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it was always like this; handholding under the table, kissing behind the bookshelves, whispering i love you's behing closed doors. baekhyun wanted no one but the two of them to know they were dating for some reason. at first, kyungsoo didn't mind all too much because all that mattered was that they were together. together. together only when baekhyun said they could be. but he loved his boyfriend dearly so it was okay.

'i want to meet your friends,' kyungsoo had said maybe two months into the relationship but baekhyun only waved him off and changed the subject. 

'am i allowed to hold your hand in public?' kyungsoo had asked shortly after their six month anniversary but baekhyun didn't answer and always slipped his hand out of his boyfriend's grip whenever kyungsoo tried.

when baekhyun had found out that kyungsoo told his best friend, chanyeol that they were dating, the elder was furious. who cares if chanyeol was kyungsoo's childhood friend? he wasn't allowed to know. baekhyun ignored kyungsoo for days.

it was almost their first year anniversary and kyungsoo was sick. he was sick of being denied the love he so craved. he was deprived and baekhyun did nothing to satiate his hunger. kyungsoo was fed up with hiding. 

so he tested something. 

baekhyun was standing with his group of friends on the quad. kyungsoo made his way over. 'hey baek,' 

'oh, hey kyungsoo,' baekhyun said, a confused look on his face. kyungsoo never talked to baekhyun when he was with his friends. without hesitation, kyungsoo slipped his hand into baekhyun's. the elder quickly jerked his hand away and wiped it on his jeans. 'um sorry guys, i just need to have a word with kyungsoo,' baekhyun smiled at his peers.

the second baekhyun pulled kyungsoo behind the building into a secluded spot, his face turned red with anger. 'what the hell was that?! what were you trying to pull back there?' 

'baek, i'm sick of hiding all the time. it hurts having to act like i dont even know you! why can't we just be normal?' kyungsoo stressed, biting his lip in frustration.

'we just can't, okay? just pretend like we're not dating, and we'll be okay,' baekhyun smiled assuringly, pecking kyungsoo on the lips.

and that was it. kyungsoo was ing done dealing with baekhyun's excuses but he would do just as baekhyun said..technically. 'fine. i'm sorry for acting like that,' kyungsoo said quietly before stalking off. 

if baekhyun wanted him to pretend like they weren't together, then kyungsoo would do that. he would pretend not to be with baekhyun and instead be with someone else. 

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the next day, kyungsoo didn't even text baekhyun. he occaisionally received texts from the latter but chose not to answer. 

he was just leaving a class, he had with baekhyun when he turned a hallway corner too quick, resulting in him crashing into someone. 'oh my god, i'm so sorry,' a panicky voice said. kyungsoo's textbooks were all over the ground as he rubbed his head in pain. he starts picking up his textbooks when another pair of hands start picking them up. the stranger stands up and lends him a hand in doing so as well.

the stranger is a male. and a hot one at that. he has gorgeously unruly hair, tight black jeans and a tank top on. 'o-oh, sorry,' kyungsoo stammered.

'not a problem! i'm jongdae, by the way,' the stranger- jongdae says, flashing a smile and oh, the tips of his lips are curved upwards like a cat.

'do kyungsoo,' the shorter male replies. 

jongdae gives him a once over before handing him his books, 'i know it's kinda sudden and i'm hoping i'm not coming off too strong but is it possible if i could maybe get your number and we could hypothetically get a coffee sometime?'

kyungsoo finds it cute how jongdae says too much when he's anervous, the light pink tinted cheeks giving him away. 'of course. i think we could hypothetically get some coffee sometime,' kyungsoo teased, scribbling his number on a piece of paper before ripping it off and giving it to the latter. 

'cool, thanks,' jongdae tucks the paper into his pocket, 'i'll see you around, kyungsoo.'

'okay, see you,' kyungsoo flashes a smile before beginning to walk out of the building again. 

kyungsoo fails to notice that baekhyun witnessed the whole thing, a scowl adorning his face.

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over the course of a week or two, kyungsoo doesn't communicate with baekhyun at all, opting to text and occaisionally call jongdae instead. he even meets up with jongdae a few times for lunch. 

near the end of two weeks, baekhyun finally confronts him, tired of being ignored. he spots kyungsoo exitting a classroom and he hurries after him. 'hey, have you been ignoring me?' baekhyun asks quietly.

'no and you're doing a pretty bad job of pretending we're not together,' kyungsoo replies nonchalantly. 

'stop being difficult, soo,' baekhyun whines, 'i miss you.'

'cool,' 

'd-do you wanna hold hands, maybe?' baekhyun offers, already moving his hand to kyungsoo's. he's willing to give up some of his pride if it makes kyungsoo happy.

'sorry, but no, i have somewhere to be,' the younger replies, typing away on his phone, probably talking to jongdae. kyungsoo starts walking away.

'stop,' baekhyun calls and kyungsoo looks up finally, 'are..are you cheating on me with that leather jacket guy?'

kyungsoo scoffs, 'it's not cheating if you're not my boyfriend.'

and that leaves baekhyun flabbergasted- his heart aching in his chest and his hands shaking at his sides.

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baekhyun starts dressing differently after that. he trades his large baggy sweaters for leather jackets, tight jeans, and kohl-lined eyes. kyungsoo doesn't understand why. he even notices baekhyun walking past him several times a day for no reason. 

the elder continues to bombard his phone with messages and missed calls even if kyungsoo was sure that he made it clear they were over. also, jongdae had asked him out properly so they were together now. sure, jongdae didn't make his heart pound and his palms sweat but jongdae made him smile and laugh and feel better whenever he needed it and that was enough. at least his new boyfriend wasn't scared to hold his hand and k