Apologies for the long wait~ but hopefully the fact that this is frickin 4397 words will make up for it? ...Maybe? Ihope. Anyways, I hope you'll like this, ofc it's random, right, that's how I generally am. sorrysorrysorrysorrybutIwrotebasicallyallofthistoday. Please remember to comment, upvote, and subscribe~<3 사랑해!

It took Chanyeol far too many minutes to count in order to enable the recollection of his bearings and to completely bring himself back to reality.

Despite the serenity that the water carried with each leisurely inclining wave, and despite how much time had passed since Baekhyun's abrupt departure, Chanyeol's heart was still beating unbelievably quickly, almost as if it were on a mission to escape the thoracic cavity it was enclosed in.

He had been left bewildered, alone, and yearning for more, but he was utterly determined to find Baekhyun and demand an explanation, the one provided being of poor quality.

Chanyeol deserved that, at the very least. But what he truly wanted was rather to find Baekhyun and kiss the living daylights out of him. ...Excepting the fact that it was night.

But Baekhyun had almost seemed as if he'd... regretted it. Thus, Chanyeol was frightened to attempt such a thing a second time, even if he was damning the fact that he had been incapable of reciprocating and participating in the kiss he'd longed for, the kiss he had desired long before he'd even realized that he desired it.

Either way, night was nearing dawn, the slightest bit of light beginning to gather and collect at the horizon, and the cold was nearing absolutely unbearable temperatures, and so Chanyeol begrudgingly rose to his feet before just as reluctantly making his way back into the house.

He stood outside their shared room for several panicked moments, entirely reticent and hyperaware of both his surroundings and how he had absolutely nothing planned to say, before belatedly pulling up what little courage resided within him and turning the doorknob to enable his entrance.

Fully expecting to see the cause of his prolonged distress, Chanyeol almost tripped over his own toes when his eyes registered the lack of life settled in the bed that belonged to the boy he loved.

The covers were bunched up in precisely the same spot as they had been upon Chanyeol's departure, and the young male was incapable of any movement other than mindlessly backing up into the hall, conveniently also backing up into Junmyeon, of all people.

"Hi!" He greeted brightly, not appearing bothered in the least about almost having been bowled over by somebody of such large stature.

Confusion was evident in the way Chanyeol's brows drew together and his lips turned down as he whirled around, and before he could even echo Junmyeon's greeting, the older was talking once more.

"Are you looking for Baekhyun? I assume you're looking for Baekhyun. I heard you come in! I mean... I assumed it was you coming in-- well, anyways! Baekhyun is in my room! I mean... mine and Jongdae's, anyways."

Chanyeol didn't even notice how Junmyeon's cheeks turned a shade pinker than usual upon the mention of Jongdae's name- he was only concerned with the fact that although Baekhyun was safe, he was elsewhere, somewhere besides their room, and the thought both saddened him and encouraged him to seek out said male.

Before he could sidestep Junmyeon, however, he spoke for yet a third time.

"Oh, no, no, no. You can't go see him. He’s asleep.”

“So?”  Chanyeol attempted to make his move yet again, incurring the disapproval of Junmyeon, who crossed his arms and predictably blocked his path, a petulant expression set securely on his face.

“You wouldn’t wake him up just for your own selfish reasons, would you? Besides, he looked exhausted. And upset about something. Go find him in the morning.”

The breath that was caught in his throat escaped his body in one abrupt exhale, guilt instantaneously twisting his features into a deep-set frown. “Upset? About what?”

Junmyeon only shrugged before gently pushing on Chanyeol’s chest, doing his best to force the taller male back into his room.

“He wouldn’t tell me. Now, off to bed you get, giant! Let us sleep! You’re being rude, I’m tired too, you know!”

Despite his previous intentions, Chanyeol allowed himself to get shoved back from where he’d come, door shut softly behind him.

For a second time, he stood; waiting, silent, as if preparing himself for something, but the only actions he took were the ones needed to slide into Baekhyun’s unmade bed and pull the tangled covers up and over his body, which took up a great deal more space than Baekhyun’s own petite form required.

He snuggled down against the smaller male’s pillow, unintentionally (who was he kidding, of course it was intentional) inhaling the signature scent that Baekhyun carried, the scent that lingered in the cotton pillowcase, the scent which wrapped around Chanyeol’s body and gave him more comfort than the comforter itself, which was ironic considering that the word ‘comfort’ was in its name.

And that was how he drifted off right when the first hints of dawn were approaching, arms wrapped around Baekhyun’s pillow and face pressed into it as if these gestures could simulate the real deal, the person who he longed most to be wrapped in his embrace and under his lips.

~

For the entirety of the following day (or same day, depending on how you viewed the situation), Baekhyun avoided Chanyeol.

When Chanyeol had finally awoken, it was nearing afternoon, and the first thought that filled his head was a question, a question of why he was in Baekhyun’s bed rather than his own.

The second thought was another question- where. was. Baekhyun.

Chanyeol was still the only occupant of the room, and this fact caused him to pout unconsciously as he threw the covers up and over his head.

Does he hate me, now?

Chanyeol heaved a sigh which carried a vast amount of unhappiness before forcing himself to slip out of bed, not even bothering to change out of his sleepwear as he padded out into the hall, a bit disoriented and eyes threatening to come to a close in order to claim more rest.

He stumbled forward further and made his way to the kitchen, blinking furiously in an attempt to rid the last remnants of sleep from his eyes before the chocolate orbs registered the sight in front of him.

Kyungsoo was bustling about in the kitchen, humming an unidentifiable tune as he gathered utensils and dishes and an astonishing amount of ingredients, clearly in the process of cooking.

The pot of something also indistinguishable simmering on the stove was only additional evidence.

Jongin was seated on the single counter not cluttered with what Kyungsoo deemed necessary for the meal he was preparing, swinging his legs back and forth and nibbling on a roll as he watched the older boy intently.

None of these things proved either interesting or important to Chanyeol, not even the fact that Jongin was in the same room as someone who he had claimed to be a stranger and was so obviously reluctant to be around, someone he was maybe even needlessly wary or afraid of.

"Where's Baekhyun?"

Ah, yes. The only information Chanyeol presently cared about.

The sudden question combined with his just as sudden appearance caused the roll to slip from Jongin's fingers and his legs to cease their consistent movement, his eyes round with astonishment.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, only slowly swivelled around, not a trace of surprise on his face despite the fact that his eyes still seemed to be wider than Jongin's were.

Instead, there rested a radiant smile, and he beckoned for Chanyeol to come closer, a gesture that the younger wasted no time in refusing.

"Morning, Chanyeol!" He chirped, voice filled with an abundance of enthusiasm, for no apparent reason.

"Yes, hi, good morning, can you tell me where Baekhyun is?"

Kyungsoo huffed, the previous friendliness slipping from his face, replaced with indignation; the emotion solidified with a cross of his arms.

"Outside. Somewhere. Have fun finding him, and when you do, tell him lunch is in half an hour or so."

Chanyeol at least had the decency to thank him before hurrying out of the room, catching the beginning of another sentence, which wasn't directed towards him.

"Oh dear, did you drop that, Jonginnie? Here, let me get you another--"

He had no time to reflect on how strangely close the two seemed, he only had time to carry out his mission and discover where Byun Baekhyun had regrettably ran off to.

He burst out the door, eyes darting every which way, and it was literally seconds before he caught sight of said male playing in the waves, splashing both Sehun and Luhan before earning the same fate, albeit greatly increased in force. The boy was giggling uncontrollably, despite the fact that water was entering his mouth and slithering down to fill up his lungs with every swing of the couple's arms, the effect causing him to choke every other giggle or so.

Chanyeol lifted his large hands up to cup around his lips in hopes of simulating a loudspeaker before bellowing Baekhyun's name with as much volume as he was capable of.

The called male froze, not even attempting to block the streams of water sent his way by the pair in front of him and instead turning to gaze up at the younger boy, fear evident in his expression despite the distance that existed between them.

He instantly scrambled to reach the shore, not bothering to dry himself off in favor of sprinting for the house, taking a route which explicitly evaded Chanyeol.

His best friend's brows once again knitted together in perplexity, and Chanyeol only silently watched as he made a mad dash for the door, not fully comprehending the turn the situation had taken until the older had disappeared inside.

"Looks like you tried soooo hard to stop him."

Chanyeol jerked back, only just now registering that Luhan was standing before him, rolling his eyes in obvious annoyance.

"You're so lame, Dumbyeol." Sehun had to throw in a jibe as well, winding his arm around his boyfriend before using the other to shove Chanyeol out of the way and somewhat in the direction of Kyungsoo's home.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on." Luhan made a shooing gesture with his hand.

"Huh?"

"Are you ing kidding me." Sehun's face was void of amusement as well as any other sort of expression. "Go find Baekhyun. For a second time. Cuz you obviously failed the first."

"Oh. Right."

But when Chanyeol finally made it back, he missed both the halfhearted glare sent his way courtesy of Kyungsoo as well as where Baekhyun had went.

He backtracked his steps so that he was once again in the kitchen, and Kyungsoo lifted a single eyebrow in question, still poised over the stove.

"Where's Bae--"

"Shower." Kyungsoo remarked simply, turning back to his duties and displaying absolutely no sympathy when Chanyeol emitted a groan of agony.

"In our room?"

"No, the shared shower." Jongin piped up, still in the same position he had been in earlier,