Euthymia

Maraschino

The air smells of cherries and vanilla. Sex and want. Lustful accents electrifying Chanyeol's skin, the hair on his arms erect. He tastes a milkshake on his tongue: thick, soft ice cream, edible clouds of fluffy white, a maraschino ornament dripping in red syrup. He tastes sweetness and cold sugar, his mouth salivating from the heady flavors gripping his senses.

A knock at the bathroom door. His eyelids pry open. Moonlight from the open balcony doors illuminates the room. The clock on his nightstand reads three in the morning.

A silhouetted figure emerges from the bathroom, creeping into his room on the balls of their bare feet. Short and blond. Sehun must still be sleeping.

"What?" Chanyeol groans, his voice edging away from a whisper. He has his fists on his eyes, rubbing the blur of sleep out of his vision.

Baekhyun steps into the moonlight, glowing white around the edges like a halo. His eyes look hooded and dark. He hasn't gotten a wink of sleep all night.

"Did I wake you?" He asks.

"Something did."

The taste in Chanyeol's mouth grows stronger, milking every last tingling sensation out of his taste buds. He licks his lips.

"I couldn't sleep. Something woke me up too. Are you thirsty? You look parched."

Chanyeol sits up, the sheets falling away from his body. Sweats and socks – that's all he wears. No shirt. His bare torso glistens when a beam of moonlight hits him just right. He is sweating.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. I can get you something to drink, if you want."

Chanyeol's eyes narrow. "You're being nice to me."

"Don't sound so surprised. Do you want my help or not?"

Milkshakes cloud his head. The room looks hazier than he remembers. White and soft blue lights mist his eyes.

"Do you have anything sweet? Juice maybe? Or a smoothie?"

Baekhyun watches him with dreamy bedroom eyes in a beat of silence. He blinks slowly, moves forward, and props one knee onto the foot of Chanyeol's bed. Then the other. Then he crawls forward and drops himself into Chanyeol's lap, trembling hands curling around his nape. He keeps himself up on his knees to give himself some height over Chanyeol; his head craned down, Chanyeol's head craned up. Lips leaving space for air, but only a little. If he moves any closer, Chanyeol is sure he'll taste cherries and whipped cream.

"Is this okay?" A breathy whisper in Chanyeol's ear. He shivers.

"Yeah."

"Would a kiss be okay too?"

"I'm okay with more than a kiss."

Baekhyun smiles when he ducks his head down, pressing onto Chanyeol's mouth. Cherries and whipped cream. Chanyeol laps at his bottom lip for a better taste.

Baekhyun parts his lips and goes deeper, sticking maraschino cherries into Chanyeol's mouth. Red syrup running down the back of his throat – the refreshment he needs.

His hands sneak under Baekhyun's shirt, gentle fingertips tracing the grooves of his ribcage. Goosebumps bloom across a field of exposed skin when he pushes the fabric blockade up and over, inviting the salty breath to have a touch too. A little moan escapes like the sounds Chanyeol heard through the bathroom wall. He pulls Baekhyun closer, their naked chests glued together with sweat and moonlight.

"Don't hold back; Sehun is a heavy sleeper." Baekhyun's words are hot and airy against Chanyeol's shoulder, followed by a tiny kiss on his collarbone. The sensations shoot straight down to Chanyeol's groin.