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Byun Baekhyun was losing his mind.
Losing his mind over a certain 6-foot giant with big ears and an infuriatingly adorable smile, who worked wonders with his hands. No not in that way – he made the most amazing cakes and pastries, which Baekhyun often indulged in (definitely not just so he could stare at the other man from a reasonable distance).
He just couldn’t understand how someone with hands that big could be delicate enough to frost and decorate the way they did.
So it wasn’t unusual that on his lunch break, he was sat on his normal table, next to a window, far enough away from the counter that he didn’t look like a total stalker. Sehun rolled his eyes dramatically and glanced over the menu, pointedly ignoring how Baekhyun was definitely paying more attention to the person behind the display rather than what was in the display.
“I suggest you close your mouth before you drool all over yourself, Hyung” Baekhyun shot Sehun a dirty look but tore his attention away to study the menu; what was he going to have today?
He had sampled almost all of the regular menu in ‘The Bread Basket’ over the last few months after he had first started coming here, having found the place by chance one lunch break when we was running short on time and had to find somewhere close to his office.
Unlike the routine-obsessed lawyer Baekhyun was, Park Chanyeol was a free spirit; talented and creative in what he did, his passion for his food was clear and every cake was baked with such care and attention it was worth every penny.
‘The Break Basket’ wasn’t exactly the cheapest bakery in the area, but the quality was undeniable and while the food was what brought Baekhyun in, it was the man behind the creations that kept him coming back. Even if they had only spoken maybe a few sentences in the times he had visited, he was sure that by now Chanyeol must have noticed his (at least) bi-weekly visits, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends or co-workers that were free.
The place was quaint, with only 6 tables, each seating 4 in the front; the display and counter, with coffee machines galore behind the counter, taking up most of the room in the shop.
The walls were a pastel blue, the tables covered in mint and silver tablecloths, giving off a soft and feminine feel to the shop – everything that Park Chanyeol was not.
If his height wasn’t intimidating enough (especially when compared to Baekhyun’s 5”7 stature), his deep voice only added to his appeal, flowing through his ears like a fine honey. His eyes were big and dark, like chocolate, and oh-so expressive meaning it was easy to tell when he was having a hard day, or how happy he was when someone said something he found particularly funny.
Damn. Baekhyun was whipped and he barely even knew the man.
It was only when he heard Sehun ordering a salad– who even orders a salad at a bakery – and a slice of their apple turnover that he was drawn from thoughts, but luckily he had decided what he wanted before his mind had wandered.
The waitress smiled at him, welcoming him back and asked what he wanted to order this time. Sehun just raised a judgmental eyebrow and shook his head. “Uh, I’ll have the vegetarian panini please and then…” he glanced towards the display with the intention of actually looking at what specials they had on today, when Chanyeol just happened to look up at the same time. The tall man smiled at him before ducking his head and carrying on frosting the cake in front of him. Baekhyun coughed awkwardly when he realised the other two people in the conversation were staring at him expectantly “And uh, the raspberry tart please”
The waitress tried to hide her smile, which made Baekhyun flush in embarrassment and study the table as she asked if they wanted anything to drink, to which Sehun ordered a pot of green tea and Baekhyun just nodded along, trying not to make a fool out of himself anymore than he already had.
Once the girl had wandered off to get their order ready, Sehun looked as him accusingly. “You don’t even like green tea” Baekhyun grunted in acknowledgement but said nothing further on the matter.
“So when are you going to ask him out?” Baekhyun blanched at the question, waving his hands in Sehun’s face to try and get him to shut up.
“Could you say that any louder?” He hissed at his across the table and kicked Sehun’s shin when the other opened his mouth, clearly about to do exactly that. “God Sehun, he doesn’t even know I exist, so no I am not going to ask him out any time soon” The blonde huffed and rubbed at his leg with a pout, glancing over in the direction of the tall man.
“I’m pretty sure he knows who you are Baekhyun, you practically live here; he would have to be blind to not notice you here all the time” This time it was Baekhyun who huffed, not even bothering to pick on the fact Sehun dropped the ‘Hyung’.
“Whatever” He muttered, watching as the waitress carried over a tray with their food on it. His mood lightened instantly at the smell of the delicious food and just the thought of the cheesy goodness of the panini was enough to make his forget about how irritating Sehun could be (and why he had even bothered to invite the man out).
“At least we can agree that the food here is delicious, even if you’d much rather be eating something else- “ The waitress muffled her giggle and scuttled away as Baekhyun stared at Sehun like he had grown another head.
“Fucking – Sehun!” He gripped his fork tightly in his fist, sharp end pointing dangerously towards Sehun, who held his hands up in an attempt at peace, a sly grin on his face.
Angrily, he bit into his panini, cursing when the hot cheese burnt the end of his tongue, wafting at his mouth in a vain attempt to cool it down. Sehun sniggered at him, muttering something about karma as he took a bite of his salad, stirring his mug of green tea with his other hand.
Once the food had cooled enough for his liking, he tucked in, letting his eyes shut in pleasure at the taste. He wasn’t even sure what made the food here so good, but it was perfect in his eyes – he had no complaints at all.
Within minutes, he had finished the panini and suffered a few gulps of his green tea, grimacing at the taste, before his mouth watered at the thought of the raspberry tart.
Knowing that it would have been made fresh that morning just made the taste all that fresher, and as the pastry melted away in his mouth, mixing with the taste of the crème pat and raspberry. “Could you at least try to look like you’re not about to jizz your pants” Sehun looked at him, with a mildly disgusted look on his face as he took a bite of his own sweet treat.
“Could you shut the fuck up” Baekhyun threw a napkin at Sehun, who caught it before it got anywhere near him and tossed it onto his empty salad plate, looking not-in-the-least-bit bothered.
Glancing at his watch, Baekhyun cursed and finished his drink quickly, waving the waitress over. “I lost track of the time, I have to be back at work in 15 minutes, so can we have the bill please?” The waitress paused and nodded, before checking something written on their receipt.
“Oh, it seems its already been paid for” Sehun looked just as confused as Baekhyun so it definitely wasn’t his friend treating him for once.
“But who…?” Baekhyun frowned, more confused than anything else, maybe there had been a mistake and another table had paid for his instead of their own. “It must be a mistake”
“No, it’s no mistake, Mr. Park has paid for it himself, see it says right here” She showed him their receipt and sure enough, at the bottom, in a messy scrawl it read ‘On the house PCY’. He blinked a few times, just staring at the innocent little sentence, before turning to look in the direction of the counter, but Chanyeol was nowhere to be seen.
“Well… tell Mr. Park thank you very much” Sehun looked smugger than he had probably ever looked in his life as he stood, leaving a tip on the table for the waitress as she cleared up their lunch, following a stunned Baekhyun out of the door.
“Doesn’t know who you are, my arse” Baekhyun smacked Sehun on the arm and told him he’d chat to him later, heading in the direction of his office.
For once, maybe Sehun was right, maybe Chanyeol had actually noticed him coming this whole time. Well shit.
~~
The next time Baekhyun had a chance to go to the bakery was three days later, on his Friday lunch break – but unfortunately he only had enough time to get the food to go, since he needed to be at a client site for a meeting much earlier than his normal lunch break would allow.
This of course meant he wouldn’t have a waitress as a buffer between him and his love-at-first-sight, as he normally did when sat a safe distance away. Nor would he have a companion to pretend he was listening to, as a cover.
So when he pushed open the door to ‘The Bread Basket’ one of the newer waitresses bowed to him and asked if would like to be seated, to which he politely shook his head and wandered over to the till by the counter with as much confidence as he could muster, glancing over the specials (the double chocolate brownie was looking particularly tempting).
“Oh, welcome!” There he was, stood in front of him with a small smile on his face as he looked down at his customer. Park Chanyeol was even taller this close up and Baekhyun had to crane his neck up to make proper eye contact with him. He stuttered a hello back and tried not to pay too much attention to how that smile grew at his awkwardness. “What can I get you?”
He had to actively stop his brain from blurting out something stupid like ‘whatever you’re offering’ before he did something horribly embarrassing.
Staring blankly at the other man, Baekhyun realised he hadn’t even really thought about what savoury thing he wanted for the day. Chanyeol chuckled and leaned onto the counter, bringing them dangerously close to the point where Baekhyun could smell the expensive aftershave that he was wearing and it made his head spin.
“Can’t decide?” Baek just nodded dumbly at him, trying not to stare at just how handsome Chanyeol really was. “Well we made some sausage rolls fresh not long ago, so they should still be hot, if you don’t fancy a sandwich…” He trailed off clearly looking for some sort of response from the other man, who could do nothing other than nod again.
Byun Baekhyun was normally a confident and chatty person, but when the biggest crush he’s ever had just offered him his sausage (even if it wasn’t in the sense he wanted) he was rendered basically speechless.
Moving to get the order, he noticed Chanyeol bagging up one of the brownies he had been ogling on his way in. “How did you…” He stopped when Chanyeol just shot him a knowing look, offering him a drink, to which he went with water.
Nice and simple.
When Chanyeol told him the price, Baekhyun frowned, hand pausing in his wallet as he did the mental math. “But you didn’t charge me for the brownie”
The other man just shrugged casually, looking away briefly in what Baekhyun thought was almost shyness. “Well you technically never ordered it, so it’s my treat” That was the second time he’d paid for at least part of Baekhyun’s order and it did funny things to his insides knowing that the other man clearly thought well of him enough to give him free stuff.
“Thank you… for the last time too, since I never had a chance to thank you properly” This time it was Chanyeol’s turn to look embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous laugh.
“Well, you are my best customer, so it’s nothing really compared to how much you put into the business” They both chuckled, but there was a lot left unsaid between them about the fact Chanyeol had clearly noticed his frequent visits.
When he finally handed over the money the other had asked for, he didn’t look him in the eye as their hands brushed over the change and he pocketed the wallet and picked up the bag of food. They bid each other goodbye but he noticed the way Chanyeol said ‘See you next time’ as if the man knew that Baekhyun couldn’t stay away even if he tried.
And well, he wasn’t wrong.
(For the record, the sausage was delicious).
~~
Due to scheduling issues and being exceptionally busy with a nasty case, he hadn’t made it back to the bakery for a whole week and it was the following weekend when he managed to convince his friends to go on a sunny Saturday instead of hanging out in one of their apartments drinking beer as Jongdae had suggested.
When the four of them (with Jongdae came Minseok, and of course whenever the situation involved Baekhyun’s suffering, there was Sehun) walking into the bakery it was busier than normal and they had to wait to be seated.
Chanyeol smiled and waved when he saw who was standing in the entrance, gaining a snigger from Sehun when Baekhyun shyly waved back.
Luckily, a family were on their way out and after a quick clean, their table of 4 was ready – but instead of it being his normal table tucked away by the window, it just happened to be the table closest to where Chanyeol would be, meaning that any inappropriate comments from Sehun would most likely not go unnoticed.
Minseok had never been before and made ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as they passed the glass displays, almost pressing himself against it in excitement. Once they were seated, with Baekhyun being forced to sit on the side that directly faced the counter (courtesy of Oh Sehun), their usual chatter continued as the newly introduced people scoured the menu.
“Ooh, they do carrot cake!” Minseok nudged Jongdae excitedly, dragging the younger man’s attention to where he was pointing. Baekhyun always thought it was amusing that Minseok was the oldest amongst his group of friends, even though his face and attitude would often suggest otherwise – but he was the big brother figure that Baekhyun needed when in a crisis and that was more than appreciated.
He glanced to his other friend, Kim Jongdae, who was staring at Minseok like he was the most precious thing he’d ever seen. Their relationship was still relatively new, having been friends for years beforehand until Jongdae plucked up the courage and asked his elder out on a few dates. But they were cute together and entirely in love and while Sehun thought they were sappy, Baekhyun could appreciate having a significant other that he cared for.
Speaking of his (not really) significant other, he shot a tentative glance over to where Chanyeol could be seen through the little door at the back of the shop that led into the on-site bakery.
Paying particular attention to the way his large hands kneaded whatever dough he was working on, Baekhyun let himself stare for a few second before Sehun smacked him on the arm to get his attention.
“Oi lover boy, I hope you’re ready to order this time, don’t want a repeat of last week do we” The other two at the table shot them a curious look but Baekhyun pointedly ignored them all and returned his attention to the menu. While he had criticised Sehun internally for ordering a salad last time they were here, he wanted to stay at least a little bit in shape and so he decided to follow suit.
It was the same young waitress that had asked to seat him on his last visit that came to take their order, a young man manning the till since Chanyeol seemed to be busy in the back.
Minseok and Jongdae both ordered the pepperoni pizza paninis, followed by a slice of carrot cake for Minseok and a chocolate muffin for Jongdae. Sehun actually ordered a BLT, claiming today was his cheat day and some carbs weren’t going to hurt – though he didn’t order a dessert.
The girl smiled at him when it was his turn, pen in hand as she waited for his order. “I’ll have the Caesar salad please, and then the lemon meringue pie and just some apple juice for me please” Nodding, she wrote down his order on the notebook and wandered off towards the till to ring it up and get everything ready.
“I can’t believe I’ve never even seen this place before” Minseok looked around, mouth slightly open as he took in the busy little bakery. “Yah, Baekhyunnie, how come you bring Sehun and not me so often?”
The younger laughed and shrugged, shooting Sehun a glance, who was entranced on his phone, tapping away with a slight smile on his face. “You’re always so busy running your gym and you’re normally a health nut - even more so than princess over here” The elder sniggered at the offended look Sehun shot him, before nodding in understanding.
As the oldest of the bunch and having his own business, he worked long shifts and generally was only free on a weekend; he was especially not free during Baekhyun’s lunch breaks as his gym wasn’t close enough to run over for a pit stop.
“So, where’s the love of your life then?” Jongdae asked, stretching his neck up to survey the place, gesturing kind-of-subtly in the direction of the young man on the counter with a raised eyebrow.
“No, not him… Chanyeol’s uh, out back I think” He glanced in the direction of the bakery door again, where he could no longer see the tall man working. “He’s the really tall one, the owner, actually” His friend seemed impressed to find out that the man he was after actually owned such a popular place.
“Have you got his number yet?” Minseok asked, looking more than pleased when the waitress returned with their food and drinks, bowing politely before she left to clean up after a couple who had just left. Baekhyun flushed and shook his head, taking a big mouthful of his salad to avoid having to explain that he had actually barely spoken to the guy, knowing only things that were clearly visible or what little he had found online – hey, it was research, definitely not stalking as Sehun accused him of.
“He does get freebies more often than not now though, right Hyung?” Sehun smirked as the other two looked surprised, eyes darting to the counter when Chanyeol emerged with his apron still on, looking a little frazzled.
“That’s him?” Jongdae whispered, leaning over the table to ask Baekhyun, who groaned and let his face fall into his hands. Any hope of being discreet was lost when Chanyeol happened to look in their direction to see three sets of eyes staring at him; he bowed awkwardly from the other side of the counter and all of his friends returned the gesture as best they could while sat down while Baekhyun tried not to die.
“I hate you all. Can we at least pretend to play it cool?” He hissed at the table, not making eye contact with the tall male who was delicately placing fresh bakes into the display and bagging up their fresh loaves to be put on the shelves at the back.
“I don’t think you can talk about being cool in this situation” He was really going to kill Sehun one of these days, who seemed to be enjoying his misery more and more each time. Why he still invited the younger man, or why he bothered to tell him about incidents like the free brownie, was beyond him. It was only adding to the list of blackmail that the blonde man held over him.
“He’s cute and really fucking tall, how is that even possible” Jongdae muttered; out of the four present, Sehun was the only remotely tall one, but even he was shorter than Chanyeol.
“But he’s like a gentle giant” Minseok added, still observing the taller man as he bustled around at the counter checking over the receipts and aiding in putting orders together as a small queue formed from people just passing by.
“Don’t encourage Baekhyun, Hyung, he might actually get on one knee and propose with a fucking ring donut” Baekhyun actually did smack Sehun over the back of the head this time, the squabble drawing some attention from other customers before Minseok told them both to behave before they got kicked out. He didn’t miss the way Sehun muttered ‘He’s Chanyeol’s favourite customer, we won’t get kicked out’ under his breath but he chose to ignore it.
As much as he adored the carb-heavy treats that the bakery stocked, he couldn’t lie and say the salad wasn’t also amazing because whatever dressing they had used tasted better than normal and he didn’t realise just how hungry he was.
“God, this food is so good. This place is going to ruin my regime” Minseok groaned, finishing his panini in record time and taking a long sip of his iced lemon water as he leant back in the seat.
“I told you Hyung, the food is incredible” Baekhyun gushed, maybe a bit louder than he had realised when he saw Chanyeol look in their direction then down at the counter, a wide smile on his face.
Sehun had a look on his face like he wanted to make a comment, but one stern look from the others at the table had him shutting his mouth before he even had the chance, instead choosing to shoot Baekhyun a knowing look as he sipped at his smoothie in a way that only Sehun could. Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun tried not to blush as he realised he had been overheard, but he supposed there was far worse he could have been caught saying.
It was only when Baekhyun noticed Chanyeol putting an order onto a tray and picking it up himself did he realise that he was headed straight for their table.
“Ohmygod” Baekhyun froze as the others noticed the tall man approaching and smiled smugly at him, before pretending like nothing unusual was going on.
“Annyeonghaseyo” A round of ‘hello’s responded as Chanyeol stooped to place their dishes on their table, lingering like he wanted to say something but Minseok beat him too it.
“Your place is amazing… uhh” He held his hand out to shake, clearly trying to get Chanyeol to introduce himself – Baekhyun realised what he was doing; Chanyeol probably didn’t even know Baekhyun’s name unless he had overheard it in one of their conversations and here was Minseok, being the smoothest motherfucker Baekhyun had ever met.
“Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol, pleased to meet you” They shook hands as Minseok introduced everyone at the table formally and Baekhyun tried not to choke on air when the other man’s eyes lingered on him as he took a big swig of his juice to try and wet his parched throat enough that he wouldn’t croak if he had to speak.
“Our Baekhyun here gushes about your food enough that we had to see what the fuss was about” Jongdae gestured across the table in his direction, a sly smile on his face that to anyone else would appear friendly.
Chanyeol looked a bit embarrassed at the praise as she shot another look at Baekhyun who, at this point, was trying to become one with the furniture. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, something Baek noticed he did when he was being a bit shy, before replying. “I’m glad you like it, it takes a while to perfect the recipes… we’re working on a few new ones at the minute but they’re still in the testing phase”
“I’m pretty sure you could serve a slice of bread and butter to Hyung and he’d say it was the best thing he’d ever tasted” Sehun commented, looking happier than ever that he got to dig his friend out without being stopped.
Baekhyun looked mortified while Chanyeol looked both amused and unsure of how to respond. “Well, I’d be more than happy for you to be our official taste tester, I could always use a second or third opinion” He shot Baekhyun a look that he could only really describe as hopeful as he clasped his hands together, biting as his bottom lip, eyes wide as he waited for a response.
“Uhh” He gaped, mouth opening and closing a few times before someone kicked him under the table, bringing his mind back to the present. “Yeah, yeah of course, I’d love to”
Chanyeol smiled, looking down at the table for a second before he bowed and took a step back. “Well, I’ll not keep you from your food any longer” He then looked at Baekhyun specifically and paused. “I’ll get your number or something before you go and we’ll sort out you coming to the back” He gestured over his shoulder to the kitchen, where one of the staff stepped out with a steaming batch of bread, starting to put together some sandwiches that were selling out.
All he could do was nod in response and hope that he didn’t look like a total idiot in front of the man he’d been pining over for months.
Chanyeol seemed pleased with his response and scuttled back into the kitchen, leaving his staff to man the front and leaving the men to eat their desserts.
Three sets of eyes stared him down as he took a few deep breaths, mind still reeling over what had just happened – how the fuck had he become Chanyeol’s guinea pig when he could barely put a sentence out in front of him. “Well… that went rather well. Nice guy” Jongdae nodded his approval before taking a big bite of his muffin and making a noise of appreciation.
Minseok just smiled at him, before following suit and trying his cake, moaning about how he was going to lose his figure if this was the kind of food he was missing out on.
However, Sehun wasn’t that easily distracted and stared him down looking so incredibly smug and maybe a little bit pleased for his friend, who took a small bite of his own dessert, letting the lemon tingle on his tongue.
The conversation moved on smoothly and now that the obvious elephant in the room had been dealt with, thanks to Chanyeol himself (no matter what his friends tried to say about it being them that set them up) and soon they were done and ready to leave since it was so busy.
“You should go pay at the till, since you need to exchange numbers with your boyfriend” Sehun snickered and put down the right amount of money he owed, plus a bit of a tip, before standing and excusing himself saying he had a date to get to; but before they could question him further, the lanky boy was gone and soon the other two followed suit, handing Baekhyun some money and wishing him well as they wandered out hand-in-hand.
Baekhyun sighed in defeat as she shuffled into the small queue for the till, manned by none other than the owner himself, who smiled and greeted every customer as enthusiastically as the last.
His eyes widened when it got to Baekhyun’s turn and he picked up their receipt, accepting the money he handed over and putting the excess in the tip jar on the counter. Luckily, there was no more customers waiting behind him, meaning that he didn’t have to wait aside while Chanyeol was busy, instead the other man pushed a piece of paper and a pen towards him.
“Your number, please” He seemed a bit shy as Baekhyun scribbled down his number, writing just ‘Baek’ underneath as he slid the paper back over, shooting the tall man a smile. “Great… yeah, good” There was a tension between them as Chanyeol pocketed the slip of paper, eyeing the other man for a moment.
“Well, I should be going, I’ve got stuff to do, but I’ll be back during the week” They chuckled; as if it wasn’t obvious that Baekhyun would be back, he always was, even before they had an agreement.
Chanyeol nodded and waved as he left, trying not to look back at the other man as he took a deep sigh of fresh air, feeling way giddier than before he had gone. What a miracle.
~~
It took all of 2 days for Chanyeol to text Baekhyun with a simple greeting and a picture of some interesting looking cookies, saying that he was working on them for when he came by.
It was the following day when Baekhyun had the time to take a proper lunch break and while he was alone on the visit, he planned on taking a seat, having his tablet with him to do any work if he could be bothered.
When he walked through the door, the waitress from his embarrassing visit with just Sehun greeted him with a wide smile and sat him at his favourite table; when he arrived at the table, there was already a plate on it, with three different cookies and a little note saying ‘For Baekhyun’ with a little smiley face on the bottom corner.
He tried not to react too much as the waitress bit her lip to hide her smile as he blinked at the plate, before managing to order the soup of the day with a freshly baked cheese bun and some water.
Once she had left him alone, he leaned forward to smell the plate and he could tell the cookies were fresh, still a little bit warm to the touch – maybe he was too predictable with the days and times he was coming here if Chanyeol could confidently time the bake for it to be fresh for his arrival.
He almost felt bad that the cookies would probably be cold by the time he got around to trying them, but he didn’t want to taint anything he eating his sweet before his savoury.
So he was relieved when the soup and bread arrived quickly, a beautiful deep red colour with specs of black pepper running through it; surprisingly, (or maybe not) just the way he preferred his tomato soup.
He took his time to appreciate the taste of the soup without burning his mouth, knowing that his afternoon was not busy so he could take a longer lunch break and it not matter as much. That was a bonus of being so high up in his current firm; he could come and go pretty much as he pleased as long as deadlines were met and cases were sorted within his working hours.
Licking his lips as he dunked the last bit of bread into the last few mouthfuls of soup, he had just put the final bite in his mouth when a hand grasped the chair opposite him. Looking up at his unexpected guest, he saw Chanyeol smiling at him, still hovering slightly until Baekhyun made the gesture telling him to sit, as he pushed his now empty dish away from him.
“I was hoping you’d be along today” He glanced at the little plate with the three cookies on, pushing it softly in the direction of his customer. “I made you a white chocolate and raspberry cookie – its still a bit soft, because the recipe is a bit too wet, but it tastes good, I think; the second one is a dark chocolate and mint – I’m not so sure how popular this one will be, it’s quite bitter… and the last is a salted caramel cookie, my personal favourite of the three”
Baekhyun was entranced by how genuinely excited the other man seemed to be showing him his new creations and it made him respect how much passion he truly had for his work.
The world needed more people like Park Chanyeol if you asked him.
Deciding he should try them in the order presented to him, he picked up the pink speckled cookie, breaking a bit off before popping it into his mouth. He let it sit for a second, just appreciating the homely taste of the actual cookie itself, before chewing down until a burst of raspberry flooded his mouth alongside a faint taste of white chocolate.
He hummed in appreciation and took another bite, before nodding and putting the remainder back on the plate – he would finish it when he wasn’t giving feedback.
“It’s good, really good” Chanyeol grinned at him, a pleased look on his face as he watched the smaller man test his food. “But I do agree that the texture if very soft. I think there might be a bit too much raspberry and not enough chocolate?” He wasn’t even so sure if he was wording it in the right way, but Chanyeol seemed to appreciate the feedback as he nodded in agreement and scribbled something down in his little notebook.
Taking the second cookie, he could feel the texture was much firmer and the smell was more potent. The taste was strong, like Chanyeol had said, too bitter for Baekhyun’s sweet tooth, but he knew that people like Sehun would probably really appreciate something a bit different than just sugar on sugar. “Not for me, I’m afraid” Chanyeol chuckled but nodded. “I think it might be a nice change for people who don’t like really sweet stuff, but I’m not sure how many of the people that come into here don’t have a sweet tooth”
Chanyeol looked particularly interested in what he had to say about the last one as he watched for any sort of reaction from Baekhyun.
God, it was heaven – the perfect combination of salty and sweet, as well as crunchy cookie mixed with soft caramel sauce. “It’s amazing, don’t change a thing” He let out a noise that sounded far more sexual than he had intended as he indulged in the rest of the cookie then and there, before pausing when Chanyeol coughed awkwardly but smiled shyly down at his notepad.
“I thought you’d like that one” Their eyes met for a moment and neither said anything as Baekhyun picked back up the first cookie to finish it off, choosing to leave the second on the plate.
Chanyeol reached out to grab the leftover cookie, popping a big chunk into his mouth. Baekhyun checked his watch and once again felt a bit put out that he had to say goodbye to his new companion so soon. Chanyeol smiled at him and stood, telling him not to worry about the bill, as he wasn’t paying Baekhyun for his opinion on his food.
The smaller man thanked him and told him he probably wouldn’t be around until the weekend, as he had a meeting Friday lunch.
“Well, if you’re free on the Friday night, I can cook you dinner here and we can bake some stuff… only if you have the time of course” Chanyeol looked the most nervous Baek thought he’d ever seen him and it made him pause in thought; was the invitation just as friends, or something more? Dinner was far more intimate than an open lunch with other people around.
“I’d love to… so, I’ll see you Friday, what time?” Baekhyun realised their height difference when they were stood right in front of each other and he was staring into Chanyeol’s neck, the collar of his shirt just teasing at hints of pale skin.
“Uh, 7pm, if that’s ok, since we close up at 6 so it gives me time to clean up and change clothes and stuff… yeah” God, how on earth were two such awkward people going to deal with spending that much time together alone.
He nodded and Chanyeol awkwardly stepped aside so Baekhyun could head for the door, with a wave over his shoulder they were separated once again.
~~
Baekhyun made the mistake of telling Sehun about his maybe-date and now he was sat in his bedroom of his apartment at half 5, having barely walked through the door, clothes being thrown around left, right and centre.
“You have to look hot, this has been in the works for months Hyung, months” Sehun was holding up a tight pair of leather pants that Baekhyun had from his wilder university days, but he never wore them anymore, having far too much dignity to dare being seen in public in them ever again.
He tossed the pants into the ‘no’ pile and dug around until he found a pair of ripped skinny jeans that Baekhyun had almost forgotten he had bought a few months back.
They were thrown onto the bed next to where Baekhyun was sat, clearly having been decided as the definite yes. “Are there any tops that you like but aren’t too expensive, just in case he throws you over the baking station and you get covered in flour” Rolling his eyes as Sehun laughed at his own comment, he moved to help Sehun find one of his older button-ups.
He ended up wearing the black jeans Sehun had found, coupled with a navy-blue button up and some black loafers. Realistically, he knew that he was probably a bit overdressed, especially if Chanyeol was wanting him to help bake. But a little part of him wanted to look nice for the other man, give him a chance to see him in something other than his suit and ties.
That’s how he found himself ringing the little doorbell of the closed bakery at almost exactly 7pm; the blinds were pulled down and he couldn’t see into the café, but he heard movement behind the door and soon the door was unlocked.
If he thought Chanyeol was handsome in his chef outfit, he was bloody stunning out of it.
He wore skinny black jeans similar to Baekhyun’s minus the rips and a tight white turtleneck with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, hair perfectly parted and slightly wavy. He looked as put together as his desserts and it made Baekhyun’s stomach flutter in attraction, suddenly feeling shyer than before as the other man have him a subtle once over as he stepped aside to let the smaller man in.
The first thing he noticed was how all but one of the tables were pushed right to the side, chairs atop the table showing that the floors had already been cleaned. But there was one table still in the centre of the room, with just two chairs at it, two glasses on it with a bucket of ice and some wine to the side.
If there was any question doubt about the intentions of the night before – there certainly wasn’t now and Baekhyun felt his pulse race at the fact his crush had finally noticed him in that way.
“I thought, if you’re up for it, you could help me cook dinner” Baekhyun nodded and followed Chanyeol past the counter and through the doorway at the back into the only part of the bakery he wasn’t familiar with.
The kitchen was clean and surprisingly spacious considering the building wasn’t massive and the shop front was decently sized; though he figured that Chanyeol was one of the only chefs in the kitchen when he saw a coat hanger with only two other chef jackets on it, but he supposed when the recipes were that precious, only the best could be trusted.
He felt a flush of pride that Chanyeol trusted him enough to let him into his kitchen with him at all, never mind to actually cook anything.
“I wasn’t entirely sure what you might be into, so I thought we could make pizza since I know you like the paninis” Baekhyun nodded enthusiastically – I mean, who doesn’t love pizza?
Baekhyun noticed the pile of vegetables on a chopping board, including some of his favourite like red onion and mushrooms and it made him smile; it was the ingredients that was in the vegetarian panini that Chanyeol had already said he’d noticed that the smaller man was a particular fan of.
They made small talk as they made the dough and Baek learned that Chanyeol was about 5 months younger than he was and that he’d been to culinary school before he started up his own bakery, but that it had always been his ambition in life to own his own place and Baekhyun was very impressed he’d managed to do so at such a young age.
He found out that Chanyeol had a great sense of humour once he wasn’t so nervous and the two were soon bantering back and forth, making teasing comments and nudging each other playfully.
Baekhyun looked startled when Chanyeol handed him the rolled-out dough and told him to ‘toss it’, they’d laughed when it nearly landed on the floor and he was more than happy for the professional to take over, choosing instead to make work of the vegetables, chopping and slicing until the whole thing was ready to be assembled and baked.
His stomach rumbled as it went into the oven and he blushed, hands coming up to cover his stomach as if that would help the noises stop; Chanyeol just giggled (if you can even call it a giggle when his voice is that deep) and shut the oven door, ushering him to the cake decorating station where two thick chocolate sponges sat untouched but looking pretty freshly baked.
“I know you love chocolate, so I thought we could decorate the cake and have some slices as dessert today” Baekhyun was practically drooling over the rich smell of the cakes as Chanyeol appeared with a bowl of creamy icing and some piping bags; it was a bit intimidating knowing he was decorating a cake with such a creative genius.
“I hope you’re prepared for me to be terrible compared to you” Chanyeol just laughed and filled the two piping bags, handing one carefully to his companion, who watched as Chanyeol put the base layer on a turning table and piped a perfect layer in the centre, one hand spinning the base steadily as the other squeezed the icing out.
The second layer was placed carefully on top and the taller man ushered Baekhyun closer, standing behind him as he guided the smaller hands to pipe little swirls on top of the cake, his chest brushing against Baekhyun’s back.
Luckily, the younger man couldn’t see as Baekhyun’s face lit up as he felt their close proximity and the larger hands held his so delicately that the touch almost wasn’t there. He just wanted Chanyeol to be rougher with him, for those hands to grip his hips as he bent him over –
Shaking his head, he needed to get those thoughts out of his head before they’d even eaten the dinner they’d prepared or he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make it that far.
With a few final touches from Chanyeol the cake looked great and he even let Baekhyun lick the spatula that had some of the remaining icing on it, getting a bit on his nose that Chanyeol wiped off with his thumb.
He was saved by the beeping of the timer for the oven and Chanyeol scuttled away to remove their pizza and slice it up before ushering Baekhyun into the dining area so they could split the pizza. It smelled as amazing as everything else that came out of his kitchen and after giving each of them a slice on little side plates, he took a big mouthful from the end.
Nodding his head to let the other know that the taste was perfect, he licked his lips, catching the string of melted cheese that was still attached to his pizza.
“So, Hyung” The term of closeness sounded so different coming from Chanyeol, but so familiar that his heart ached. “Why are you still single, I mean surely you have people throwing themselves at your feet. You’re successful, funny and super cute – so what’s the catch” Chanyeol laughed lowly, eyes focused on Baekhyun, who blushed a pretty shade of pink and shrugged as he swallowed a mouthful of pizza.
He could hardly tell the other man that he’d been waiting for Chanyeol to sweep him off his feet for months now and that no one else had come close to stealing his attention away.
“No one has interested me, not many people actually come up and talk to me, you know” Chanyeol made a noise of understanding, explaining that it had taken him a while to get the confidence to talk to Baekhyun. “What about yourself?”
Chanyeol paused, eyes wide and doe like as he thought over the question. “I’m very busy with work and it makes it difficult to meet people when I have to be here super early and normally leave pretty late to make sure we’re always fully stocked for our customers, not many people understand the kind of dedication this job takes”
Baekhyun could relate, having a busy job that took up a lot of your free time was difficult but so rewarding if it was something you actually enjoyed.
“Plus…” Chanyeol continued, looking at Baekhyun through his eyelashes and he pushed his crust around idly “There was someone that had caught my attention, so to speak for a little while now”
Biting his lip, Baekhyun met his eyes with a look that he was sure portrayed just how much he wanted the other man and now he knew for sure that it was reciprocated there was very little stopping him.
Breaking the eye contact once he realised they had finished their main course, the tall man stood and told him to stay put as he disappeared probably to get a slice of cake. Taking a moment to collect himself, he leaned back in his chair and took a much bigger mouthful of wine than was probably necessary, but a bit of Dutch courage never hurt in a situation like this.
Soon enough, the other man had reappeared with a plate with a big slice of the indulgent cake (Baekhyun made a mental note to take up Minseok’s offer of personal training sessions when he noticed that
Chanyeol seemed to be quite fit himself) and sat back down across from his date, their knees knocking slightly due to Chanyeol having long legs.
He handed Baekhyun a little dessert fork and let him take the first mouthful of the cake, watching to make sure it was up to his favourite customer’s standards before he tasted it himself.
Baekhyun made sure to make a not-so-subtle show of sucking the fork clean as he pulled it out of his mouth, licking his lips to remove any stray bits of chocolate from his mouth.
Chanyeol’s eyes darkened a bit and he subconsciously followed the movement of Baekhyun’s tongue with his eyes, fork forgotten mid-air. Smirking, Baekhyun kept eye contact as he took another mouthful; there was truly nothing better than the taste of good quality chocolate in his opinion.
The taller man seemed to remember where he was and took a mouthful himself, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed, looking pretty pleased with the outcome as they finished the slice off in silence.
“Would you like to come upstairs?” Baekhyun sighed a breath of relief, he had been worried that the other man was never going to ask and he was going to have to go home with a serious case of blue balls.
“I’d love to” Chanyeol left their table the way it was, claiming he’d deal with it the next day as for once it was shut on the Saturday – maybe it had a little to do with the fact he was hoping the other would stay over and the last thing he wanted was to be disturbing him at 5 in the morning so he could get up to stock the shop.
After making sure everything was locked up, Chanyeol led him through the kitchen to a staircase that led him up to his apartment door.
It was pretty small, just one big studio apartment on top of the bakery, but it was fully fitted with modern equipment and had a very lived in feel that made Baekhyun feel comfortable.
As soon as the door was shut behind him, arms caged him against it and lips descended on his, moving slowly but firmly as he stood on his tiptoes to make the burden less on Chanyeol’s neck. Taking the initiative, Chanyeol’s large hands slid down to the back of Baekhyun’s thighs, lifting him until the other had his legs wrapped around the thin waist, bringing their bodies deliciously close.
He ran his hands through the fine hairs at the nape of Chanyeol’s hair as they pulled apart briefly to get their breath back before the elder closed the gap again, tugging gently on the other’s bottom lip.
Walking them towards the huge bed by the wall nearest the window, Chanyeol let Baekhyun control the kiss, tongues meeting as the hands holding his thighs moved to squeeze at his jean-clad cheeks, fingertips digging in as Baekhyun ground his hips forwards into the firm plains of Chanyeol’s covered stomach, groaning at the bit of friction he received before he was tossed onto the middle of the bed.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this to you” Chanyeol almost growled, mouth moving to kiss and suck little hickies along Baekhyun’s neck as his hands moved to untuck his shirt and run up the front of his chest.
Baekhyun arched into the touch, feeling fingers rub over his perked nipples as the taller man sucked particularly harshly into the junction of his neck.
“Me too, fuck, me too” He muttered, his own hands moving to drag the turtleneck up Chanyeol’s back, nails leaving faint marks up his spine until the material bunched under his armpits. “Take it off” Chanyeol smirked at his desperate tone, but moved to sit up, straddling the smaller’s hips as he pulled the fabric up and over his head, tossing it to the floor.
While he wasn’t hugely muscular, the man was lean with faint definitions of abs hinting through his stomach. “It’s unfair that you made cakes that taste that great, but have a body like that” Baekhyun whined when the hands he’d come to love slowly unbuttoned his shirt, sure that the other man was just taunting him with the pace he was taking.
Deciding enough was enough, Baekhyun all but tore his shirt off, throwing it god-knows-where and dragging the other man back down to reseal their lips together in a messy kiss that was as desperate as they were.
It was so hot how Chanyeol’s body entirely covered his own, long arms caging him in as he lined their bodies up, hips gyrating down against his own, bringing them a sweet relief that was nowhere near enough.
“C’mon Chanyeol, fuck me” The taller man stared down at him, before he moved to pull off both of their jeans, finding that they had both decided to go commando, sharing a brief breathless laugh before their bodies met skin to skin as a large hand wrapped around both of them, tugging a few times as Baekhyun’s head fell back against the pillow, hands moving to grasp Chanyeol’s bicep.
After a few minutes, Chanyeol leaned to get the lube and condom out of his bedside drawer and it gave Baekhyun a chance to see just how big the rest of Chanyeol was and he wasn’t disappointed.
The tall man was easily the biggest he’d ever seen, never mind actually taken and it made him a little bit nervous but the excitement of having that inside of his outweighed it when a chaste kiss was placed on his lips before Chanyeol moved down his body, practically hanging off the bed so he had access to the most sacred parts of his lover.
Spreading his legs lewdly, Baekhyun propped his head up on folded arms behind his head, giving him a better view of Chanyeol between his legs.
He let out a shuddered breath when the tip of a thin finger teased at his rim, barely pressing enough to breach the entrance. Chanyeol smirked up at him before slowly pressing inside, until the finger was in up to the third knuckle buried deeper inside of Baekhyun than he thought a finger could possibly reach.
His eyes fell shut when the finger wriggled slightly, before dragging against his walls on the way out, pushing straight back in and repeating until he was deemed loose enough for another finger to wiggle in alongside the first.
They brushed against his prostate on a particularly well-angled thrust and Baekhyun moaned, hips bucking to get more of the feeling, but a firm hand held his hips down, fingertips rubbing circles into his prostate and he thrashed on the bed, hands coming down to grasp Chanyeol’s hair as he mouthed along his hip bones, leaving even more hickies on the skin there.
A deep chuckle rumbling along his skin and the fingers relented, a third pushing in slowly as Baekhyun took a sharp breath trying to relax his body enough so they fit comfortably.
“You’re doing so well for me, Hyung” He whined at the praise he never knew he needed, erection leaking a bead of precum onto his stomach, which was promptly licked up by the man over him.
Once he had relaxed enough, the fingers scissored him open, twisting and rubbing at his insides until he was a moaning mess, practically begging for Chanyeol to just hurry the fuck up. Sniggering at how whiney the normally bossy man had become, Chanyeol dragged his fingers out oh so slowly until Baekhyun pulled on his hair and sat up to put the condom on.
They shared an intimate kiss that was almost too placid compared to what had just been happening before Chanyeol applied a generous amount of lube to his erection and lined himself up.
The nerves were back and Baekhyun worried at his bottom lip until Chanyeol tugged it from between his teeth with his right thumb, shooting him a concerned look. “Just relax, tell me if it hurts too much
OK and we’ll stop” He nodded in confirmation and tightly shut his eyes when he felt the tip nudge his stretched entrance, before pushing inside, stretching him to the max.
Kisses peppered his face and hands soothed over his skin as Chanyeol pushed forwards slowly, stopping half-way to let the smaller man adjust.
“So good for me Hyung, you’re taking me so well” The words were whispered into his ear and he whimpered, half in discomfort and half in need as his dick twitched at the thought of how full he was going to feel, if this was only half of Chanyeol.
After a few minutes of praise and comfort, Chanyeol was able to slide the rest of the way in, both letting out broken breaths when their hips met. God, it was too much and not enough all at the same time as Chanyeol filled Baekhyun more than he had ever felt before, pressing right against his prostate with every movement.
Chanyeol’s hips pulled out and slowly pushed in, setting a slow and gentle rhythm that made Baekhyun’s mind spin and had him gasping for breath, arms wrapped firmly around Chanyeol’s neck.
“F-faster, shit Yeol” The nickname slipped out like it was the most natural thing in the world and it definitely caused a reaction in the taller man, who grunted and picked up his thrusts, skin slapping against Baekhyun with every go. The new pace let him reach even deeper as his hands pressed Baekhyun’s thighs apart, giving him more room to work.
Baekhyun’s moans and high-pitched whimpers were almost constant and his eyes were glassy with unshed tears as his body throbbed and tingled with arousal. He already felt so oversensitive just because of the sheer size of the other and knew that this was probably going to be the most mind-numbing orgasm he’d ever had.
His erection was hurting with how aroused he was, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch himself quite yet, limbs not quite working inline with his brain. At a particularly delicious thrust, his muscles quivered and he involuntarily clenched around Chanyeol who groaned low and long into his ear, hips pausing to let himself be milked before moving to pull out.
Baekhyun whined, feeling strangely empty as his hole fluttered around nothing, until large hands manhandled him so that he was hovering over Chanyeol’s lap, who was sat up with his back propped up against the headboard.
He panted and let then other guide him down until the tip was nudging him again, before slowly sliding down the other’s length for what felt like an age until he was seated fully in the other’s lap, legs bent at the knees. Chanyeol was whispering sweet nothings and words of praise into his ear as his head lolled down onto his shoulder.
Fuck, if he had thought the other position was deep, this was on a whole new level – he was sure he’d be feeling this for days, especially the bruises that would no doubt be on his hips from Chanyeol’s grip holding him upright.
“Ride me, baby” He moaned and lifted his hips as best he could when his legs felt like jelly, letting the hands on his hips guide him as he fell back down, the side of Chanyeol’s dick gliding past his prostate in long strokes that had him nearly drooling onto the man below him.
When he could no longer lift his hips properly, he rocked in big circles, Chanyeol’s hips gyrating under him in the opposite direction that dragged and dangled him over the edge until his dick was leaking a constant stream of precum.
“I’m so close, ohmygod Chanyeol” He cried out when a large hand wrapped around his erection, almost dwarfing it in size as he squeezed and twisted in a totally different rhythm to their hips.
Simply unable to hold back anymore, Baekhyun came violently over Chanyeol’s hand and their stomachs twitching as Chanyeol’s hips and hands kept going milking him to the point of overstimulation that had his body humming on the verge of pain. A few tears slipped down his cheeks as he lost the ability to breath for a moment, gasping for breath.
“You can give me more than that, I’m sure” The hand squeezed up from his base until the tip, where another spurt of cum escaped onto his hand and Baekhyun’s world went white.
The other came with a deep grunt, tensing and letting Baekhyun’s body drag everything he had out of him before he carefully turned the other to lay on the bed as he pulled out. By the time he had cleaned then both up and pulled the blanket over them in bed, Baekhyun’s mind had returned enough for him to blink owlishly at Chanyeol who was staring at him with the fondest look on his face.
“Hey, you ok?” A hand brushed his sweaty hair out of his face, as lips soothed the bruises on his neck.
“Yeah… fuck, I think I blacked out” Chanyeol chuckled and carefully pulled the smaller man into his side to snuggle. “Who knew you were such a freak in the sheets, I wouldn’t have waited this long” Baekhyun smiled tiredly up at the other man and accepted the gentle kiss that was placed on his lips.
“Well, I hope I’ll be seeing you more often, not that I didn’t see you a lot anyway” He smirked at him and Baekhyun rolled his eyes before shutting them sleepily.
“Of course, if you think I’m letting you or your cakes slip through my fingers any time soon you’ve got another thing coming” They laughed and lay in silence as Baekhyun drifted off to sleep.
It was safe to say that he’d found a catch he wasn’t giving up for nothing, even if it did mean he had to hit the gym more – whether to eat the amount of the cakes, or to keep up with Chanyeol’s apparent sex drive. He was more than happy to take up the full-time position of Chanyeol’s taste tester in every sense of the job.