(Warning for slight suicide trigger, there's nothing vivid but if you're uncomfortable you can skip it.)

The tension under the tree upon the hill was palpable. Baekhyun sighed loudly to break the silence, drawing Chanyeol’s unsure eyes to him.

“You don’t have to feel bad y’know, it’s fine”

“I…” Chanyeol ran a hand through the mess on his head, “I just.. I..”

“Stop stuttering, you giant piece of trash, I said it’s fine” Baekhyun thumps Chanyeol on the back to reiterate his point. Chanyeol lets out a shaky breath.

“It’s not fine, Baek. Nothing is fine right now, everything is wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be Yifan, why did they want him? It was supposed to be you, Baek! You and me, like always.” The end of his statement tapered off, laced with insecurity.

“You’re being really pessimistic right now, y’know? That’s kind of my job, so lay off it a little would you?”

“I’m just really confused now, Baek. What’s gonna happen now? I mean, I’m pretty convinced to just not sign the consent papers now.”

“Don’t even think about it, you little . It’s not like we’re not going to meet each other ever again, you can still visit y’know.”

“It’s not the same, Baek! I mean, we.. you..”

Baekhyun knew exactly what he meant. They were never far from each other, always doing everything together, going everywhere together, and now that they were going to be apart, Baekhyun didn’t know if he would be able to function at all.

“I don’t know what you’re even going on about, Yeol. You’ve wanted this since forever, so just go for it, why are you even hesitating?”

“What do you mean why am I hesitating? I mean, what about you?” He trailed off.

What about us?

“Look, I tried, okay, but apparently I wasn’t what they wanted, and that’s fine with me. I don’t mind at all. This isn’t even about me anymore Chanyeol, it’s about you.” He paused, heart heavy, “I know I’ve tried to dissuade you previously, and I’d like to formally apologize for being selfish, and you’re going to forgive me because I’m loveable and you don’t have a choice”

Chanyeol snorted a laugh, still uneasy. Baekhyun was, as usual, trying to play off the issue as an unimportant one to lighten the mood, even though it clearly was an issue to be taken seriously.

Baekhyun turned to face him, forcing him to make eye contact. Not expecting it, Chanyeol was taken aback with how serious Baekhyun looked. The brunette hardly took things seriously, always making a joke out of everything to make everyone laugh. The intensity of the brown orbs he was staring into almost felt like that of a stranger’s, unfeeling and unsettling.

“Listen, Chanyeol, just go be a good son and inherit that ing lump of a company okay. We’ll keep in contact, so there won’t be a need for a goodbye