“So~” Tao drawls as he leans over the counter, watching Chanyeol cash out the register like any other Tuesday night. Chanyeol doesn’t reply, simply rolling his eyes and counting the cash is his hands once more while he waits for Luhan to finish cleaning the kitchen so their shift can end. “When do you plan on moving in with Kris?”

Chanyeol freezes, eyes stuck on the buttons of the machine in front of him. His head snaps up from the register with an audible ‘crack’ as he looks his boss over. “Are you serious right now? We haven’t even been together for a full month yet!” ‘Technically, we’re not together at all, unless you count me hanging out at his apartment to play XBOX and occasionally spending the night as us being together...’

The Chinese man is clearly unimpressed by Chanyeol’s argument. “Like that means anything. You and Kris just fit together. Besides, if I had my way Sehun would have been living with me after our first week together.”

“Yeah, the only problem with that is you still have to wait for Sehun to get out of high school.” The register chimes as Chanyeol slides the drawer shut. “Cradle robber.”

Tao rolls his eyes at the tease. “I’m just saying that living with Kris would cut your expenses down to jack , put you closer to campus, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about waking your roommate up sneaking back into your apartment at four in the morning in your boyfriend’s basketball shorts.”

Chanyeol blushes to his ears, cursing how open his circle of friends is because Tao was so not supposed to know about Kyungsoo catching him sneaking back in from spending the night with Kris.

Luhan bursts through the door to the kitchen, saving Chanyeol from having to reply and looking more ready to get out of the restaurant that Chanyeol has ever seen the elder. It’s pretty easy to figure out why though when he sees Kai peeking in the front window with a grin spread across his lips.

A pang of jealousy stabs into his chest at the loving looks Kai and Luhan give each other through the window. There was a time when he used to get that same happy, bubbly feeling when he saw his boyfriend; but that was a long time ago.

The walk back to his apartment feels so much longer with the past hanging on him like weights.

It wouldn’t still upset him so much if things hadn’t been so good before. They’d been happy and in love and everything was so ing perfect…until Chanyeol came home from class and found his boyfriend in bed with someone else. Two people actually. One of which was a woman. He hadn’t even known that he swung both ways before then.

He sighs heavily, pressing an ear to his apartment door before unlocking it. He feels more than silly doing it, but walking in on his roommate’s boyfriend ing Kyungsoo into oblivion on their kitchen counter once was more than enough for him and he does not want to risk it happening again. Not to mention that was definitely not how he had expected to officially meet Joonmyun and it had been extremely awkward to be around the elder since.

Thankfully Joonmyun and Kyungsoo are fully clothed when he walks in, Kyungsoo wrapped in Joonmyun’s arms and the latest episode of a music show playing on the TV.

“Channie! Welcome home,” Kyungsoo says brightly as Chanyeol takes off his shoes.

Chanyeol smiles. He may have some problems with Kyungsoo, but all in all he’s one of his best friends and it is always nice to come home to him being in a good mood. “Are SNSD performing this week?”

Kyungsoo nods. “I think they’re up next if you feel like joining us.”

The giant nods, flopping down next to Kyungsoo and Joonmyun, the eldest giving him a warm, if a little awkward, smile.

“Oh, Channie,” Kyungsoo exclaims as the MCs come on screen. “I almost forgot, Joonmyun’s throwing a party this weekend. Do you want to go?”

“Oh, you should!” Joonmyun adds, grinning over Kyungsoo’s head. “I’m pretty sure that my lab partner told the entire school, so the more people there that I actually know, the better. You can even bring your boyfriend if you want.”

Chanyeol blushes to his ears, reminding himself not to hate his roommate for being loose-lipped and muttering something along the lines of ‘I’ll ask Kris if he wants to go. Oh, look SNSD’s on.’

By the time the show is finished, Chanyeol thinks he might puke from how cute Joonmyun and Kyungsoo are and decides that he really doesn’t want to home whenever they finish whatever drama comes on after Music Core.

He packs an overnight bag for probably the first time since he met Kris and grab his keys before heading out the door.

He can’t help but keep thinking back as he makes the trip to Kris’s apartment. Thinking about parties and ex-boyfriends and relationships in general and it has him in an especially bad mood by the time he actually gets to Kris’s.

His mood only gets worse when he gets to Kris’s. Not only is the elder not there, but his spare key is also missing, so Chanyeol can’t even go in and wait for him.

He feels really stupid for it, he should have called or texted Kris or something to make sure that he was there, but he’s just gotten so used to being able to go hang out at Kris’s whenever he wants to that he’s forgotten that he and Kris aren’t really together and it’s definitely not like it’s Chanyeol’s home too.

He gets off the subway two stops early, still not feeling up to going home, and riffles through his pockets for the bright purple (and rhinestoned – the key has rhinestones all over it.) key that unlocks the employee entrance to Panda&Deer Confectionery.

Tao’s alone when he gets upstairs, Sehun probably being at his parent’s house for school, and has no problems with teasing Chanyeol for an hour about moving in with Kris so he doesn’t need to come crash on his couch (Chanyeol leaves out the part where he had already gone to Kris’s.) before finally heading off to call Sehun and say goodnight.

He bites his lip as he hears them giggling through the phone in Tao’s room.

It’s stupid.

Really stupid.

And silly. Very very silly.

But he pulls out his phone and sends Kris a quick goodnight text before falling asleep.