((A/N Hello~ slightly early update, because why not owo ))

Chapter Twenty-Seven
You Can't Explain A Love Like Ours

By the time Kyungsoo was knocking on the dorm door, Jongin had managed to convince Chanyeol to play a video game to help get his mind off of the situation. He paused the game and padded over to the dorm opening it and stepping aside so that the older could enter the dorm, a little surprised that he hadn’t just walked in with how urgent his steps were as he crossed the room.

Chanyeol had his head lowered so his gaze were locked onto his lap, his shoulder pulled up as if he expected to get yelled at again. Kyungsoo stared at him for a moment before he sat beside Chanyeol and Jongin climbed onto one of the bar stools, watching the duo closely. When Chanyeol leaned his head against Kyungsoo’s shoulder the other, rather than push Chanyeol away as Jongin was so used to seeing, wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer. Chanyeol pressed his face into Kyungsoo’s chest, then turned his head and sifted a little here and there until he heard Kyungsoo’s heart beat though his shoulders didn’t relax.  His head slipped down to rest in Kyungsoo’s lap instead and Kyungsoo started to soothe his hand over Chanyeol’s back and Jongin watched his breathing finally even out completely.

“Did he… fall asleep?” Jongin asked and Kyungsoo looked over at him as he continued to soothe his hand over Chanyeol’s back. He nodded before looking back down at Chanyeol.

“The way Baekhyun has been acting lately has been stressing him out, rather than give him a relaxing mid-term break. I don’t think it would be a far stretch to say that Baekhyun’s feeding off of the stress and thinks it’s his own, so he keep acting out, and it just continues to make things worse,” he explained, Jongin sitting on the arm of the couch.

“Has Baekhyun-hyung mentioned anything about why he’s acting the way he has been?” Kyungsoo started to shake his head, then paused.

“I haven’t asked, but knowing Chanyeol he has, though I doubt that Baekhyun has given him an answer.” Jongin leaned forward to pick up the remote and changed the input on the television, and they sat in peace for close to half an hour before Kyungsoo shifted out from under Chanyeol’s head. Jongin looked up at him as he stood, frowning a little when he wasn’t able to read the expression on the other’s face. Kyungsoo looked over at Chanyeol, watching him for a moment before he reached for the paper sticking out of his pocket pulling it out and looking it over. Jongin noticed the faint widening of his eyes and he shifted closer, but Kyungsoo pocketed the slip before he had the chance to read what it said.

“I’m going to… go get him something for when he wakes up,” he said, kissing Jongin’s cheek before he left. It was close to an hour before Chanyeol stirred, rubbing his eyes as he pushed himself to sit up on the couch. Jongin offered him a soft smile and a glass of water, Chanyeol looking around.

“Where’s Kyungsoo?”

“He said he was going to get you something, he should be back-” The dark haired male stopped as there was another knock on the door. The two looked over to it, and he stood from the couch, making his way to open it.

Kyungsoo was quiet opening the dorm front door. He didn’t even make much noise as he crossed the dorm to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room door. When he opened the door, however, the frame rattled and a few screws came out of the wall near the handle, a small crack forming where his foot had made contact with the door. Once open he was able to see the startled brunet inside who looked to the door, apparently having leapt out of his skin.

“What the hell K-” Baekhyun coughed hard, stumbling back and wrapping his arms around his stomach as if that would shield it from another punch from the shorter male. “What was… that for?” He wheezed, glaring up at Kyungsoo from his hunched over position.

“What should be close to the feeling I got after you screamed at Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo stated, fist still curled and he took a step towards Baekhyun who took a staggered one back.

“He wouldn’t leave me alone! I can breathe about as well around him as I could after you punched me,” Baekhyun grumbled, flinching and stepping back again when Kyungsoo cranked his arm back as if to prepare for another swing.

“Have you tried actually talking to him? We’ve known each other for years, so there’s no way that I’m the only one of us who knows that he would give you space if you asked him rather than snapping at him and pushing him away constantly. I doubt I have to tell you that you ended up making him cry.” Concern flashed through Baekhyun’s eyes and he straightened slowly, looking down.

“He wouldn’t listen; I would just be wasting my breath.

“You haven’t even tried,” Kyungsoo accused and Baekhyun shrunk in on himself a little, and Kyungsoo saw the bag sitting on the dresser, recognizing the logo on it from the receipt that he pulled out of Chanyeol’s pocket. He stepped to the dresser, grabbing it and looking inside. He pulled out the small box inside, the bow tied snuggly around it, answering his next question. “Couldn’t be bothered to even open it,” He hissed and Baekhyun wrapped his arms back around himself, mumbling something. Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow at him and Baekhyun peaked up before sighing.

“He got me a gift in response to me being an . I didn’t deserve it so I was going to have him take it back, and I thought that if I opened it he wouldn’t be able to,” Baekhyun said softly, his attention shooting to Kyungsoo when he threw the box at him.

“Then stop being an , because he’s been planning to get that for you for this entire term,” He said, turning and slamming the door behind himself. Baekhyun looked down at the box in his hand, hesitantly pulling on one end of the ribbon and letting it flutter to the floor once it was pulled from the box. He opened the box slower than he had removed the ribbon, tensing at the bracelet inside the box. Setting the lid of the box onto the dresser, he gingerly picked up the bracelet, thumb rubbing over the engraving of ‘fearless’.

Baekhyun stared down at the bracelet until the room door opened again. The look of murder had left Kyungsoo’s eyes and his hands were no longer clenched into fist and Baekhyun looked over to him.

“Where is he?”

Baekhyun stared at the dorm door that Kyungsoo had brought him to, flinching when he felt shoved almost into the door and he looked back at the younger before swallowing hard. He reached out, taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. His legs shook a little and he played with the idea of what his chances were to get down the hall before Kyungsoo stopped him, when the door opened. Jongin’s eyes were wide when he met Baekhyun’s gaze looking to Kyungsoo before casting his eyes downward.

“Can I help you, Hyung?”

“I… I need to talk to Chanyeol,” Jongin frowned and looked back up at Baekhyun.

“I think you’ve done enough talking at him for today, Hyung,” he replied, Kyungsoo’s eyes shifting between the two as Jongin’s grip on the dorm door tightened. Kyungsoo had only ever heard that tone from Jongin when someone brought up the youngest’s relationship with Sehun and implied that it was more than what it really was.

“I don’t want to talk at him, I’m not going to yell anymore, I need to talk to him. Please Jongin.”

“He won’t try anything, Jongin,” Kyungsoo cut in when a dark look entered Jongin’s eyes, and it faded when Jongin looked to him. “I knocked some sense into him, and if he tries anything he knows I’m prepared to knock some more in.” Jongin bit the inside of his lower lip, eyes flickering to Baekhyun once more before he stepped back and out of the doorway, letting the eldest walk in with a frown etched onto his lips. Chanyeol had one knee pulled up to his chest when Baekhyun made his way over, and it made the brunet’s heart ache.

“Hey.” Chanyeol nodded, pulling his knee closer to his chest. “Chanyeol, can you… can you look at me? I’m sorry for what I said, and I know I messed up. Let’s just talk about this, please?” Chanyeol looked over at Baekhyun’s wrist, seeing the bracelet in place and it made him meet the younger’s eyes.

“You… opened it.” Baekhyun looked down at the bracelet, his other hand coming to brush against the engraving again.

“Not until Kyungsoo punched me in the stomach,” he admitted, feeling a ghost sting in his stomach at the memory, Chanyeol’s eyes widening.

“Jongin said that he went to go get something, I didn’t know he would-”

“I deserved it,” Baekhyun cut in. “It should have been you to hurt me after what I did to you.” Baekhyun gripped the bracelet, looking to Chanyeol as the dark haired male stood.

“Baekhyun, you know I would never-”

“That’s why I did it.” The pair looked to Kyungsoo. “You weren’t going to knock any sense to him. Even if you two are bonded, so are you and I. I’m not going to put up with someone treating you the way he did,” Kyungsoo said, crossing his arms over his chest. “If you two are left alone, are you going to do something I’m going to have to punch you again for?” he asked, looking to Baekhyun who shook his head. “Then go home.” Jongin tensed, grabbing onto Kyungsoo’s sleeve.

“Hyung, are you sure that’s a good idea?” He asked, and Kyungsoo placed a hand over Jongin’s.

“I thought you didn’t like Chanyeol, and here you are now worried about leaving him alone with his boyfriend.” Jongin gave the older a small pout.

“You didn’t see him after Hyung tore a hole into him!” He argued and Kyungsoo pulled him towards Jongin’s room door.

“If he does anything else, I’ll know,” Kyungsoo soothed, and Jongin watched the door close behind them. It wasn’t long before he heard the dorm door close as Baekhyun and Chanyeol left.

The pair didn’t talk the whole way back to their dorm, and Chanyeol reached out to take Baekhyun’s hand, the other’s hand jerking away initially but following after his hand when Chanyeol pulled his hand back. Once they were back in the dorm and in their room Chanyeol was the first to pull back, much to Baekhyun’s surprise.

“You wanted space,” Chanyeol said in a small voice, stepping back and sitting on the foot of the bed. “This whole thing happened because I wouldn’t back off. I’m so sorry.”

“Chanyeol, you’re not the one to blame. I should have told you what was bothering me rather than just letting it make me blow up like that. I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Baekhyun argued, taking a step towards Chanyeol, who was staring at his own hands. Baekhyun stepped closer, one step at a time until he was standing in front of Chanyeol, as close to him as he could without touching the dark haired male. He reached out gingerly, touching the other’s cheek, causing Chanyeol to look up him before closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. “After what I did, you still let me be close to you.” Chanyeol closed his eyes, reaching up to place his hand over Baekhyun’s.

“Because I love you. I love you on your good days, just as I love you on your bad days.” Baekhyun’s heart stung and he bumped his knees into Chanyeol’s when he leaned down to press his forehead against Chanyeol’s.

“I should have told you when I started feeling trapped that I needed space from time to time,” Baekhyun sighed and Chanyeol nodded, starting to pull back again and Baekhyun placed his hands on the other’s shoulders. “I didn’t mean that I need to you give me space right now. But I won’t do what I did again; I’ll give you some kind of a warning,” he said and Chanyeol nodded, his frame still stiff as if he didn’t know to pull away or move closer to Baekhyun.

“Can… Can we lie down?” Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun nodded, releasing the other before he crawled onto the bed and laid on his side of the bed. Chanyeol moved to lay beside Baekhyun, pulling the blankets over the both of them before he shifted as close to the brunet as he could. He looked up at Baekhyun’s face before pressing his head to his chest, finding the other’s heartbeat instantly. He took a slow, deep breath, his body relaxing for the first time in a week.