Work Text:
You're the northern wind
Sending shivers down my spine
You're like fallen leaves
In an autumn night
You're the lullaby
That's singing me to sleep
You are the other half
You're like a missing piece
…
Like an old guitar
Worn out and left behind
I have stories still to tell
That are of the healing kind
Northern Wind - City and Colour
ᚔ
It was another Friday night and Chanyeol failed once again to have plans for his evening, like any other normal college boy.
It’s not like he doesn’t want to go out.
It’s just that the only person he truly has fun with, the only person he wants to make plans with, just so happens to be busy tonight.
He’s on a blind date with some chaebol his other friends and classmates insisted he go out with. A waste of time, if you ask him. He’s sure Baekhyun doesn’t even find this Minho guy all that cute.
Maybe he should have accepted the invitation three days ago when Park Sooyoung asked him out on a date so he could have avoided this self pity session.
Sooyoung is one of the prettiest girls on campus, and she’s a lot of fun too, no one can deny that, but he refused her invitation because he thought Baekhyun and him would spend their Friday night playing Call of Duty and eating Hawaiian pizza (just as usual).
So, in an attempt to swipe away (and mute) his rambling thoughts, he finally got up from his bed, stretched up, and walked towards the bathroom.
Taking a shower, dressing up, going out.
A simple plan in three steps.
Whatever happens tonight, it will be welcomed, he knows that anything is better than spending his friday night at his dorm, by himself.
He took an unnecessarily long shower, thinking about his pending homework; two essays for his Ethics class (that will require maximum concentration), a robotics project (praying to the gods they won’t mess up this time!) and an English quiz (a piece of cake), all due within the next two weeks.
He needed to focus. Lately he has been too distracted with other things . So he gave himself a pep talk, a friendly reminder to keep his eyes on his goals because he has a lot of plans for the future.
Once out of the shower and feeling a renewed enthusiasm, he walked across his room to his closet. Albeit, his room is a small space. Small for a guy of his proportions, and it might be a little too crowded thanks to his queen size bed, his untidy desk and the abnormal amount of musical instruments he poses. But he doesn’t have to share it with anyone. Lucky him.
He took out a pair of black, skinny ripped jeans (that make his legs look even longer,) a black tank top and his oversized bomber jacket from the closet. Let him be sure that at least he’ll look hot enough to get some action.
He fixed his black, curly hair (that his mom would say was too long,) in a messy, very casual way, and sprayed some perfume (peony and blush-suede, a gift from his sister Yoora for his last birthday, thank you very much,) and took his wallet, phone and keys.
He put his hand on the doorknob and smirked to himself, “Only you can make tonight a great night, Chanyeol” he thought.
“Why are you so dressed up? Where are you going?” the moment he opened the door of his dorm room, the small figure of Baekhyun appeared in the frame “were you on your way out?” He flooded him with questions, entering the room like it was his own, not actually waiting for an answer.
“Uhm… yes” he wasn’t entirely sure now. “What are you doing here by the way? I thought you were on a date?” asked a very confused Chanyeol.
“Yes I was . You said it correctly” his best friend shrugged “I was just complying with Sehun. He asked me to come with him, as a favor, so I helped a friend” and he laid down on Chanyeol’s bed.
“Sehun? As in Oh Sehun, your roommate?” He asked unsure.
“Do you know another guy with that name on campus?” retorted the small guy, pulling out his phone from the back pocket of his very tight pants.
“Wasn’t he dating Kim Junmyeon from Sociology? They have been dating for years. Did they break up?” And please, spare Chanyeol, he’s not a big fan of gossip but they were like the IT couple of their college. They had the money AND the looks. You should see them.
Baekhyun grinned “for someone who’s not interested in other people’s lives you are quite informed” he shook his head in a mocking act of reprobation “and yes, they were dating, but Sehun is a jealous brat, so he broke up with Junmyeon hyung over some dumb reason and now he’s trying to give him a lesson, or whatever he said. Pretty sure they’ll be back together by tomorrow though” concluded the short one while scrolling down his instagram timeline.
“If he's going to get back together with his boyfriend after one day, why would he drag you on a double date?” Chanyeol inquired.
“Yeol, what do you want me to say? I was there for the free food. And my duty as a friend, of course” Baekhyun shrugged. “Where were you going?” He finally directed his look towards him.
“Out?”
“Is it important though?”
“I…”
“Don’t go, let’s stay here! We’ll order pizza, drink beer and play Call of Duty . Please? Please, Chanyeol-ah?” interrupted Baekhyun. And damn Chanyeol for being such a pushover when it comes to his best friend.
Here’s the thing; Baekhyun and Chanyeol met in high school, when they both were seventeen years old.
Baekhyun transferred to Chanyeol’s school from Bucheon and they hit it off from the very beginning. You could say there was a spark.
Chanyeol, being the extroverted, friendly kid he was, allowed them to bond over music, videogames and the never ending energy and mischievous character they both had, always joking, always laughing and getting on their friends’ and each other’s nerves.
And when the time to decide their future came, they were sure of one thing: they had to stick together no matter what.
So they both opted for Yonsei. Business Administration for Baekhyun and Mechanical Engineering for Chanyeol. To each their own.
It wasn’t weird seeing them at each other’s dorm rooms though. Their classmates and friends from college were so used to seeing them glued together, attached by the hip, that they were actually questioned when the other wasn’t around.
“So, how was your date?” Chanyeol was struggling with eating his pizza and moving the joystick, trying to balance both while looking at his friend. Because of course he decided to stay in.
“It was okay, I guess. Minho sunbae is really nice and quite handsome but I don’t think we would actually work together. We’re literal opposites, you know? Like, we had absolutely nothing in common.”
“But how does the saying go? Opposites attract?” he pointed out.
“Wait so, do you want me to date him?” Baekhyun's expression was one of confusion and something else, like he was somehow taken aback with Chanyeol’s comments.
“Look, I don’t know, that’s up to you. But as far as I know, dude has tons of money, a sick car, his face card has never declined and he has huge hands,” he gestured using his very own massive hands.
“You can try dating him then. You seem pretty whipped” at that, the small guy cleaned his hands and grabbed a slice of pizza, bitting it while staring directly into Chanyeol’s eyes with an unamused expression.
“What?! No! I-… Okay, you know what? I’ll shut up. I just thought it was a good prospect, but it’s your call” the tall guy sort of apologized.
“Yeol, can we please change the subject? I’m here now, the date ended like two hours ago” and Baekhyun gave him his killer smile.
So things go like this; Chanyeol loves Baekhyun. He really, truly does.
Baekhyun’s his best friend, his homie, his bro.
The Rick to his Morty, the Bert to his Ernie, the Han Solo to his Chewbacca (you get the idea.)
But recently, Chanyeol has been a bit confused, because apparently, his best friend is not just incredibly smart, fun and an amazing human being, but he’s also very pretty. Like, really pretty .
Lately, Chanyeol has found himself staring at Baekhyun’s face more times than he can actually count.
Smiling every time his friend scrunches his button nose in concentration, or covers his mouth when he laughs way too hard.
Staring at the tiny little mole over his upper lip. So tiny yet so endearing.
He has been dedicating way too many minutes of his day thinking about Baekhyun’s smile. On the way his eyes become little crescents when the same is sincere and full of joy.
Damn. Baekhyun just literally smiled for three seconds and Chanyeol lost it again.
“Chanyeol, seriously, you’re spacing out a lot lately. Earth to Yeol” Baekhyun jokingly said, waving his hand in front of Chanyeol’s face.
“Your smile is so beautiful Baekhyunee” he sputtered.
WAIT WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!
Baekhyun's face turned furiously pink and his eyes widened comically. He was obviously surprised by Chanyeol’s sudden words.
“I’m sorry, you were just-… you-… I- “ stuttering, Chanyeol grabbed a napkin and dried the sweat off his hands while trying desperately to change the weird atmosphere among them.
Big thanks to his big mouth.
“What- what were you saying?” He dumbly asked when he was finally able to speak in full sentences again.
“I- I was saying that MW2 was fairly easy for veteran.” a still slightly blushed and confused Baekhyun pointed to the TV.
Oh, he was talking about the video game, right, Call of Duty .
“R-Right, MW2 was a cakewalk, BO was harder” he finally said, clearing his throat and feigning composure.
And luckily, Baekhyun played pretend too and little by little the whole atmosphere relaxed again as both continued with their traditional Friday night.
ᚔ
On Monday, Chanyeol got together with his classmate and third best friend in line, Kim Jongin.
They had this robotics project that was draining them of their energy and ideas, and even though Jongin was very hardworking and responsible, he could also be very ditzy at times.
Nonetheless, Chanyeol has to say that without Jongin, he wouldn’t have gotten anything done.
Also, with Jongin came Do Kyungsoo, Jongin’s boyfriend, a Communications student that always had a lot to say about everything.
Chanyeol befriended him too, given the amount of time they spent together and that he was his project partner’s boyfriend.
Kyungsoo was brutally honest, sharp and straightforward, opposite to Jongin who was always so worried about hurting people’s feelings. Their dynamics were very interesting and fun to witness.
Chanyeol thinks this is exactly why they are such a great match.
“What did you do on Friday?” Asked Jongin while using a small screwdriver to join two pieces of their nano robot model. Pouting and frowning in concentration.
“The usual. Call of Duty and Hawaiian pizza with Baekhyun” Chanyeol was looking at the blueprints of their model, making sure they didn’t mess things up this time.
“Wasn’t Baekhyun on a date on Friday?” Kyungsoo, who was sitting in the corner of the room reading some papers got into the conversation “I saw him, he was walking with Choi Minho, Oh Sehun and… what was his name again? Ah! Can’t remember it, but he’s a Chinese exchange student… he kinda looks like a deer…” he frowned trying to remember “Anyway. Seemed like a double date to me” he finally said.
“Oh Sehun? Baekhyun hyung’s roommate? Wasn’t he dating that rich guy from Sociology?” Inquired Jongin, now focused on gossiping rather than the robot.
“They had a fight and broke up, but I’m quite sure they’ll be back together pretty soon. Never have I seen two people with more sexual chemistry in my entire life” answered Kyungsoo. He surely was fully invested in the whole campus drama, thought Chanyeol.
“What about us?” Jongin tried his best to sound seductive, a weird smirk appearing on his face.
“Baby, you’re absolutely gorgeous and very very hot,” Jongin began to get close to his boyfriend when Kyungsoo finished with “but also too vanilla. I mean, you call every living being Yeppi, baby” the small one among them shrugged and Jongin stopped, looking at him partially hurt “Don’t look at me like that! I’m not saying that’s bad. You know I love everything about you, Kim Jongin”.
Chanyeol, who remained silent over the couple’s exchange due to a mix of awkwardness and admiration, finally interrupted their conversation “He left early. Baekhyun. He was just there to support Sehun, or so he said”
“He felt the physical urge to run to your arms right after the date ended. He probably felt like he was cheating on you. You guys are so cute” Kyungsoo had this smug smile on his face.
“Guys…” he sighed audibly, “something really embarrassing happened on Friday… with Baekhyun, and I-… if I tell you, can you please promise you won’t judge me?”
At that question, the couple exchanged a significant look.
“Elaborate…” replied Jongin, raising an eyebrow.
“I was so happy when Baek told me he wasn’t interested in Minho. But I kept saying dumb things like Choi was a good catch with big hands and that opposites attract. And then I told him he had a beautiful smile OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE! It was so awkward, I wanted to bury my head in concrete” Chanyeol sighed again, defeated this time.
“Are you sure you don’t know what’s going on with you?” His tanned friend gave him a side hug. A significant smile adorning his handsome features.
“I’m so dumb“ he kept rambling, ignoring the couple’s expressions.
“Oh my god Park Chanyeol! Yes, you are impressively dumb. I’m sorry, I can’t deal with this!” Kyungsoo lost it, raising his hand as if he was surrendering.
Chanyeol was shocked at his friend’s sudden reaction, his eyes were so big, Kyungsoo and Jongin worried they would pop out of their eye bowls.
Truth was, Chanyeol’s blindness to his own feelings was too much for someone with as little patience as Do Kyungsoo.
But it was fun to see, how on the outside, it looked like all the gears in Chanyeol’s brain were working together, trying hard to reveal something that was so obvious to everyone else, but not to him.
“You want me to draw it out for you?” Kyungsoo seemed more at ease, but still a little agitated.
A very confused Chanyeol sighed and went back to his blueprints, trying to end the conversation there.
“I thought he would finally see the light,” Jongin whispered to his boyfriend with a tone of slight disappointment.
“I think our expectations of him are too high,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.
ᚔ
It was Wednesday and Chanyeol hadn’t seen Baekhyun since their pizza night on Friday.
After reflecting on his conversation with his friends, and the mysterious attitude behind it, he thought he needed some space to fit everything into place; but now, he was actually wondering why Baekhyun hadn't reached out to him.
He was trying to focus on his Ethics essay when he heard his door being opened.
“Chanyeol-ah? Yeol?” Baekhyun’s voice filled the room.
“I’m here!” He answered, and a small smile escaped his plump lips.
“Thank god” the little guy whined “I was hoping to find you here, I had a terrible morning” he complained.
“What happened?” Chanyeol put his homework aside and turned from the desk to face Baekhyun, who threw himself over Chanyeol’s bed.
“Mister Ku, the Finance teacher, handed out our grades for the last test. Can you believe I got a B plus?! What the hell is that Chanyeollie, eighty five percent of effort?”
“I think it’s remarkable. You always do great Baekhyunee” he smiled, absolutely delighted by his friend’s childish tantrum.
“Remarkable? An A is remarkable, A plus is remarkable, B plus is a ‘ good job, try harder next time’ kinda grade” and then came the pout.
Chanyeol knew he was done for the moment Baekhyun pouted. His pout always brought something out of him. All these cute antics were always so amusing to Chanyeol, but now he actually felt his heart shrinking inside his chest.
Was he having a heart attack?
“You’ll do even better next time. I’m sure of it” he said softly, ignoring the throbbing feeling on his chest.
“Thank you Yeol. And I’m sorry for interrupting you, what were you working on?” The sudden change in the topic made him remember about his essay. Baekhyun stood up from the bed and positioned himself right next to Chanyeol “oh, Ethics” he said, checking the screen of Chanyeol’s laptop.
The smell of Baekhyun’s perfume invaded him, the subtle aroma of lilies and sandalwood, mixed with the fragrance of his fabric softener made Chanyeol lose focus.
Again.
“Do you need help with it? I’m quite good with words myself,” asked Baekhyun, giving him his signature boxy smile and crescent eyes.
“No, don’t worry. I’ll get to it later. I’m kind of hungry now… do you want to go grab something to eat?” Chanyeol needed a time out. And some fresh air.
“Ok, yes. Can we have Udon ? I’m craving Udon !”
“Yes we can. Whatever you want,” he answered softly.
And Chanyeol failed to notice the glowing look his best friend gave him.
It turned out, eating Udon wasn’t a good idea.
Chanyeol had no idea why the food settled so bad in him, considering they ate at their usual pojangmacha near the school. But he was feeling like shit the next day.
After throwing up his guts, he was left sweating with chills and muscle cramps.
He knew he had to get some medicine ASAP. He could only afford a day of sick leave, giving the exams period, but considering his weak state, leaving bed was a titanic task. One he couldn’t fulfill even if he had all the will in the world.
He thought about calling Baekhyun, but he wouldn’t want to make him feel guilty or worried about his affliction, and knowing him best, his best friend would take full responsibility and act like his personal doctor.
Also, maybe Baekhyun was going through the same thing, they ate together after all. Better not to be bothersome.
Chanyeol pondered his options and finally, decided to call Jongin, who was also closer to him. “Hey, Jongin,” he groaned on the phone when his friend picked up, “ hyung! ” answered Jongin “ hey, are you okay? Your voice sounds odd” , Chanyeol sighed “Actually, I’m not. Listen, can I ask you a favor?” Jongin went mute for a few seconds but then “as in right now?”, Chanyeol frowned “if you’re busy then don’t worry, I’ll try with someone else” he said with disappointment “ No, no, it’s okay hyung, tell me, I’ll see what I can do”, replied the younger one.
Upon finishing the call, he fell asleep again, due to exhaustion and weakness.
When he woke up later in the evening, the lights of his dorm room were dimmed. He sighed, at least sleeping somehow helped him recover from his physical pain.
Slowly opening his eyes, what he saw left him rather speechless.
Baekhyun was sleeping uncomfortably on the small armchair in his cramped room. Arms crossed over his chest and his head lolling to the right. His chocolate bangs were almost covering his eyes and he was making small sounds, as if he were dreaming.
He looked around his room and on his nightstand, he saw bottles of water, medicine and a thermometer. And on his desk, what looked like a bowl of food.
Chanyeol's heart skipped a beat, what was Baekhyun doing there? How long had he been asleep?
Recovering from his stupor and with a warm feeling settling in his chest, Chanyeol slowly sat up on his bed. A smile of absolute bliss installed on his face, due to the realization of Baekhyun taking care of him.
When he was finally able to get out of bed, he walked over to his best friend and shook him gently.
"Hey, Baek, wake up," he told him. His tone was calm and soft.
He watched as Baekhyun slowly came back from dreamland. Rubbing his eyes and regaining some clarity, he looked at him with concern, but with a soft smile adorning his features.
"Yeol, I was so worried. I didn't want to wake you up, how are you feeling?" Bakehyun asked him, his face still with obvious traces of sleepiness.
"I feel better, thank you, but what are you doing here?" he inquired, kneeling in front of his friend.
“Jongin texted me. He said you were sick and it was impossible for him to come here to help you, so he asked me to come instead. Why didn't you tell me Yeol?" His tone showed some disappointment. "You know you can call me when these kinds of things happen."
Chanyeol smiled and took Baekhyun’s hand. Kim Jongin, that little shit.
He caressed the delicate hand gently, making little circles in the back of it. Of course he knew that he could call his best friend. He knew Baekhyun would’ve done anything, because he would do the same for him.
"I didn't want to worry you. I know how you are and I knew you would feel responsible. It was just a little upset stomach" he replied.
"Of course I feel bad, eating udon was my idea after all!" a pout settling on his glossy lips "for that very reason I should have been the first person you went to.” He crossed his arms with a huff, "But that doesn't matter anymore” waved off Baekhyun, “Please take your medicine and drink some water. I'll go to the kitchen to heat up the chicken soup I brought for you, okay? You must be starving." Saying that, Baekhyun got up and walked to the desk to grab the bowl of food.
"You don't have to, I can do it myself" Chanyeol tried to stop him, but Baekhyun took his hand and smiled.
"Go back to bed, you idiot. I'll be back in a second" and he walked out of the room.
Chanyeol stood in the middle of his dormitory. Looking at the closing door as his fond smile flashed his dimple.
ᚔ
Two days after his stomach betrayed him, Chanyeol was now making up for the lost time.
As his school life decided to hold an even bigger grudge on him than before, he found himself with double the assignments than the previous week. So he knew he had to spend most of his precious time at the library and his workshop doing his best to catch up.
A week later, he was significantly more relieved, so he decided to buy something delicious as a treat for the hard work.
He was about to call Baekhyun when he caught him.
His friend was smiling, but it wasn’t just any smile, it was the most endearing smile he had ever seen before. The problem was that said smile was being dedicated to someone Chanyeol has seen before, someone he previously described as a very rich and handsome dude, someone by the name of Choi Minho.
Something inside his chest stung at the scene.
Did Baekhyun ever smile at him that way? Why was he feeling sick all of a sudden? Aside from the annoying sting in his chest, there was another unidentified feeling revolving his stomach. And it wasn’t in a fun or pleasuring way.
“Chanyeol hyung? Are you okay?” Jongin stopped his train of thoughts.
He diverted his look from the scene unfolding before him and looked at Jongin, who seemed concerned “yes, I am. But I think I’ll skip lunch. I forgot I had this assignment for AI class” he lied.
“What assignment?” Jongin inquired, “there’s nothing pending for AI, hyung. Are you sure you’re feeling well? You look a bit pale”
“Yes Jongin-ah, I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. I think I need a nap, this week has been exhausting.” He started walking in the opposite direction of Baekhyun, trying to look casual in his escape. He only thought about being in his room, where he would feel safe.
“But you just said…” he didn’t listen to what Jongin was saying, wishing to be far from that place as soon as possible.
Jongin stood there, dumbfounded with Chanyeol’s reaction and worried about his hyung.
“Jongin-ah, where is Chanyeol? I swear I saw him right here like two seconds ago” asked a panting Baekhyun.
“Hyung, hi, he… he just left,” replied a bewildered Jongin.
“ Oh , I really tried to get rid of Minho sunbae as soon as I saw Yeol, but he kept talking and talking,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes.
Jongin smiled sheepishly, “he said he was going to take a nap, hyung”.
“Did he look okay? Maybe he had a relapse” Baekhyun pondered worriedly “I’ll let him rest and check up on him later. Thanks Jonginnie!”
“No worries, Baekhyun hyung, please make sure he’s okay”, Jongin asked sweetly.
And they parted ways.
Once Chanyeol found himself in the calm of his room, after running like a madman, sweating and panting from his race, he sat on the floor, reflecting on his feelings.
Baekhyun has had his fair share of dates and wooers and it never was an issue before. Why is this suddenly bothering him?
He got up from the floor and walked towards his desk. The medicine and the thermometer from one week ago were still there.
He looked at them fondly.
Such insignificant objects were a reminder of the things Baekhyun would do for him.
Their friendship was something sacred for both of them, and Chanyeol didn’t want to be an idiot, not with one of the most important people in his life.
He couldn't and he didn't want to dwell on the matter anymore, so the excuse of taking a nap seemed to be the perfect way to stop thinking. At least for a couple of hours.
ᚔ
From: Baekhyunee - 10:40
Good morning Yeol
Are you free for lunch today?
Meet me at the pojangmacha at 2.
I have something very important to tell you.
See you there!
To: Baekhyunee - 10:45
are u you dating Minho?
are u
whats going on?
what
is it really impor
Chanyeol kept tapping away at his phone, drafting new messages and deleting old ones. After finally settling on a text that didn’t seem too desperate, he hit send.
To: Baekhyunee 10:50
see u at two. have a nice day, fighting! ^^
When Chanyeol arrived at the pojangmacha, Baekhyun was already there. Sat straight, looking at his phone, slim fingers of his left hand in his mouth, and his right leg in a repetitive motion. Chanyeol knew too well these were signs of anxiety and nervousness.
“Have you been waiting for too long?” He asked when he was close enough to talk to Baekhyun without startling him.
“Around five minutes? More or less…” Baekhyun tilted his head like a little puppy.
“Did you order?”
“ Odeng and tteokbokki. No Udon for us this time, so no worries ” the small one smiled “and we’ll share” he added.
Chanyeol nodded. He knew it wasn’t a question. “So… what was that important thing you had to tell me?” He asked, faking nonchalance.
“Oh, yeah, that!” Baekhyun beamed oh so bright “I’m going to Jeju next week! Mister Choe, my International Business teacher, picked me as one of the students that will represent Yonsei in this very important congress. We’ll assist him and have the chance to attend the different conferences there. Can you believe it, Yeol?” He spoke very fast, showing his excitement “among hundreds of students, I was personally chosen by Professor Choe!”
It was so obvious Baekhyun was happy and beyond proud of himself.
And Chanyeol was sure about the endless reasons why he was handpicked by his teacher.
Baekhyun was brilliant, probably the best student of his generation, so this news wasn't a shocker for him, which of course did not make it less important or minimize his best friend’s achievement.
“I wanted to tell you first. I haven’t even called my parents or Baekbeom hyung to tell them!” Baekhyun couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.
“I’m so proud of you. I’m so happy you are being given this chance” he said, calmly.
Somehow, he wanted Baekhyun to know his words were sincere. “I’m not surprised though, you are incredibly smart, you work your ass off, you have amazing grades and on top of that, you are polite, respectful and charming. I think Mister Choe knew perfectly well what he was doing”.
Baekhyun was visibly moved by his words. And when Chanyeol noticed he was on the verge of crying, he stood up.
“Oh no, you're not supposed to be crying Baek.”
“But-… but you said all those nice things and I… these are happy tears” the small one was trying hard to fight back the tears, pooling in his eyes.
“I said those things because I believed them. I truly do”.
“Thank you Yeol. I’m so happy to have you, really. You have no idea how thankful I am for everything you do for me, how lucky I feel because you’re my best friend. I love… I love that you are so supportive of me, really, what would I do without you?”
The warm feeling inside Chanyeol’s chest expanded to his whole body, making him feel in a way he couldn’t put into words. “It’s the same for me Baekhyunee” both their smiles reaching their eyes as they stared at each other “so tell me, how many days? How many of you are going? I want to know everything, sounds exciting!”
“It’ll be 7 days. And luckily, Minho sunbae is part of the commission too…" At the mention of that name, all the warmth and happiness from seconds ago, flew across the earth. Chanyeol’s smile was long gone.
Baekhyun was going to spend seven days in Jeju, away from him and with none other than Choi Minho “…because he had the most experience among the chosen people, you know. Anyhow, it’s not like we need a nanny to go around. Plus, Yixing hyung and Wendy will be there too” Baekhyun stopped his verbiage “Yeol? Are you listening?” His sweet tone brought him back.
“So there are four students in the commission?” He shooted the question. That piece of information was very important.
“Six, actually, but I don’t know the other two. They’re students from Economics” shrugged Baekhyun.
And that statement made his soul return to his body.
Partially.
ᚔ
Baekhyun had to leave for Jeju that day, so Chanyeol made sure to be free to send his friend off.
He bought candies, bottled water and took Baekhyun’s luggage as they walked towards the bus that would take the commission to the airport.
Kyungsoo joked about him fulfilling his boyfriend’s duties earlier and Jongin stopped his boyfriend when he saw Chanyeol freaking out.
Baekhyun was so excited, he kept talking about all the things he was going to do the moment he arrived in Jeju, and asking Chanyeol for recommendations and reminding him to drink water and eat healthily in his absence.
Chanyeol couldn't do anything but nod obediently to Baekhyun’s words.
The moment the bus left he returned to his dorm room, walking slowly and kicking little peebles.
Chanyeol couldn’t stop thinking about the smudge smile Minho had every time he looked at a very oblivious Baekhyun. He knew this wasn’t a romantic getaway, but he wasn’t having any of it.
And it was bothering him.
From: Baekhyunee 17:09
Hello Yeol, how are you?
Jeju is terribly windy, help!!
To: Baekhyunee 17:11
hi Baek!
did u take a windbreaker or jacket with u?
From: Baekhyunee 17:12
I did, but I think I should’ve brought something warmer.
Is everything ok over there? Are you ok?
I miss you Yeol! Jeju isn’t as fun without you :(
To: Baekhyunee 17:16
do u need me to send u a padded jacket?? i think we can do that
it may take a day to arrive tho
i’m ok, just busy finishing my pendings, how about u?
enjoy jeju, we can come back for summer!
and i miss u too.
From: Baekhyunee 17:18;
Seriously? Could you do that for me Yeol?
You’re the best, what would I do without you?
522 Haemajihaean-ro, Gujwa-eup, Gujwa, 63358, thats the address of the hotel!
Thank you Yeol, drink water and please, don’t eat only ramyeon.
Chanyeol hurried his steps to Baekhyun’s room, knowing very well that his friend couldn’t handle the cold.
He needed to send that jacket as soon as possible, not taking any more time, because if he did this today, he was pretty sure the package would arrive in Jeju for the next day.
Already outside the door rooms, he texted Baekhyun, asking him to tell Sehun he was going in, so the guy wouldn't be startled upon his arrival.
When Chanyeol went in, Sehun was chilling in his bed, wearing mismatched sweatpants and hoodie, his bare feet moving at the rhythm of a catchy hip hop song.
The young man smiled at him, bread cheeks in full display “hi hyung!” he said while lowering the volume of the music “Baekhyun hyung’s jackets are in the right side of the closet”, he informed.
“Thank you Sehun, how have you been?” He asked while going through the closet in search of the right jacket.
"Fine. Thanks for asking, hyung," the boy replied, like he was a little kid. He stared at Chanyeol, noticing he was struggling with his choice, "did you find what you were looking for?"
Chanyeol, who was torn between three different pieces of clothing, shook his head.
Sehun stood up and walked in his direction. Once next to him, he grabbed a bronze colored padded jacket. "This is Baekhyun hyung's favorite one" he commented, handling him the article, "for someone who has known him for a long time and is his best friend, there are many things about him that you seem not to notice".
Sehun's words left Chanyeol dumbfounded, who, not understanding the purpose of his comment, turned to the boy with a tad bit of annoyance "what do you mean, Oh Sehun?" One eyebrow cocked up.
"Nothing," and a simple shrug was what he got in response.
"It seems to me that it is much more than nothing," he insisted.
"Hyung, I really like you, but sometimes I think you don't deserve him... I don't know if you prefer to ignore what's going on around you or you're just… dumb"
"Hey! Don't go too far Sehun, I'm your elder!"
"You're right hyung, my apologies" Sehun offered him a small bow to reinforce his words "But seriously, this is getting on my nerves. And I’m too young for wrinkles or gray hair. Wake up or someone else will take your place”.
"What's with all these cryptic messages? Can you be more clear?"
"It's not my duty to talk. For that matter, it's Baekhyun hyung who should do it" and he shrugged again "Now hyung, I don't want to be rude but my boyfriend is coming and I still have to take a shower and get ready for our date, so if you don't have anything else to do or say..." and he made a not-so-subtle gesture indicating the door.
“Okay, you know what Sehun? I feel like you know something I don’t and it would be really helpful if you just tell me” Chanyeol scratched his forehead with a finger.
Sehun sighed “hyung, you know it, Baekhyun hyung knows it, I’m sure your friends do too. Hyung, probably the entire campus also knows it” he said nonchalantly.
Chanyeol held the jacket tighter.
“Did he…?”
“Nope, not gonna say anything. I’m not a snitch, man up and ask him yourself”
“But…”
“No buts. He is your best friend, not me”
Chanyeol deflated. Sehun was a nut hard to crack “Alright then, I’m leaving”, The younger one walked him to the door and opened it for him “so… you and your boyfriend are back together?”
“Not gonna work hyung. Now leave, I don’t want Junmyeon hyung to find you here when he arrives. Good luck though, you seem to need it” Sehun interrupted him and closed the door.
ᚔ
Chanyeol woke up to the insistent vibrations of his phone. Sleepy, he tried to reach for the device on his nightstand, without being able to open his eyes yet.
He didn’t know what time it was, but by the time he held it and accepted the call, he was awakened just by the voice on the other side of the line.
“Chanyeol-ah? Yeol?” Baekhyun’s voice was hoarse, strange and unfamiliar.
“Baek? Are you okay? What’s happening?” He sat straight, regaining clarity after hearing his best friend’s voice on the speaker.
“Did I wake you up? I’m so sorry Yeol! What time is it?”
Chanyeol looked at the screen of his phone. 2 in the morning, what’s going on?
“It’s 2 AM Baek, it’s everything okay?”
He heard a chuckle from Baekhyun’s side.
“I’m so sorry” he blurted again, the same chuckle filling the line, “I didn’t check the time… I-… I wanted to talk to you, I miss you so much Chanyeol-ah… like…”
“Are you drunk?” Chanyeol’s tone was one of concern. Baekhyun wasn’t exactly good at handling alcohol.
“Drunk? Nah, I’m a little tipsy, just that…” and that giggle again, setting on all the alarm bells in Chanyeol's head “I just, I really wanted to hear your voice… Jeju is so cold… and we went out and I might have had too much beer? Haaaaa… the sky is so beautiful but it’s so cold…” Baekhyun rambled.
Now that Chanyeol was able to hear Baekhyun’s voice with more clarity, he had come to the realization. It sounded funny and thick. Baekhyun was dragging every word. He wasn’t just tipsy.
“Who are you with? Are you alone? Are you safe?” Chanyeol was trying hard to stay as calm and collected as he could. And it was hard, considering he was miles away and there was not much he could do “is there anyone with you Baek?”
He heard foreign sounds. Laughters and someone else's voice in the background. He had the impression Baekhyun’s phone was being tossed around through a lot of people “Baek, are you still there? Can you hear me?”
“Hello?” A new voice took over the call. The whole situation was getting on Chanyeol’s nerves “Who’s there?” The stranger asked.
“This is Park Chanyeol. Who am I talking to?”
“Oh, you called that Chanyeol guy?” He heard the question. The person wasn’t talking to him “This is Choi Minho. I’m with Baekhyunee right now… you don’t have to worry, he’s with me… yeah… he’s way too drunk, he probably got confused and called you”
That certainly hit a nerve “Where are you now? Are you near your hotel? Is Baekhyun alright?” He asked, totally out of himself.
“Yeah, we’re ok, we’re having fun, Baekhyunee here is tipsy, but do not worry. He’s having the time of his life” the mocking tone upset him to no avail.
That’s it. Chanyeol could not deal with this right now.
If Baekhyun went out to party with these guys and got as drunk as a skunk, it was totally out of Chanyeol’s hands. What is there for him to do?
“Please take care of him” he sighed, knowing very well his words will fall to deaf ears.
“I will, don’t worry Chanhyun, we’re having fun!” Choi shooted directly in his ear.
Pissed off, Chanyeol pressed the red button on his phone’s screen and ended the call.
In anger, he threw his cell phone across the room, and with his breathing still ragged, he forced himself into a restless sleep.
ᚔ
“Yah! Chanyeol-ah! What is it with that dark aura?” Kim Jongdae’s whiny voice brought him back to earth “Are you revisiting your emo phase? Please, don’t go back to the long greasy hair, it wasn’t flattering” he continued, a fake disgusted grimace.
“He’s not laughing Jongdae-yah, I think this is actually serious…” next to Chanyeol, Minseok's expression turned into an earnest one.
Kim Jongdae has been his friend since kindergarten. A loud, restless, talkative kid that approached Chanyeol the very first day of class, offering half his Kimbap , and telling him about his very impressive toy car collection.
Chanyeol himself, a friendly kid with a big appetite, took less than two seconds to accept that little guy with a cat smile into his life. For good.
Kim Minseok came right after.
Two years older than them, Minseok was Jongdae's cousin and partner in crime (well, not exactly, since Minseok was who actually brought some judgment to the trio). Always so sweet, polite, caring and supportive. All things an older brother should be. That was their Minseok hyung.
“Are you gonna talk or do I have to smack it out of you?” Jongdae sipped his coffee, his eyebrows going high into his hairline.
“It’s Baekhyun…” he replied, playing with the mug between his hands.
“Did something happen to him? I thought he was in Jeju…” said Minseok, doubt written all over his face “I saw some pictures on his instagram story”
“He is… and he’s okay, at least I hope so…”
“What do you mean? Chanyeol, I don’t want to be an asshole but I’m not really into this mysterious vibe. Can you be more specific?” Jongdae huffed.
“Dae, for fuck’s sake!” called out Minseok.
Chanyeol sighed. He spent the last two days avoiding Baekhyun’s calls and texts.
Truth is, his feelings were so confusing he didn’t actually know how to face his best friend. That was exactly the reason why he called Jongdae and Minseok, he knew there would not be any other people in this world more honest and with a better perspective of the situation than his childhood friends. It also helped that they were Baekhyun’s friends too.
Although he knew exactly what was going on with him (and his very complex feelings), he needed some advice.
“He got drunk the other day and he called me. I was so worried I kept asking him if he was okay, if he was safe, you guys know Baekhyun’s a lightweight…” he explained “But then, this prick, he’s Baek’s senior, and… they were on a date a few weeks ago. He took over the phone and started to say a lot of trash and guys, I got so mad I hung up…” only then, Chanyeol realized his eyes were actually itching. “I’ve been trying to understand what's happening to me, these feelings… because he’s my best friend you know?”
“Have you tried to tell him?” asked Minseok carefully.
“I just came to the realization a few weeks ago, I…”
“Smack him Minseok hyung. Smack him straight in the head” deadpanned Jongdae “maybe the two brain cells in there will finally fire.”
“Nobody’s gonna smack anybody here, Jongdae. Can you please be a little more sensitive?” spoke a vexed Minseok.
“I’m not insensitive!” Whined Jongdae. He turned his gaze to Chanyeol, who looked like a kicked (giant) puppy. “Hey, Yeol, Chanyeol-ah, look at me,” he said, lowering his voice. Chanyeol raised his glare and stared back at Jongdae's eyes “for how long have we been friends? Eighteen, nineteen years, perhaps? I know you like the back of my hand, dude” he smiled softly “and if there’s something I know for sure, it is about these not-so-secret feelings of yours… At this point, probably half of Korea knows, but that’s not the point” Jongdae let out a long deep breath “what I mean is, you’re my best friend, and Baekhyun, well, Baekhyun’s your soulmate, you know? You guys are absurdly good together and you don’t need to be a genius to see that. And I get it might be a shocker to realize you’re actually in love with your best friend but it’s not a bad thing. It’s actually fucking rad, because literally, that’s your other half, you know?”
Chanyeol didn’t realize he was actually shedding tears until Minseok was gently weeping them. A soft, sweet smile plastered on his pretty face.
“You need to tell him Chanyeol-ah. You need to let it out… it’ll make you feel free” he said.
“What if…?”
“Smack him, Minseok hyung…” interrupted Jongdae with his signature whiny voice.
Minseok rolled his eyes “stop ruining the mood, Kim Jongdae! And you, Park Chanyeol, are you a coward?” Chanyeol shook his head “good, that’s what I thought. Then, as soon as Byun Baekhyun lands a foot in Seoul, you’re gonna tell him about your feelings… okay? I have a good hunch about it”
“It’s not a hunch if it’s so painfully obvious, hyung”, replied Jongdae, rolling his eyes.
And finally granting Jongae’s wish, Minseok smacked someone’s head.
Luckily it wasn’t Chanyeol’s.
Contrary to what he promised to his friends, Chanyeol did a pretty good job avoiding Baekhyun.
When the little one announced he was back in the city, his heart did a somersault. It was quite hard to keep it at ease, and that scared him. A whole fucking lot.
He finally texted Baekhyun back saying that he was kinda busy with the last details of his nano robot.
The next day, he told him that he was super busy helping Yoora go grocery shopping (his sister didn’t even do the grocery shopping herself, it was her husband’s duty).
The day after that he told him he was going to be studying in the library because finals were around the corner and I really need to focus, Baekhyunee.
And so, he completed a full week successfully ditching his friend.
By that time, Baekhyun wasn’t insisting anymore, so he sort of thought the message was received, but… what was the message he wanted to deliver exactly?
Every time he made up a new excuse he felt like shit. All he wanted to do was see his best friend and… the rest was going to be figured out later, but he wasn’t exactly having a good time pulling all these stunts.
Jongdae texted him, and he ghosted him as well, because obviously, he was going to probably curse him and tell him a thing or two. And it wasn’t going to be nice.
So it was safe to just stay away from everyone. Except for Jongin and Kyungsoo.
That couldn’t be avoided.
“I can’t believe you’re avoiding Baekhyun. It’s actually ridiculous to think that you’re the same guy who works with nanotechnology, like, which part of your brain should I trust?” Kyungsoo was munching on his honey butter chips and judging him hard. But that wasn’t exactly a news flash.
“Give him some time. I know he’ll make the right decision” replied Jongin, checking the functions of their model in his laptop, pouting lips in concentration.
“Your hopes are high up, Nini.”
“I’m right here” sighed Chanyeol.
“I know, and I don’t care. I am resolute to ignore you. You deserve it” shrugged Kyungsoo.
“That’s it” Chanyeol dropped his glasses and stood up from the stool, “I’m going out, I need some air”
“You okay, hyung?” A visibly concerned Jongin asked.
“Yeah, I’m… yeah, just give me a few minutes…” and he left the workshop in search of some much needed peace of mind.
Jongin squinted to his boyfriend.
“What?” asked Kyungsoo pretending not to understand.
“You didn’t have to be so hard to him, Kyungsoo hyung”
“I’m doing it in the name of love” replied the shortest one, making his boyfriend laugh.
Once out, Chanyeol breathed in and out. He knew what he had to do, he knew very well he had to stop his nonsense, and he knew perfectly fine everyone was right, and they were also right to be mad at him for being such an idiot.
But he seriously just needed a little more time.
He decided to direct his steps to a cafe near the campus. An iced americano was going to work miracles, it always did.
Once in the coffee shop, he went straight to the line to order. He didn’t realize he went in at a very busy time, but it was okay. He told himself that it was enough distraction to his tangled mind.
As the line moved, while he was scrolling down his Twitter timeline to get updates about whatever, someone reached to him, holding his shoulder and startling him in the process.
“Hey, Chanyeol, long time no see!” It was Zhang Yixing. Baekhyun’s senior and friend.
“Yixing hyung, how are you?” He replied, once the rush from the surprise slowed down.
“Fine, great. In a very much needed caffeine dose. This week has been hectic. Just two more days and finals will be over. Then, I’ll have to wait for my results and with a little bit of luck, I’ll be graduating next year!”
“I’m sure you’ll nail the final exams, hyung” and he saw Yixing dimples as a beam decorated his face.
“Thanks, Chanyeol-ah! Where’s Baekhyun, by the way? It’s odd not seeing you guys side by side”
“Oh, that I don’t know” he shrugged, guilt-stinging “I’ve been working on the workshop day and night. And we haven’t really see each other these days”
Yixing hummed “He mentioned he was going to visit you first thing after landing in Seoul. Your project must be kept you from everything”
“Yeah…” he trailed off “how was Jeju hyung, did you guys have fun?” He drastically changed the topic, curiosity winning him over.
“It was fun and very educational. Professor Choe is an eminence so it was an honor to attend the congress with him”
“I heard you partied there too…” he faked a teasing tone.
J ust why, why did he have to be like this?
“Oh… it was just this one night,” Yixing laughed sheepishly. “We went for drinks and we all got a bit tipsy. It was fun, but Baekhyun was actually that night’s MVP. He made me laugh so hard I actually cried”
That caught Chanyeol’s attention, as he let Yixing continue his story.
“He was on the phone with you, you know, we all knew how much he missed you because he just couldn’t shut up about it. He was being all cute and Minho took his phone away from him, and jeez, I didn’t know our Baekhyunee had this in him but he actually whacked Choi right in the forehead and called him all kinds of names. He called him nosy, self-centered, a prying prick and he even told him to pull his head out of his ass…” by the time Yixing reached that part of the story, he was once again tearing up from laughing so hard “I can’t stop myself from laughing every time I remember. Minho’s face was a poem” wiping away the remaining tears, Yixing looked at him, now with a fondness expression “It's ridiculously impressive the way your relationship is built, Baekhyun was so mad for being interrupted in the middle of your call… you can perceive from miles away and without knowing a lot just how much he loves you. You must be one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen”
And like it was on cue, it was Chanyeol’s time to order. So all the things he had to ask, died at the tip of his tongue as Yixing ordered and then stormed away from the coffee shop, arguing he took enough time procrastinating his assignments already.
A very determined Chanyeol turned his steps towards the School of Business.
He didn’t even have a plan. But he was wearing his heart in his sleeve, to finally give it away to the only person for him. His best friend.
Chanyeol arrived at Baekhyun's bedroom doorway, a sweating and panting mess.
He had never run so fervently and desperately, just thinking about finally saying everything he had been running away from for the past few weeks, too scared to face his own feelings.
He was still afraid of the result. Nothing guaranteed that he would get the answer that he desired in the bottom of his heart.
In his head, all the conversations with his friends were intertwined leading him to the same conclusion: he was in love with Baekhyun, it was always him.
That deep talk about soulmates that Jongdae gave him, Jongin's endless faith in him, always believing that he would do the right thing. Kyungsoo's anger at him for not being able to face his feelings. Minseok's sweetness and understanding. And of course, Yixing's perspective on his relationship with the smaller man. Warm feelings nestled in his chest, fear dissipated like mist at dawn.
Whatever the outcome of this act of love and bravery, Chanyeol knew two things for sure; The first one was that he would no longer let himself be carried away by cowardice and the second and most important one, if anyone was worthy of this, it was definitely Baekhyun.
And if he had to wait, if he had to demonstrate with actions and words that crazy way in which his heart leaped, his breath hitched and his head spun, he would find a way to prove that he was worthy of the treasure that was being the one Baekhyun loved.
Three knocks on the door and anxiety was skyrocketing and his nerves were wrecked.
After what felt like forever, the door opened and well, it wasn’t exactly what he expected after picturing the scene on his long run there: Sehun stood at the door, arms crossed over his chest, his bare feet furiously tapping the floor and his left eyebrow curled up. An unamused expression on his face, “Yes?” He asked, visibly annoyed.
Chanyeol’s very elaborated speech stuck on his throat after the displeased welcome.
“Is Baek here?” He inquired anyway, all confidence gone.
“Yeah, but he’s kinda busy right now, ” deadpanned Sehun.
“Can you please let me in? I really need to talk to him”
“Nope”.
That was Chanyeol’s last straw. He knew he deserved this cold treatment, considering how close Sehun and Baekhyun were, the taller guy probably had to listen to Baekhyun as he went down a spiral of doubts giving Chanyeol’s attitude lately.
“I don’t want you to come in. You were ignoring Baekhyun hyung for the last week and he had a really hard time trying to understand what was going on with you and your brain. I have my theory, I think it is full of hot air and nothing else…”
“Sehunnie…” an unfamiliar voice came from inside the room. Chanyeol tried to take a peek inside, but Sehun covered the space with his body.
“What?” Replied Sehun to the person, unbothered, his eyes piercing Chanyeol’s skull.
“You’re being disrespectful”, the voice sounded closer and the door swung open.
There, Chanyeol could see the owner of said voice. Kim Junmyeon, Sehun’s boyfriend. “Hello Chanyeol ssi, how are you?” He asked, polite and all smiles.
“He-hello Junmyeon sunbaenim. I’m good, thank you” Junmyeon’s pretty eyes became crescents as his smile grew wider.
“I believe Sehun and I are leaving now” he said, giving Sehun an earnest look.
“But hyung!” Whined Sehun.
“Yes, Sehunnie?” Junmyeon spoke to his boyfriend as if he was a kid.
“We had to make him suffer a little bit more. Why are you such a buzzkill, hyung? I wanted him to shed some tears!”
“Oh Sehun, you’re being a brat!” The older one called him out “go pick your jacket and put on some shoes, I’ll be waiting outside”
Chanyeol was lost for words.
And there he was thinking Jongin and Kyungsoo were an odd couple.
Once they were outside, the door was still open and with no Baekhyun at sight, Junmyeon spoke again “Get in, Chanyeol. And good luck” he added with a wink, and grabbed Sehun’s arm as he dragged him down the hall.
Sehun stuck his tongue out at Chanyeol as his boyfriend dragged him out of sight.
Chanyeol walked into the room, with his heart pounding in his chest and his hands shaking.
Baekhyun had his back turned, furiously typing on his laptop.
Chanyeol closed the door behind him and Baekhyun sighed audibly and turned around.
The expression on his face was neutral, there was nothing there to tell Chanyeol what he might be thinking, until he looked at his hands clasped in his lap and his slender fingers moving incessantly. Baekhyun was just as nervous.
Not knowing exactly what to do next (Chanyeol's brain stopped working.exe), with clumsy movements he approached his best friend, who looked up from him and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I..." he had to start somewhere. "I have something to say..." he cleared his throat.
Baekhyun just nodded, letting him know that he was listening.
"First of all, I want to apologize. I've been a complete idiot ignoring you after you came back from Jeju. Not just an idiot, but an inconsiderate one too, and I'm so sorry Baek, I have no justification, I just..." he breathed long and loudly "so much has been going on with me lately… I… I've been thinking a lot and I think I realized something..."
The face of the smallest was stoic. There was no visible reaction to his words, so he decided to continue.
"The last few weeks I..." he sighed "I realized that what I feel for you is much bigger than just friendship"
Well, he did it, kudos to him.
"I... I'm in love with you Byun Baekhyun and before you say anything or hit me or kick me out of your room, I just want to say that it doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way I do, I only came here so I can finally say it out loud, say it to you and get it out because it’s suffocating me... you don’t have to reciprocate my feelings, seriously that's fine, you can even walk away from this friendship, although that would suck, or… or we can continue as best friends, I think it will hurt but I know I'll get used to it eventually…"
His stream of words was stopped by two arms squeezing him tightly and a little head housed in his neck, Baekhyun's warm breath tickling there.
His breathing stopped. The remaining words stuck in his throat.
"You can start by hugging me back, that would be nice" Baekhyun's voice was small and soft.
Chanyeol reacted to his suggestion and hugged him, so tight that Baekhyun groaned.
They both laughed at it.
"Is there anything else you want to say?" asked the brown haired one.
"I think I forgot the rest of the speech" he replied sheepishly, inhaling the scent of his best friend's hair.
Baekhyun let go of the hug and looked into his eyes again. His smile, that sweet smile, the one responsible for all the chaos inside Chanyeol.
That charming smile that he had seen thousands of times, just for him.
"Chanyeol-ah, have you really not noticed?"
Chanyeol shook his head, confused by his friend's question.
"There's no way I can defend you from everyone else when you're this slow. I don't think I have enough arguments to debate about your intelligence with others anymore" Baekhyun told him with a mischievous smile.
"Hey!" the tallest one whined "what do you mean by the others?"
"Sehun, Jondgae, Minseok hyung…even Kyungsoo" Baekhyun shrugged.
"So you..." The sudden realization that came with Baekhyun's words hit him like a train "...you knew."
"After three days that you didn't answer your phone, I called Dae and he..."
"Damn Kim Jongdae, can't he keep his big mouth shut?"
"I think he was trying to help. Don't be mad at him, if he hadn't told me what happened in my absence, I would be as furious as Sehun was, so…"
Chanyeol pretended as if a chill ran through him. Baekhyun laughed.
"Sehun, well, he knows everything because he's my friend and roommate, it's obvious that I would turn to him to vent all my frustrations..."
"I know, that's why I wasn't surprised by such an unpleasant welcome."
"You can't blame him..."
"I don't. What about Kyungsoo?"
"Oh, that was random. I ran into him in a coffee shop and he just said that I should do something about us, because apparently you were too slow to do anything."
Of course Kyungsoo would say something like that. He shouldn’t be surprised.
Chanyeol noticed that they were still holding each other. Not wanting to let Baekhyun go, he buried his head in his neck. Baekhyun sighed.
"I'm in love with you too Chanyeol-ah" he finally said.
Chanyeol was sure he was going under cardiac arrest.
"I have been for a while, but I wasn't sure what was going on with you, so I didn't say anything either" Baekhyun's voice sounded muffled "For a while I noticed that something was happening, you were acting weird and then the Jeju trip happened and I, well, I thought you needed some time to digest your feelings and accept them. I know how confusing it can be, I went through it first" he laughed softly "but now you're here, with me, and I know it was worth it. The time I had wait to hear you say all those words, was worth it"
Chanyeol stepped back with a neutral expression on his face "What about Choi Minho?"
Don't be surprised, Sehun's theory about Chanyeol’s brain may not be so wrong.
"What about him?" Baekhyun laughed out loud.
"Don't know."
"Chanyeol, I'm here with you and literally just told you that I love you and you ask about a guy who is completely irrelevant?"
"I just wanted to make sure-"
Baekhyun’s mouth crashing Chanyeol’s, interrupted him mid sentence leaving him completely shocked by the sudden motion.
What if this was Baekhyun's way to shut him up from now on?
Chanyeol was willing to take a vow of silence for the rest of his life.
Baekhyun's soft, thin lips were and will probably be the best thing Chanyeol ever tasted.
The kiss, sweet and slow, made his head spin, and left his heart furiously thundering in his chest. He felt his legs like jelly.
Maybe he was under cardiac arrest after all.
It’s actually ridiculous to think what Baekhyun can do to him. Ridiculous and scary.
Chanyeol wondered if Baekhyun could hear his heart from this close. The same heartbeat he felt rumbling in his ears.
Baekhyun smiled in the middle of the kiss and then pulled away, gasping for air.
"Can we do this forever?" Chanyeol asked, an idiotic expression plastered on his face.
"Only if you stop running and hiding," Baekhyun teased.
"I'm here. With you. And I love you, Byun Baekhyun"
The smile that appeared automatically on the face of his… boyfriend? That did enough to Chanyeol's weak heart.
ᚔ
EPILOGUE
(Three years later)
“They’re married!”
“Well, it was about time”
“I can’t believe these two assholes finally tied the knot!”
“Sehunnieeeee…”
“Yes, hyung?”
“You’re being rude again…”
“Well, he’s kinda right, hyung,”
“Chanyeol-ah, don’t encourage him!”
“Sorry, hyung!”
“Baby?” Chanyeol turned and held Baekhyun’s hands and intertwined their fingers.
“Tell me” replied the smaller one, beaming brightly.
“Wanna go ahead to the venue? We can congratulate Jongin and Kyungsoo there. Everybody seems to be waiting to do that, so it might take a while” he pointed out to the newlyweds.
“But Chanyeol!” whined his boyfriend.
“It’s okay baby, I’m sure they won’t even notice we’re not here. They’re kinda busy”
“If Kyungsoo realizes and gets angry at us, I’m blaming you!” warned Baekhyun.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility,” smiled Chanyeol.
Baekhyun squinted, but he finally nodded and followed his boyfriend anyway.
While they were walking out the church hand in hand, Sehun got closer to his boyfriend and not so secretly whispered “This loser is proposing, isn't he? He really thinks he’s being smooth” Sehun’s eyebrows comically quirked.
Junmyeon shook his head and smiled at the young one, holding his hand lovingly “Let’s go give the grooms our best wishes, sweetheart.”
A very anxious Chanyeol kept playing with the little velvety box inside the pocket of his tailored pants, as he led his boyfriend to their car, to an unexpected stop before arriving at the wedding venue.
Praying to all the gods above that his sweet boyfriend will say yes and soon, they’ll be the ones joining their lives with a promise of forever .
And because he’s not an idiot, he won’t steal the spotlight from their friends at their freaking wedding .
Well, not entirely .
But it's not his fault that they choose to get married the same day that he confessed his feelings. The same day he kissed his best friend for the very first time. His best friend, his boyfriend, his soul mate, his soon-to-be-fiancé, the love of his life,
His Baekhyun.
I can't sleep even if I close my eyes every night
I stay up all night again, thinking of you
Your shining smile makes me breathe
Heaven - EXO