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It is the start of the season – when social invitations are at their peak and the balls are in full swing – and truly, a gentleman should honor such requests with as much regard as every attendee should, but Kyungsoo is too exhausted to proceed with the evening with all the stares and whispers all people seem to share – and so, he much prefers the fresh scent of the garden and the night skies to accompany him this late into the night.
The garden is on the far ends of the main block, secluded away from the main ballroom where the party is still in full blast and the chandeliers light up the whole pathway to the gate. There’s no one but him in between the silence that envelops the night and the garden – and as much as one shouldn’t be alone if one doesn’t want to meet one’s thoughts – Kyungsoo lets himself fall into his own reverie under the shed of the gazebo.
Though, it seems his luck isn’t truly on his side at this time of the day – as many other unfortunate times he seems to have lately – that a voice he much wishes not to recognize as easily as he could now reaches his ears.
“What a waste of the night, Lord Do,” says the owner of the voice, with his cheeky tone and cheery exuberance that Kyungsoo grows fond of more than he wants to admit. “It might be considered improper to sit around here while the party has just started not long ago, you know?”
“A point that I might not care too much these days,” Kyungsoo only shrugs, not even minding when the man takes a seat next to him in the gazebo. “And here you are, Lord Byun, doing the same as I do.”
“I’m sure it is not much of a surprise if I am the case,” Baekhyun grins, leaving Kyungsoo to stare too much at his rectangular smile, before Baekhyun tilts his head at him. “Though I must point out how contradictory your statement of apathy was, for you wouldn’t be here all alone if you did not care what people say about you.”
“Might be,” says Kyungsoo, averting his eyes to the flowers in the garden that somehow reminds him of someone’s rectangular smile. “It is not entirely pleasant to have everyone stare at you and be asked similar questions from time to time.”
“Ah,” mutters Baekhyun suddenly, somehow turning awkward. “I heard about that. Huge apologies, My Lord,” says he, a stiff smile on his lips. “I know you fancy Miss Joohyun so much – it is unbearable to think she ends up with one Lord Kim. You two were a charming couple.”
And truly, Kyungsoo can’t help the tinge of confusion that laces the aforementioned answer Viscount Byun gave, because what he said couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Miss Joohyun?” asks Kyungsoo, trying to cover his bewilderment.
“Indeed,” says Baekhyun, still with an awkward look on his face, that somehow turns even sourer as the talk regarding Miss Joohyun progresses. “Your fallen courtship with her. I presume that is the cause of your sorrow, even as Miss Joohyun and Lord Kim look happy together.”
Kyungsoo only looks at him, and blinks, and blinks again, for as much as that might be connected with the actual reason, his keenness on silence in the garden was only due to his discomfort at the pitiful looks and questions everyone asked him – and while Miss Joohyun is indeed an attractive lady, he’s perfectly content and relieved that she finally chooses the one she actually adores.
So really, he blinks again when Baekhyun abruptly stands up, the sorrowful expression long gone and exchanged with a mischief one on his face, and suddenly, Kyungsoo dreads whatever the viscount is planning in his mind.
“Though, you must not fear,” says Baekhyun, a huge grin on his face. “Here, My Lord, let me cheer you up,” says he, standing in front of Kyungsoo and holding out a hand for him to take, bowing like a gentleman asking for a dance. “Allow me to have the honor of your last dance of the night.”
And Kyungsoo thinks he might’ve misheard it – even as he tries to ignore the peculiar feeling in his stomach that intensifies when Baekhyun’s grin widens – and now, Kyungsoo wishes he hadn’t come to the gazebo in the first place.
“Now, Your Lordship,” says Kyungsoo impassively, hoping the man would even stop this silly act of his. “Unfortunately, allow me the liberty to say that I must discourage you by saying no.”
“And unfortunately, that is even more improper, My Lord,” Baekhyun grins. “Surely one should accept a dance while one is clear of any reservations, is it not?”
“And one should not impose a decision if one’s party disagrees,” Kyungsoo quickly retorts.
“Oh, come on,” cries Baekhyun – he’s almost pouting at this point – and Kyungsoo tries once more to keep his stare elsewhere. “Just one dance, please?”
It’s a foolish request by a foolish Baekhyun, but it seems Kyungsoo’s the foolish one when he heaves a sigh and eventually takes Baekhyun’s outstretched hand into his, pulling him out of the gazebo as Baekhyun cheers in victory.
“Remember, just one dance,” Kyungsoo reminds, before huffing a laugh. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, and it’s best to maximize the peculiarity of the night, it seems. “I’d like to see you try to follow my pace.”
“Ohhh,” Baekhyun whistles. “Is that a challenge, Lord Do?” asks he, and Kyungsoo swears he sees the spark in Baekhyun’s eyes – the one that resonates in his heart with a rhythm he tries to ignore – and in answer, Kyungsoo only grins.
It is far from proper – a dance that is not even one of those classic moves the people in the balls are performing as neither of them takes the female side – but even so, Kyungsoo feels his laugh bubble out of him as easily as his hand reaches Baekhyun’s to hold – the firm, sizzling grip of their hands intertwined together – as they keep swirling around again and again under the night skies when the faint music from the ballroom turns quicker.
“Given up?” asks Kyungsoo eventually, as he tugs Baekhyun closer when the music turns into a slow waltz – when the dance is coming to an end.
“You wish,” Baekhyun answers as a twinkle of mischief dances in his eyes, and when he suddenly reaches for Kyungsoo’s other hand – almost tumbling clumsily as they hold hands for balance in exchange for waist and shoulders to perform the waltz – Kyungsoo cannot help but to fall deeper into the night.
Truly, everything is far from what society presumes of standard propriety – if one were to find them in this state, they would be highly frowned upon as much as it would be a telltale of gossip – but all his words die on his tongue when Kyungsoo realizes their faces are now mere inches apart – far closer than what they presumably intended – and somehow, he cannot keep his stare elsewhere anymore.
“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo only says – trying, testing the word on his tongue – for he cannot keep himself from whispering Baekhyun’s first name as his eyes innately trail towards Baekhyun’s lips, savoring the way the syllables roll off his tongue. “Baekhyun.”
“Yeah?” Baekhyun croaks out, the sound almost qualified as a whisper as they stand in place, the waltz long forgotten – and now, all he could hear is the way their breath mingle together, the music far away in the background.
Truly, Kyungsoo doesn’t know what prompts him to do so, but he feels himself closing the distance between their lips – a few centimeters left as their breath mingle and the fiery burn between their bodies spark like no other – and faintly, almost intangible, Kyungsoo whispers, “May I?”
There’s no proper answer, but the touch of Baekhyun’s lips on his as Baekhyun kisses him the next second – fireworks and burning sparks in his body exploding as his hand move to hold Baekhyun’s jaws, the searing feeling burning even more – and now, he lets himself fall even deeper into the night.
“Kyungsoo,” whispers Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo loves it – loves the way his first name sounded as euphonious as the way Baekhyun says it – and he craves for more, cradling Baekhyun’s face still as they eventually take a breath. The kiss felt like long ago and short-lived at the same time.
“We— We did—”
“Shhh,” Kyungsoo soothes. For once – just this once – he wishes themselves to savor this moment, acknowledging the prolonged attraction between them that had tortured them subconsciously, for as long as Baekhyun permits it. “For this once – just tonight – let us bloom.”
And he sees it, in the way Baekhyun looks back at him – deep and longing with all the forbidden desires Kyungsoo finally lets himself to feel – and slowly, he brushes all fright out of their peculiar conundrum and how improper it all was in the face of the society, and allows himself to feel as their lips meet each other again.
So truly, that evening, they fall deeper into the night. Just this once.