Baekhyun woke up in a haze, feeling very warm, and slightly unconfortable, as if constricted. He tried moving, but couldn't, so he put his feet out of the covers, to cool himself down a little bit. Consciousness hit him when a pair of warm small feet followed his and tangled themselves up with his, as if refusing to be apart. He realized that the constriction was Kyungsoo spooing him and holding onto him tightly, which also explained why it was so hot. He wasn't used to another human, with such a high body temperature, sleeping with him. 

Baekhyun shuffled and tried changing his position in Kyungsoo's vice grip. He turned to face Kyungsoo and saw the idol still sleeping. He really looked so young, and so admirable for all his achievements, despite that trace of drool near the corner of his mouth. It surprised Baekhyun how much insecurities he had, but it also made sense. Public scrutiny to the level that Kyungsoo experiences would definitely make anyone feel caged in their own skin. Appearances, success, approval... if Baekhyun's life revolved around these, he would have gone crazy. It struck him at that moment, that his job as a personal assistant did not just entail making sure that the idol's schedule ran smoothly, but also keep him afloat through this immense pressure so that he did not crumble into dust, like the ruins of great monuments...

No, it was more than that.. It was not just his responsibility, but also his wish. Baekhyun had probably known this for a long time anyways, since he felt it within him too, but his pull towards Kyungsoo was something else. He felt drawn in, pulled into this weird swirling abyss of mystery, danger, desi- no! time to wake up!

Struggling a bit, Baekhyun extracted himself from Kyungsoo's arms and shook him awake. 

"Morning! Did you have a good sleep for the remaining of the night?"

Kyungsoo sat up, combing his fluffy hair off his face. "Yeah!" he said with a scratchy voice. "Surprisingly good! Thank you.. C-can we do this again? I mean, when I can't sleep..that is-"

Baekhyun laughed, "I said so last night, but feel free to come to me if you ever need any help. What good would I be otherwise if i can't even take care of you."

Kyungsoo smiled and went to grab his phone after Baekhyun left for his room to get ready again. 7 Missed calls. 26 unread texts. Kyungsoo unlocked his phone to check on who was trying to contact him so frantically. 

His CEO was the one who was trying to get him.. other than an unknown number. Kyungsoo opened up the texts and the latest one stopped him.

Jungwoo: He's here!

His heart thudding fast in his chest, Kyungsoo got up and walked out in time to hear a knock on his apartment door. He rushed to throw the door open and truly, he stood right there. Bagpack and a guitar slung over his back, messy long jacket, bermuda shorts, long socks, sneakers.. he still dressed the same way. His hairstyle was the same, the smile was the same, but the bandages on his arms were fewer. Kyungsoo sobbed out a laugh.

"You are an !" he said and got a smile in return, tired, but healthier, "But i am glad you came back to me, Chanyeol".

---

Chanyeol pulled Kyungsoo into a hug, "I am sorry, but you know i needed to do it."

"You could have said something..." Kyungsoo said rubbing his cheek in the other's chest.

"I should have, but I did not even have enough courage left in me to tell you that I was leaving you. I was miserable Kyungsoo!" Chanyeol said, hugging tighter.

That is how Baekhyun found them when he came out, asking who Kyungsoo was talking to. He stopped mid sentence to take in the sight in front of him. He felt at a loss of what to do, as if someone stole something from him. 

Kyungsoo noticed him and turned around happily, making Baekhyun school his face into a more neutral one in case he came off as aggressive to this stranger.

"Baekhyun, meet Chanyeol." Kyungsoo said and Baekhyun felt all his hopes flow out the window. "Chanyeol, meet my current personal assistant."

Current, the word sounded so ominous. And just when he had started to feel like he was doing it right and had figured out where his next steps needed to take him.

"Nice to meet you Baekhyun.." Chanyeol said in a small voice. Baekhyun noticed that he had shuffled behind Kyungsoo and he remembered what he had heard about Chanyeol. He probably should be nicer to him, to make him comfortable, and maybe also stop him from depending on Kyungsoo too much. It was the least he could do as a personal assistant.

"Nice to meet you too. I have heard a lot of good things about you." He said with a smile. 

Chanyeol smiled meekly, "Really? I thought they would have been upset with me."

Kyungsoo frowned, but before he could say anything, Baekhyun in, "Not at all. Everyone seemed to only have praises for you. What brings you here?"

If Kyungsoo was unhappy with Baekhyun's abruptness, he did not let it show, instead, he pulled Chanyeol in by hand, taking him to the sofa before running in to the kitchen. He came out a moment later holding a cold lemonade can. "You still like chilled lemonade right?" He asked, handing it to Chanyeol who took it gratefully.

"Are you done with your therapy?" Kyungsoo asked.

"No. I stopped in the middle. They are re-enforcing it now. I think there are some improvements, but they say that this is the best way to help me."

"What kinda therapy is that? I mean I heard about you, and I thought it was harsh to just toss you into this kind of environment." Baekhyun asked.

"Well... I know it seems harsh, but that is the trope of the therapy I got. It is a cognitive behavioural therapy called confrontational training. They make me confront my fears so that i can overcome them. Except, it didn't really do such a good job for me."

"What were you doing after you left then?" Kyngsoo asked

"I went back for therapy and they made me do confrontational training again after some time, just at a smaller scale."

"Did that help?" Kyungsoo looked at him with worried eyes.

"Yeah it did, which is why i came back. i think i am more ready now to work with you again"

Baekhyun tuned out Kyungsoo's happy gasp as he felt his stomach drop.

am i being too dramatic? i am, aren't I? some more uninspired

my hands are at their limit again. maybe i shouldnt have written this.

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