(( This will be another double update~ chapters 43 and 44 will be up by tomorrow :3 How's everyone enjoying the story? I hope I'm still doing a good job uou ))

Chapter Forty Three:

I Can’t Leave You,
You’re All I Wanted,
Don’t Say Goodbye

"Baekhyunnie!" the brunet stifled a groan at how loud the other's voice was, and he placed a hand on Chanyeol’s chest to stop him from draping his lanky limbs over him.

"Give me ten minutes before you maul me," he said, Chanyeol’s smile falling. "Just long enough to take a shower, please?" Chanyeol started to nod, his eyebrows knitting together before he leaned a little closer to Baekhyun and sniffed, causing the brunet to push him away. "I know Jongin likes dogs, but that doesn't mean you need to start acting like one now that you two hang out all the time," he deadpanned, walking past Chanyeol and tensing a little when the younger caught him by his wrist.

"Baekhyun, why are you in such a rush to shower?" The older turned a little to look at Chanyeol, though he dark haired male wasn't looking in his direction at all.

"Because I'm tired from work. We had a lot of demonstrations today, and I had a lot of clients that I had to teach about our products."

"Then you should smell like make up remover, not Taeyeon's perfume." Baekhyun felt his tension spreading, and he looked towards their bedroom door, trying to free his arm with a tug.
 

"How the hell do you remember what perfume she used? And I don't smell like her perfume to begin with!"

"You smell exactly like you used to when you would come over after a date with her... The same way you did after prom when she was your date and Kyungsoo was mine." his voice was calm to the point that it made a sick feeling start to spread through Baekhyun's stomach and he tried to pull away again, Chanyeol tightening his grip on the other's wrist.

"Chanyeol, knock it off!" Baekhyun demanded, the younger finally looking at him and releasing his wrist when Baekhyun tried to pull back a third time.

"Baekhyun, I won't get mad. Just don't lie to me again, that hurts worse than you yelling at me."

"I'm not lying!" Baekhyun argued.

"But you’re not telling me the truth.” Baekhyun’s mouth slowly closed and he stared at the other for a long moment before gritting his teeth.

"You know what? I'm done. This whole relationship is ing pointless. We only started dating because of the stupid myth about soulmates. They don't exist! Why else do you think you would have thought you had two platonic soulmates when you were little? They're. Not. Real." The calm look on Chanyeol’s face turned into one of a kicked puppy for a moment before his eyes were wide with what was most likely fear of Baekhyun took a moment to pay attention.

"But... But you were the one who asked if I felt the spark," Chanyeol pointed out, barely getting the words out before Baekhyun was tearing into him again.

"You're a ing science major and you don't think that static electricity makes more sense than some kind of destiny? I've been putting up with your constant clinging, your hands always having to be touching some part of me even when I don't want you to be, for two damn years and now you're accusing me of cheating on you? As if you leave me alone long enough to get interested in someone." Baekhyun continued, his tone becoming cold and sharper as he did rather than loud and shaky like it usually did.

“But this is a thing that is being researched by scientists, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol protested. “Kyungsoo was the one who showed us the first article that it was published in about, and-”

“That’s another thing!” Baekhyun cut him off, causing the dark haired male to flinch.

“What’s another thing?”

“Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol’s eyebrows knitted together.

“What… about Kyungsoo?”

“Any time you and I have an argument he’s either right there in the middle of it, or he finds me after and tries to break my ribs or cause internal bleeding. He’s always on your side, and none of this is any of his business in the damn first place!” Baekhyun bared his teeth at the other, taking a step back when Chanyeol took one towards him.

“Baek, that’s because he’s my platonic soulmate, and he worries about me. He can feel when I’m upset since he and I are bonded-”

“No, he’s just being an because those bonds aren’t real either!”

“How can you say that, Baek? You and Jongdae are bonded just like Kyungsoo and I are.”

“It’s not like I’ve ever felt anything Jongdae’s felt, so that further proves that I’m right.” Baekhyun flinched a little when his back hit the door to their room, not having realized how far he had been backing up as they went back and forth.

“I think that’s just because Jongdae and Junmyeon-Hyung don’t fight… So you don’t end up feeling something like the pain that Jongdae would be in from a fight,” Chanyeol said, standing in front of the older, trying to ignore the panic he felt in his stomach, and the way it was making his nose and eyes sting with the threat of tears.

“I can get rid of the pain you feel when we fight.” Chanyeol tried to swallow the lump in his throat at the threat.

“Baekhyun, please don’t do this,” His voice cracked a little as he reached up to cup the older’s cheek, his first tear falling when Baekhyun smacked his hand away and turned, opening their bedroom door and stepping inside. Chanyeol was rooted in place long enough for Baekhyun to grab his travel bag and start shoving a couple changes of clothing into it, the dark haired male stepping into the room to narrowly avoid Baekhyun running into him on the way into their bathroom. Baekhyun was only in it to grab a few things that were shoved into the travel bag, and then he was making his way out of their bedroom and towards the front door, Chanyeol barely managing to catch his arm half way there.

“B-Baekhyun-” the brunet yanked his arm free, and when Chanyeol tried to grab a hold of him again he pressed his hands against the younger’s chest, pushing him back and causing him to almost be tripped by the coffee table.

“We’re done.” Was the last thing that Baekhyun said before he slammed the front door behind himself. Chanyeol stared at the closed door for only a few moments before his vision blurred and his knees dropped him onto the floor.

Kyungsoo ran a hand through his hair as he made his way quickly down the hallway, his keys held tightly in his other hand. He had been in the middle of an unusually busy shift at the pet store when his stomach had dropped, or else he was sure that Taekwoon would have let him leave early to go take care of what he was sure was Chanyeol being distressed. But as things were they had to call in two other people to help out with the shift, and Chanyeol wouldn’t answer the texts or phone calls he had snuck in any chance he got. When he called Jongin and the younger said he hadn’t seen or heard from Chanyeol, Kyungsoo had felt his stomach knot up a little tighter and he assured Jongin that he would let the other know about Chanyeol as soon as he found out himself. He unlocked the dorm door, frowning a little when he found the apartment dark. If Chanyeol wasn’t here, then where was he? He pulled out his mobile as the door closed behind him, eyes catching something in the dimly lit room and stepping in.

“Chanyeol?” he called, dropping his bag and crossing the room to where Chanyeol was sitting in the middle of the living room. When the other didn’t respond he stepped over to turn on one of the lamps in the living room before kneeling beside Chanyeol, waving a hand in front of the older’s face; Chanyeol offered no sign that he saw the action, his blank gaze remaining directed towards the floor. “Hey, Chanyeol, what’s going on?” he asked, placing a hand on the dark haired male’s shoulder and giving it a gentle shake, looking over at the door to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room, an uneasy feeling mixing with the knot in his stomach at the fact that it was open. “Where’s Baekhyun?” he asked, looking to Chanyeol as the other slowly lifted his head, turning his gaze to Kyungsoo.

“We… We’re… done,” Chanyeol echoed the older’s words, his lower lips trembling before his head came down on Kyungsoo’s shoulders and he began to choke on his own sobs. Kyungsoo tensed  at the sharp feeling he felt in his own chest for a second before he pulled Chanyeol as close as he could. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo tight enough that it left a dull throb in the younger’s sides, though it was nothing compared to the way his heart ached at the noises Chanyeol was making.

“Can I use your shower?” Jongdae stared at Baekhyun for a moment, arching an eyebrow when he saw the bag that the other had over his shoulder stepping back and gesturing for the brunet to come in.

“You look like you packed for more than just a shower,” he pointed out as Baekhyun slid out of his shoes. Baekhyun looked up at him when he stepped in the way of Baekhyun making his way to the bathroom, crossing his arms over his chest. “You gonna tell me what happened?”

“Nothing,” Baekhyun said, trying to step around the other. Jongdae almost laughed, reaching his arm out to catch the other, a faint smile playing onto his lips.

“Try again.”

“I broke up with Chanyeol.” His smile disappeared and he nudged Baekhyun so the other was in front of him again.

“You what?”

“I broke up with Chanyeol,” Baekhyun repeated with a huff, his irritation rising at the look of horror Jongdae was giving him.

“What the hell did you do that for?”

“You’re going to make me out to be the bad guy? You’re always preaching that soulmate bull, and you turn on the one you call your platonic soulmate?” Baekhyun snapped, Jongdae holding his hands up in surrender.

“Baekhyun, chill out. I’m not calling you a bad guy, I just don’t understand why you would break up with Chanyeol out of nowhere. I get that you two were having a few problems here and there, but last time we talked about them they were being fixed with you both getting jobs so you weren’t always attached to each other,” Jongdae explained, lowering his hands.

“Apparently I got the wrong job, because Chanyeol had the nerve of accusing me of cheating on him.” Jongdae’s forehead scrunched a little in his confusion.
 

“What does working in a make-up store have to do with the thought that you would be cheating on Chanyeol – not that you are,” Jongdae added quickly when Baekhyun opened his mouth. Instead he took a deep breath, trying to let it out slowly before he explained.

Baekhyun groaned a little, one hand coming up to kneed his sore shoulder, his head resting against the wall behind him. His shift was over in five minutes and then he could get home and hopefully rest before Chanyeol dragged him off to whatever he planned for their anniversary. He opened his eyes flinching a moment later when he heard his name called before something splattered against his neck.

"What was that for?" he asked, Jei giggling and holding up a light purple bottle.

"We got a new fragrance line in, and it made me think of you," she stated, setting the bottle on the counter.

"You know, if you spray the customers without asking, you'll probably get fired," Baekhyun stated, frowning and pulling his shirt up a little to smell where she sprayed. "And what part of this scent made you think of me?" he added, Jei giggling in response.

Jongdae crossed his arms over his chest as the other explained, his frown still in place.

“So instead of explaining what happened at your work to your boyfriend, you yelled at him and then left him.” Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at Jongdae. “What the actual , Baekhyun?”

“Screw you too.”
 

“No, I’m serious. Every time that you two fight it’s because you can’t seem to tell Chanyeol that you’re feeling cramped, or stressed, and now you wouldn’t tell him that you weren’t cheating on him, that it was a misunderstanding, and when he got worried about it you ended things.”

“You’re not listening to how this whole thing is affecting me,” Baekhyun protested.

“Well you never listen, so now you know what it feels like,” Jongdae countered.
 

"You know what? I don't need this. I don't need Chanyeol, I don't need you, I don't need anyone who's insistent on cramming this soulmate bull down my throat," he snapped, turning and making his way out of Jongdae's apartment, slamming the door almost as loudly as he had slammed the dorm door. Jongdae took a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh before his mobile buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket.
 

From Junnie~> What was that?

To Junnie~> baekhyun throwing a fit. he broke up with his boyfriend and is trying to say he doesn't believe in soulmates now.

From Junnie~> Are you going to be okay? I know soulmate theories and the like are important to you.

To Junnie~> i'll be fine, but i wouldn’t say no to you coming over :3

Baekhyun threw his bag into one of the locker room lockers once he had pulled out his soap and shampoo, turning and making his way to the showers as he muttered to himself about how all he wanted was a shower and now everyone was on his case about one thing or another. The shower water was quick to hear up, to his relief, and he took his time washing his hair, kneading at his tense shoulders. His fingers were wrinkled by the time he turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist, using a second to dry his hair as he made his way to get dressed. He heard the locker room door open, not paying much mind to it until footsteps stopped behind him.
 

"I heard you broke up with Chanyeol-hyung." Baekhyun frowned, turning to face the younger just before there was a sharp pain between his nose and eye causing him to stagger back. One hand came up to cover his nose, the other reached out to try and grab a hold of one of the lockers to keep himself up, feeling something start to dribble from his nose.
 

"What the ?!" he snapped at Jongin, who had his arms up in front of his chest as if prepared to punch him again. Baekhyun lowered his hand, eyes narrowing at the red drops in his palm before he turned his sharp look to the dark haired male. "I'm older than you, show some damn respect."
 

"You've done nothing but hurt someone I care about, the last thing I'm going to do is respect you," Jongin stated in a low tone. Baekhyun took a step towards him that the younger was sure was meant to seem threatening, but the way he flinched when Jongin pulled his arm back as if to take another swing at him, on top of the fact that his nose was bleeding and he was in nothing more than a towel took care of any threat from the other.
 

"You're going to stay away from Hyung is you don't want to get hit again," Jongin added before turning and leaving the brunet alone in the locker room to clean himself up.

"Why do you have a black eye?"
 

"Your of a boyfriend paid me a visit," Baekhyun replied, going to shut the door on the other, struggling as Kyungsoo pressed his hand to it to keep it open. The older struggled with shutting the door for a moment before he gave up and walked away from it, Kyungsoo letting himself into Baekboem's apartment. "How did you even know where I would be?" he added, dropping himself onto the couch, Kyungsoo crossing his arms loosely over his chest.
 

"Because your brother lives the closest to us compared to your parents. Your parents are also more likely to fuss over you getting a black eye than your brother would be," Kyungsoo explained. "Are you gonna yell at me like you did Chanyeol?"

"It's none of your business what happened between us. It never is but that doesn't seem to matter to you," Baekhyun said through a clenched jaw. "If that's all you're here for, you can leave."