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The door slammed open with such force it could have taken it off its hinges, and Luhan was close to screaming. Brandishing a spatula as a weapon he leaned around the corner to see what was happening and was relieved to see it was only Minseok, wearing an extremely pleased expression. Luhan pointed at his shoes, and Minseok obliged, swapping from his work shoes to his house slippers, before shutting the door behind them.

“Oh my darling, it’s time for you to pay up!” he teased, holding his hand out.

“W-what?” Luhan spluttered, absolutely stunned by Minseok’s odd behaviour.

He laughed, like a little child, doing a little dance, before setting his work bag down. “Ah, Luhan. How naive of you to think love wouldn’t prevail?”

Blinking at him, Luhan was getting irritated. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Pulling out his phone and unlocking it, he gestured to whatever was on the screen, smiling at Luhan as he waited for the other to read.

And when he did, he wasn’t happy. “Are you ing kidding me?” before saying some more choice mandarin swear words.

“Isn’t it beautiful? Young love?” Minseok said, before dancing a little, getting into Luhan’s personal space.

Luhan snorted. “You’re only saying that because it made you money, .”

Minseok didn’t care, he just liked the fact that he won the bet. Admittedly it was a reduced amount since the original bet had expired and a new one had been set with a smaller amount of winnings. The money wasn’t why he was so happy, rather he enjoyed proving Luhan wrong.

Jongin and Kyungsoo had made things Facebook official last night. The post had got over a hundred reactions, mainly hearts.

When they both sat for dinner, Minseok could tell that Luhan was highly annoyed. Luhan hadn’t even wanted to remake the bet in the first place, he was content with calling it a draw since Jongin and Kyungsoo were talking but not official. But making it Facebook official? It’s like getting married in this day and age.

Luhan hated losing. He grumbled as he passed food to Minseok.

“You do know I can understand Mandarin, don’t you?” Minseok said, Luhan just wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. “Besides, it’s something to be happy about, regardless. Kyungsoo hasn’t been this happy since before the ‘you know who’ incident.”

Minseok didn’t need to remind him, he knew just as well. Sighing, he stuffed his mouth with veggies to avoid admitting that Minseok was right. Kyungsoo was a wonderful person, but for a long time, he was lost to the world, consumed by sadness and anger. Luhan will never forget the day Minseok brought him to their house after finding him crying in the locker room. After that, he became a hardened version of himself, unwilling to let anyone beyond the protective walls he’d build for himself.

Thank god Jongin was a persistent idiot.

“Minseok,” Luhan said, quietly.

“Hm?” he looked up, mixing up a bunch of the sides.

“I love you.”

Minseok’s heart felt full, a warm feeling washed over him. “I love you too.”

Luhan smiled into his spoon, not wanting to give Minseok the pleasure of seeing his reaction. Truly though, he was happy.

“But you still lost the bet and therefore are in debt to me.”

He flung the spoon at Minseok, aiming for his head.

♡♡

Baekhyun had been feeling uncomfortable for a long time now. However, since that day, it had intensified.

There was only so many weird looks he could take from his colleagues. The girls who now had to replace Jongdae and work shifts with him always seemed like they wanted to ask questions, but never dared to. Even if they did ask him questions, he wasn’t sure how he would even answer. There were certain things he himself didn’t know the answer to. His head was a mess.

It had become a daily thing now, he’d finish his shift, ride the subway home and walk into his apartment in complete silence. He’d been blowing off Chanyeol for a few days now, he knew that his boyfriend would ask him what was wrong and he didn’t have the heart to answer.

He felt guilty.

In a couple of days, it would be Jongdae’s birthday. They hadn’t been in contact for a couple of weeks now, and Baekhyun thought that it would be fine, that he could handle it, but he was lying to himself. He felt incredibly lonely, but he knew Jongdae didn’t want to talk to him.

The truth of the matter was that Baekhyun was not the little flirt he often made himself out to be. He didn’t crave a quick , he didn’t want cheap intimacy. He wanted so desperately to be loved, to be shown approval, to have someone he could call his own. He’d been through so many relationships, mainly because if he felt like the other wasn’t on the same page, he’d leave. There was a void in his heart that he needed to fill, he’d literally accept anyone who showed him even the smallest amount of affection.

See; Chanyeol.

The uneasiness in his stomach made him feel sick, and he spent most of his free evenings curling up in a ball, lamenting, constantly checking his phone for any messages.

Jongdae had stuck by his side through thick and thin, through the never-ending cycle of boyfriends, the monthly alterations to his style and attitude. He’d even dealt with him when he thought being y was an attractive characteristic (Baekhyun thought maybe people would think he was sure of himself and confident, but it always came across wrong and made Baekhyun look like a total prick). When he really cast his mind back he knew that Jongdae was truly the only good friend he had, and now he had gone, and all Baekhyun had to fill that void was some half friends that didn’t do Jongdae justice.

He was lovesick, but also heartbroken. It was a horrible combination. He was desperate for validation, but not from Chanyeol. He knew he couldn’t look him in the eye and smile like he meant it anymore.

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