This day has been tough on Baekhyun. One of the worst days, in his opinion. First, he dropped his toothbrush in the toilet and he doesn't even know how that happened. Then, he tripped on the wet bathroom floor and fell on his . As if that wasn't enough to already give him a pain in the , his roommate, Yixing, informed him that he was moving out within a week. Don't get Baekhyun wrong, he is happy for the guy that he's finally got an offer from China to work in a tech company but Baekhyun really hates living alone. He lived with his mother until he was in dire need to move to somewhere closer to his campus because the workload was too much and going back and forth was time-consuming.

Most people find it normal to live alone despite feeling lonely and would feel rather independent, but unfortunately for Baekhyun, it was like a curse. He hated walking into an empty apartment, hated eating alone, hated the fact that he had no one to blame for the missing food in his fridge. To say that the news of his roommate moving out made him sad was an understatement, he was in mourning.

He begged Minseok and Jongdae to help him out and even texted his old friends from high school because that's HOW desperate he was. Baekhyun swatted his hands and feet around in desperate attempts to find another roommate before he had to face the empty apartment again but it was all in vain. There was no way he could find someone that quickly, especially when his semester was just about to end. He had too many submissions to make and too little time.

The week passed by before he could know it and soon, Yixing was saying his final goodbyes to Baekhyun and his sad eyes. The apartment was left half-empty after most of Yixing's things were packed in boxes and already sent out for the move. Now, all that was left were things that Yixing didn't need to take and all of Baekhyun's stuff.

"You will be just fine, Baekhyunee. Living alone is not a big deal! You will start enjoying it in no time, believe me." Yixing patted his back into the hug.

"What if I don't?" Baekhyun pulled away, the biggest pout appearing on his small face.

"'You trust your Hyung, right?" Yixing smiled, popping dimples on his cheeks and his kind smile almost made Baekhyun lock him inside the apartment so he wouldn't be able to leave him. Alas, he had no choice but to nod his head and avoid whining. It was a happy day for Yixing after all.

"Take care of yourself, Hyung. Call me anytime you want, I'll be here for you." He smiled at the other, feeling a weight of sadness on his chest.

"Same goes for you." Yixing hugged him once more before he picked up his last bag and walked out of the apartment leaving Baekhyun in silence.

Since that day, Baekhyun has been avoiding going back to his own apartment like the plague. Yixing wasn't always home but having the lingering presence of someone else was enough for Baekhyun to survive which he had now lost. He would go over to Jongdae's apartment and beg his mother to come to live with him for a few days but he knew that one day he would have to face the reality and live in the apartment alone, even if it was for only a while.

Baekhyun's dreams were kind of hazy and when he was startled awake by a sudden cold sensation on his arm, he could not remember what he dreamt about at all. He had fallen asleep in the library, again. The upcoming test was taking a toll on Baekhyun's mental and physical well-being. This was the third time he had managed to fall asleep in the library this week.

He groggily opened his eyes, rubbing them as he picked up his head from the table to look for the source of his awakening.

"Wake up, nerd," Chanyeol spoke, leaning with his hands on the table next to where Baekhyun sat.

That definitely woke Baekhyun up completely and he looked for his phone to check the time in panic. He swore he put on an alarm for every hour this time in case he fell asleep. God forbid if he had slept till 10 again! Maybe he should've listened to Minseok when he told him to get enough sleep at night instead of staying awake to study.

Baekhyun thanked the heavens above when he realized it was only 6, he hasn't been asleep for that long, seeing that he came to the library at 4 today.

"Did you really get kicked out of your apartment for being a ?" Chanyeol's voice startled him again, he had completely forgotten the other was standing— now sitting, right beside him.

"No, that would be something that will happen to you." He narrowed his eyes at Chanyeol, letting out a yawn and stretching his arms. The other was wearing an open denim shirt with a white shirt underneath and a pair of blue jeans. "Some of us like to study in the library, Chanyeol. It's quiet and has a very studious atmosphere when people like you are not around."

"No, some people like to study in the library, you like to live in the library." Chanyeol leaned his head on the table, keeping his eyes on Baekhyun. "Seriously, this is the fifth time I'm catching you sleeping here."

"I tend to fall asleep when I take too much information in my brain." Baekhyun sported a bored expression on his face. Now why did this idiot care about what I do anyway?

"So, all the time?" Chanyeol's lips curved, the mop of his black hair pressing on his forehead as he talked.

"Well, most of the time it's because I haven't slept at night." Baekhyun picked up his pen again, not sure why he was explaining himself to Chanyeol and was ready to focus on the ipad in front of him but he felt the cold sensation on the same spot on his arm again. This time, he looked to find a cold drink pressed against his arm. "What's this?" He asked Chanyeol, looking puzzled.

"Take it," Chanyeol spoke, looking tired and handed him the drink. "you look like you need it more than I do."

"Well, in that case," Baekhyun let a smile show on his face, there's nothing better than getting offered a free drink while you're studying. "Thanks, Park."

"You know, you can call me by my name, Byun Baek." Chanyeol smirked, letting his dimple show on one side of his cheek with his head still down, "Now that we are friends and all."

"Did you forget that I took it back? I'm not befriending a hater." Baekhyun looked away, taking a sip of the drink. It was an Americano, oh no, definitely not one of Baekhyun's favourites but he also didn't want to seem rude and throw it away…

"Too bad, the deal is closed now." Chanyeol finally sat up properly, stretching his arms as if the five-minute rest he got by resting his head was enough for him to recharge. Baekhyun could not relate, he needed at least an hour nap to continue his day if he was exhausted and he knows, Chanyeol must be coming back from his basketball practice. 

Baekhyun made an attempt to roll his eyes but ended up smiling instead, "Can we start with the discussion now?"

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You look like you haven't eaten in a month." Chanyeol says before they could even begin working.

"I'm on a diet." Baekhyun lies through his teeth but somehow the look Chanyeol gives him makes him spill the truth immediately, "Okay, I also tend to forget to eat when I'm stressed but that's completely normal!"

The truth is that it has been two weeks and Baekhyun still hates going back to the empty apartment now. It makes him feel lonelier than he thought and honestly, he hated eating alone too. Unless it was pizza for his misery. He can barely sleep at night, focusing on his studies was literally the only thing keeping him distracted enough.

"So you missed lunch again?" Chanyeol questions. He has seen Baekhyun hang around in the library one too many times in the past week to know the answer to that question. "Baekhyun, it's almost time for dinner."

"So what? I've survived this long, I'm doing fine." The pink head put on a brave front even though he was definitely starving by now but he really had to finish all the work he had planned to do today. "Just hand me the work you've done for the week and we can discuss the conclusion next time."

"I don't know about you but some people also like to eat when it's time for dinner." Baekhyun knew exactly what Chanyeol was implying and he didn't want to waste any of his time on that. He couldn't afford to.

"Oh, no, no, no. Do not pull that on me right now, Park. We need to finish this today so I can combine everything. I've also got another assignment to finish and finals to study for. Just sit down and you can go eat as soon as we are done." Baekhyun didn't realize he was rambling until Chanyeol stood up in silence without taking his eyes off of him.

"It will barely take an hour, Byun Baek." Chanyeol hung the backpack over his shoulder. It seemed like he was really persistent to eat. Maybe he was really hungry.

"Fine then," Baekhyun said, overly exasperated by the situation. What's one more hour in the library anyway? "you better come back in an hour."

"Oh, no, you're coming with me." Chanyeol suddenly held Baekhyun's forearm in order to get him to stand up. "I'm not letting you miss dinner today."

Baekhyun's eyes widened in shock. "Look, Chanyeol, I'm fine. I'll eat when I get home." But the sound his stomach let out told a different story, he cursed. He couldn't believe his own stomach betrayed him this way. It was truly embarrassing!

Chanyeol raised both of his eyebrows at him in mockery, "Either you can sit here and waste time while arguing with me or we can go eat and come back to finish the work."

"Oh, I ing hate when you give me these ultimatums disguised as choices," Baekhyun said with a half groan. He couldn't deny it though, he was very hungry and it was better to eat with Chanyeol than to eat instant noodles alone for the nth time.

"What matters is that you still have a choice to make." Chanyeol gave him such a smug smile that looked so evil in Baekhyun's eyes, that he refrained from whining in front of his face.

"I don’t know why I decided to be friends with you." Baekhyun stood up to pack his things while sipping the Americano Chanyeol had given him.

They have been bumping into each other more often than not and every time Chanyeol would ask him to get lunch together, he would always refuse. That's why Baekhyun agreed to eat with him, apart from the fact that Chanyeol wouldn't take no for an answer. There was definitely no other reason for him to agree to it.

~

~

While having their impromptu dinner the other night, Baekhyun told Chanyeol his troubles of living alone. He was expecting the other to make fun of him but instead, Baekhyun found Chanyeol listening to him intently. He finds it hard to believe that he has found a friend in the Yoda. Baekhyun believed it must be because he always listens to Chanyeol rambling about the minor inconvenience he has on a daily basis. They have gotten close, so close that now Chanyeol makes sure to drop a cup of Baekhyun's favorite coffee in the library and hands Baekhyun a Samgak Kimbap anytime he sees him around.

Baekhyun appreciates Chanyeol looking out for him. When they first started having dinner together, Baekhyun noticed Chanyeol throwing his head back and closing his eyes to let out small sounds of pleasure as he ate. He thought Chanyeol just loved the dishes they chose that day but as the week passed by, he realized it was just Chanyeol's habit. It always made Baekhyun's cheeks turn a shade of pink for some reason but he ignored it. Baekhyun learned that Chanyeol had a passion for food and cooking. So when they met up to finish the conclusion for their assignment together, Chanyeol insisted on cooking dinner for them.

That Sunday when Baekhyun showed up at Chanyeol's apartment, he found Kyungsoo opening the door for him.

"Hey, Baekhyun. Come on in." Kyungsoo smiled and stepped aside to let him in. "Channie, your new friend is here!" He announces and a noise of fake laughter comes from somewhere inside the apartment. Probably Chanyeol's, Baekhyun guesses.

Kyungsoo ignores it and turns to look at Baekhyun, "How is the roommate hunt going?"

"Chanyeol told you?" Baekhyun widened his eyes. Of course, that jerk would