ears.
Jongin snorts quietly but obliges him. Baekhyun reaches up to pull his blindfold off. Jongin's eyes are half-lidded, his face flushed, and he nearly knocks the leftover cake off the table when he loses his balance.
Jongin sends him a wounded look when Baekhyun sits back and cackles. "I thought dancers were supposed to be graceful," he says. Jongin comes around the table just to shove him, but Baekhyun only yanks him down once more, stomach heavy with warmth, hands coming up to grab the back of Jongin's neck.
When they pull apart again, Baekhyun's panting, Jongin tucked snug between his legs, bent over his face like a willow tree. He beams down like Baekhyun's the best thing he's ever seen. Baekhyun wants to tuck his thumbs in Jongin's dimples, which is possibly the grossest, most saccharine thing that's ever crossed his mind. He blames it on the cake.
"I'm not very good at this dating thing," Baekhyun confesses, scratching his head. "But, you know. I'm great at sex, so. If you want to give it a try. We could."
"I'm not very good at it either," Jongin says, going even pinker, "but I'd like that." He cradles Baekhyun's face in his hands and leans down to give him another kiss, soft and sugary.
One