It’s a typical lunch day at Labyrinth Academy. Wu Fan is sitting at his usual table as he watches Luhan gorge down yet another cup of instant ramen. And usually, Wu Fan would nag endlessly about the consequences of eating such sodium-ridden foods, but he’s eerily quiet this particular day.

He’s quiet because he hasn’t seen nor heard from Chanyeol in three days. But Wu Fan buries it in the back of his head, trying to suppress any feelings of concern or anxiety. Luhan soon finishes his lunch and smacks his lips in satisfaction. “So,” he finally speaks, “What happened to Chanyeol?”

Wu Fan raises an eyebrow.  “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. On your birthday, he went after you. Did you…talk to him at all?”

Wu Fan straightens his back, coughing into his fist before mumbling “We talked…”

“Really?!” Luhan’s entire face brightens and it startles Wu Fan. “Because you know, rumor has it that you two left a restaurant together. And now no one has seen or heard from Chanyeol for the past three days. People are assuming you killed the poor guy and dumped his dead body in some abandoned alleyway.”

Wu Fan snorts, choking on the water he was so happened to be drinking. “What am I, some evil psychopath?”

Luhan shrugs. “Chanyeol has an exceptionally perfect attendance record. It’s odd for him to be absent from school this long without any mention why. You are the most likely culprit. After all, everyone has the idea that you hate the guy.”

There’s slight sarcasm in his tone and Luhan leans closer to Wu Fan from the other side of the table. “But we both know that’s a lie, isn’t it?”

Wu Fan chokes again on the water he was just coincidentally sipping. Wu Fan is about to refute Luhan’s claim but no words come out when he opens his mouth. Luhan laughs aloud, stealing Wu Fan’s bottled water and chugging it down before Wu Fan can even snatch it back. “T-that’s none of your concern, Luhan!” he cried out in frustration.

“Don’t get mad, I’m just kidding, Wu Fan,” Luhan laughs, offering Wu Fan’s empty water bottle as a peace treaty. “But I’m serious when I ask you if you know what happened to him. You really don’t know what happened to Chanyeol?”

“No…” he whispers. “I honestly have no idea.”

Luhan’s words cloud Kris’s thoughts for the rest of the day. He considers all the possibilities to why Chanyeol has gone missing for three days straight. He considered that Chanyeol could have been kidnapped after Wu Fan dropped from off home. He considered that Chanyeol’s mother found out about their relations and forced Chanyeol to transfer schools. He even considered that Chanyeol could have been mauled to death by angry birds, mistaking his disheveled head of hair as a bird’s nest.

All the worries and questioning Wu Fan tried to conceal the past few days suddenly arose all at once. It made paying attention in class lectures extremely difficult and he endures through them with jittery feet and antsy fingers. At school dismissal, Wu Fan couldn’t rush out the classroom fast enough. His initial thought is to go see Park Chanyeol.

Wu Fan drives over the speed limit in a hurry to go to Chanyeol’s house. It’s only when he arrives at the Park residence’s door step when he starts to question himself. It is because it is a very likely possibility that Chanyeol’s mother is home. And there is just so much as stake if he were to reenter his bipolar mother’s life without warning.

Wu Fan contemplates for a few minutes before he finally makes up his mind. He takes in a deep breath with eyes closed before steadily ringing the doorbell.

Wu Fan knows that he must put all the consequences aside. He has to see Chanyeol.  If there is even the slightest possibility that Chanyeol is in danger, Wu Fan would never forgive himself if he did not even try to prevent it.

The door slowly opens, and sure enough, it is his mother at the door. Her eyes instantly widen when she realizes the tall stranger is her biological son. “Wu Fan. What are you doing here?”

“Is Chanyeol home?”

“Why?” she asks suspiciously. Her hands are tightly mounted onto the door and it is apparent that Wu Fan is not welcome.

“I just need to talk to him.”

There is fear in her shifting eyes. She leans her face closer to Wu Fan in desperation. Her expression angers Wu Fan, even if he knows that he can never hate his mother entirely. He can never hate her when he recalls how depression and loneliness consumed her mental vitality when he was merely a child. She was and still is a vulnerable woman. And although she does not make the wisest life choices, Wu Fan has always wanted her to be happy over anything else.

But at this moment, she is an annoyance. Wu Fan understands that he can no longer be a part of his mother’s life. That was made very clear to him at an early age. Despite that, she had no right in being an obstacle between Wu Fan and Chanyeol. And it continues to anger him because the idea of not being a part of Chanyeol’s life is just barbaric. “Please let me see him.”

She blocks the door with her entire body. “Wu Fan, I will be blunt with you. Chanyeol has no idea about you. In order for me to protect him, it is best that you leave him alone. Please never bother Chanyeol or my family ever again.”

She’s shaking and Wu Fan isn’t quite sure if it’s her medication’s side effects or purely fear, but he swallows his shame and guilt in order to address to her as ‘Mother’ and be blunt with her as well. “Damn it, Mom! You really never told him. You really kept me and Dad a secret from your new family.”

Wu Fan’s tone of voice raises louder and louder as he more becomes more daring with his words. “You have been lying to your husband, your mother in law, and Chanyeol! You cannot tell me I cannot see him because you are too cowardly to get out of the mess you yourself created! And do not tell me it is for Chanyeol’s best interests because I know what his best interests are and it is definitely not for me to leave him alone!”

It’s only a few seconds before the door swings open and standing beside his mother is Chanyeol’s grandmother. Wu Fan remembers her as a tender, friendly little thing. This time around, her usually iridescent smile is looks strangely serious. “Wu Fan, please come in!” she invites as she directs an ambiguous look towards his mother’s direction.

With gritted teeth, his mother had no choice but to obey her mother in law. She hesitantly steps aside in order to make room for Wu Fan’s entrance. Chanyeol’s grandmother holds on to Wu Fan’s arm. “How have you been, Wu Fan?”

“P-pretty well, thank you. And you?” he answers, quite caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere.  

“I have been well, thank you. Chanyeol is in his bedroom. You may go see him.”

“Thank you, Granny,” he thanks timidly. He leaves without looking back at his mother due to resentment as well as grief equally.

He walks up the plight of stairs to slowly open Chanyeol’s door. Just as he remembers it, his room is still too dizzying with pinks, paisleys, and polka dots. But he ignores the distasteful interior design to find Chanyeol. Chanyeol is lying on the bed in his pajamas as he flips through the channels with his remote control. Wu Fan takes a few steps in and Chanyeol is motionless as he watches Wu Fan approach him. “Wu Fan?”

Wu Fan runs towards him, shocking him even more. “Chanyeol, are you okay?”

He touches Chanyeol’s face, feeling his forehead to check his temperature. “Are you hurt anywhere, are you sick? Are you injured? Let me see!”

He continues to check Chanyeol’s body, in search for injuries and bruises, and Chanyeol is still in shock with his eyes wide open and lips ajar. “Why are you in my house?”

Wu Fan stops his body examination and flushes over. “You…haven’t been at school for days.” Wu Fan touches the nape of neck as he awkwardly laughs. “I…was scared something happened to you.”

Chanyeol pouts. With his lips stuck out in that childish manner, Wu Fan admires the pretty color and the slick texture on Chanyeol’s lips. The way he pouts is too precious to Wu Fan and if it weren’t for his mother and Grandmother down stairs, Wu Fan would probably have his way with Chanyeol again.

 Wu Fan’s naughty thoughts stop completely when Chanyeol flicks Wu Fan’s forehead with purposed force. “What was that for?!” Wu Fan yelps, furrowing his eyebrows in order to intimidate the other.

“Because you’re stupid.”

“CALL ME STUPID ONE MORE TIME YOU REINCARNATION OF THE DEV-”

Wu Fan stops yammering when he sees Chanyeol tear up and whimper. “HEY, HEY. WHY ARE YOU CRYING? YOU REALLY ARE HURT, AREN’T YOU? WHERE? SHOW ME? YOU SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR. LET’S GO. I’LL GIVE YOU A RIDE!”

Wu Fan cups Chanyeol’s face with his hands, feeling the softness of his cheeks. Chanyeol gently bats his hands away as he sniffs and rubs his eyes. “No, I’m just happy,” Chanyeol laughs.

Wu Fan raises an eyebrow in genuine confusion. “…why?”

“Because you were worried about me. That makes me happy.”

“Of course I was worried. You went missing for three whole days with no explanation. People are starting to think I murdered you or something.”

Chanyeol laughs softly, toying with his stuffed alpaca in order to keep his eyes from meeting Wu Fan’s. “I…couldn’t go to school because...I’m still sore,” he whispers as he blushes from cheeks to ears.   

Wu Fan visibly swallows. “Ah…that.”

Chanyeol’s eyes still water with tears so Wu Fan uses his own fingers to wipe them away for Chanyeol. “I told you not to hate me for that,” Wu Fan chuckles.

“I don’t hate you for it! I could never hate you, Wu Fan.”

Wu Fan halts his action and looks Chanyeol directly in the eyes. “Chanyeol…have you ever hated me?”

Chanyeol shakes his head violently, messy curls bouncing everywhere and Wu Fan steadies his head with his hands. “Wu Fan, I never had feelings of hatred towards you since I met you.”

“That makes…absolutely no sense. Throughout my entire life, you competed in every academic and sport competition against me. You even stole girlfriends from me. And now you are telling me…is it not out of spite?”

Chanyeol still fiddles with his toy alpaca in order to avoid eye contact. Eventually, he lets out a long sigh before looking directly into Wu Fan's eyes. "I want to be honest with you..."

Wu Fan visibly swallows. "What...is it?"

BACK TO PLOT BACK TO PLOT. Hello everyone!  I've been so busy lately so I snuck in time to write and I finished this chapter at 5 in the morning. OMFG I hope there aren't any grammar errors ;__;

A little more drama for a while before more fluff and uhm...stuff. ASDFGHJK So please put up with me~ I love you alllll Thank you for the support <3 <3