--
Chanyeol was worried when Baekhyun didn’t show up for class in the morning. He sat nervously in class, tapping his pen on the desk. Several people glared at him, and one person even hissed at him to stop, but Chanyeol didn’t take any heed, mind concentrating solely on Baekhyun and wondering if he finally collapsed from exhaustion. He grabbed his phone from his backpack and pulled up Baekhyun’s number, fingers flying across the touch screen to send him a text.

To: Baekhyun
hey. are you okay?

Chanyeol stared as the text sent and waited for a reply. He waited through the entire class, and when nothing came, he frowned.

The professor finished his lecture and waved them away, rubbing at his eyes. Chanyeol practically threw his things into backpack before resolving to go grab some food and check up on Baekhyun. He had a class in ten minutes, but Baekhyun never missed class, and it worried Chanyeol.

--

Chanyeol’s worry escalated when Baekhyun didn’t answer the door after he knocked on it a few times, calling his name. He kicked at the placemat, looking for Baekhyun’s spare key. When he didn’t find it at its usual place underneath, Chanyeol swore slightly, looking around the door.

Anyone that thought Baekhyun was slow was an idiot. He was a closet genius, making Chanyeol almost wish that Baekhyun was as simple as people thought he was as he searched for the key. A small bump on the doorframe caught Chanyeol’s eye. He reached out and ran his hand up and down, catching the end of something. He picked at it, and realized it was tape. He pulled it down, revealing the key.

“Oh, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said with a smile on his face before jamming the key into the door and letting himself inside. Baekhyun’s shoes were by the door, and his backpack was on the kitchen table, where he always left it while he was getting ready for school.

Chanyeol called his name one more time before dropping his things and looking around the apartment for signs of forced entry. He knocked on Baekhyun’s bedroom door before pushing it open to see Baekhyun passed out on his bed, wrapped up in his blankets, fully dressed for school.

“Baek?” Chanyeol stepped inside carefully, avoiding the dirty clothes and shoes that littered the floor. Baekhyun didn’t move as Chanyeol gently grabbed his shoulder and shook it. Frowning, Chanyeol reached up and pressed his hand against Baekhyun’s forehead, sighing. He was burning up. “I can’t believe you were still planning to go to school.”

Suddenly, Baekhyun’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly, making his vision spin. He moaned in pain and let himself fall back onto the bed, pressing his hands to his eyes. “Yeol? What time is it?” he mumbled, trying to make the world stop spinning.

“Too late for class. I texted you, and you didn’t reply so I got worried. I brought you some food. And I’m about to go out and get you some medicine.”

Baekhyun groaned and sighed. He was already feeling a little bit under the weather when he got home, so he decided to get ready early and take a nap before class. He didn’t think he’d sleep all the way through class. “Wait. Don’t you have class right now?” Baekhyun croaked out as Chanyeol got up to leave.

“I can miss a class or two to take care of you.” Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun’s face went from sickly and tired to guilty, and he sighed as he leaned on the doorframe. “It’s okay. You’re sick. Don’t feel guilty. I just want to see you get better.”

--

Baekhyun was on the couch, rolled up in his blankets when Chanyeol came back with the medicine. He grabbed a clean cup from the small kitchen and filled it with water before jabbing at Baekhyun and handing him some pills and the water.

Baekhyun took it from him and choked the pills down, making a face at how terrible they tasted. “Tastes like medicine,” he croaked out, finishing the water and placing the empty cup on the coffee table.

“Really? The package said rainbows, sunshine, and unicorns. You’re telling me they lied to me?” Chanyeol looked so scandalized that Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh. His entire body ached as he shook with laughter, but he didn’t care. It was making him feel better. “You should really take a break for a few days. If you’re a little bit short for rent, I’ll help you cover it, but if you keep going like this, you’re going to be rent free in heaven.”

Baekhyun knew he was right. Chanyeol was always right when it came to these things. “So take a few days off, okay?”

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol’s pleading face before sighing and nodding, letting his head fall back onto the couch. A smile appeared on Chanyeol’s face as he reached out to ruffle Baekhyun’s hair. He got up and grabbed the bag of previously warm food and took it out to shove into Baekhyun’s microwave.

“I brought food. Are you hungry?”

“Am I ever not hungry?”

--