“Rough night?” Jongin asks, a curious look on his face as he eyes Baekhyun’s bruised lips.

 

Sehun wolf-whistles. “Someone saw action last night,” he smirks.

 

Baekhyun ignores the both of them in favor of taking his place at the cashier counter and rests his head there on top of his arms in his usual fashion and takes a much-needed nap.

 

He’ll have to deal with them later. Sleep comes first.

 

--

 

Monday comes in the form of grey skies and light drizzles.

 

Baekhyun shivers slightly as he trudges down the street with hands in his pocket, listening to Jongdae ramble on about one thing or another beside him. It’s drizzling light enough that Baekhyun doesn’t feel the need to use his umbrella.

 

This goes on for the whole walk to their campus, and at the junction where they usually part ways to go to their own respective classes, a beautiful stone-paved road with red-leaved trees (as it is autumn) on both sides that branches out in two, Jongdae laughs at Baekhyun and pats his back. “You have class with Park today, right? Have fun,” he teases as he runs off, laughing all the way.

 

Baekhyun sighs and shakes his head, walking down to the direction of his own class.

 

He really needs to reconsider his choice in friends.

 

--

 

He meets Chanyeol three hours later at noon when he is on his way to the class that they share together.

 

Chanyeol, with shaky voice and all, haltingly invites him to walk together.

 

Baekhyun quirks a brow. Usually, he would walk to that particular class alone. He never meets Chanyeol before, and Chanyeol never invites him to go together. Nonetheless, he finds himself nodding.

 

When they walk side by side, Chanyeol suddenly grabs his wrist. He stops walking and looks at Chanyeol in confusion.

 

Chanyeol visibly winces, and his hand slowly slides downwards until it reaches Baekhyun’s palm. He squeezes it tightly.

 

Oh.

 

Chanyeol wants to hold hands.

 

Baekhyun, as he always does with certain uncomfortable things, ignores the warmth in his chest and squeezes back.

 

--

 

It becomes a routine now.

 

On the days they share a class together, Chanyeol and Baekhyun meet up somewhere on campus and walk to class together. Somehow, every single time, their hands always find each other. Nobody mentions anything about it, and it is left alone.

 

In class, Chanyeol would sit beside Baekhyun and copy Baekhyun’s notes because he’s too lazy to look at the front. If he gets bored enough and falls asleep, Baekhyun would hit the back if his head lightly to get him to focus. After class, they would eat out together, and only after then would they say goodbye for the day.

 

They talk to each other more often too. Their conversations get more and more easy, more natural, and soon enough they get comfortable enough that they start cracking stupid jokes that only they understand with each other and laugh so hard their stomachs would get stitches. Baekhyun gets comfortable enough that he tells Chanyeol about Jongin and Sehun and his work. He even talks about the karaoke nights he has with Jongdae. He gets more honest in his description of experiences, and he doesn’t have to will himself to smile around Chanyeol anymore.

 

Chanyeol tells Baekhyun about his friends, about the funny things they do, and his interesting stories about his one-night stands that always have Baekhyun clutching his stomach with hysterical laughter afterwards. He laughs like he used to with Baekhyun now, where he hits the nearest person or surface around as his whole body shakes and he smiles that Chanyeol smile too, the one that makes Baekhyun’s heart swell up so much he feels like it will burst.

 

Baekhyun feels like he may have his best friend back again.

 

--

 

“You think something happened?” Jongdae asks him as they sit at their usual couch, watching a soap opera.

 

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asks distractedly, eyes focused on the main lead. Her figure puts most of the girls he knows to shame.

 

“Park. You think something caused him to suddenly take action after two years?”

 

Baekhyun stares longingly at her shapely . “I don’t know. Maybe. But I could care less,” he grins. “It feels like we’re best friends agai-holy that ,” his eyes widen as the actress starts to dance in order to impress the love interest. “If he rejects her, he’s definitely gay.”

 

Jongdae whistles appreciatively. “I’d tap that any day. But you’re right. I guess it doesn’t matter. You don’t get whiny about him anymore, so I’m good. In fact, I don’t hate him as much anymore.”

 

“I’ll just take that as your encouragement and well-wishes. How the does her do that?”

 

“Blessed from birth, I’m telling you.”

 

--

 

“I want to make up with you,” Chanyeol says as he looks Baekhyun in the eyes, expression solemn and determined.

 

They are seating at the staircase where they used to hang out, the one in front of the football field and leading up to the office building. Though the vending machine has already been removed, the orange glow of the setting sun and the noisy chatter of the birds spark a sense of nostalgia inside Baekhyun.

 

He stares at Chanyeol, and vaguely thinks that the sunset casts a light on Chanyeol that accentuates his every feature, and Baekhyun thinks that maybe Chanyeol is beautiful, but he silences the thought before it grows into something he’d rather not deal with.

 

Instead, Baekhyun grins and takes Chanyeol’s hand and squeezes.

 

“Aren’t we already?”

 

--

 

Chanyeol smells like .

 

Baekhyun doesn’t know how he feels about that, so he says nothing and lets Chanyeol in.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asks as he locks the door behind them. “I thought Saturday nights you stay at the house of your conquest of the week.”

 

Chanyeol shrugs as he walks to the living room. “Didn’t feel like staying. And my apartment is off limits since my housemate’s bringing someone home too, so.”

 

Baekhyun snorts. “And so you decide to bug your friend at three in the morning.”

 

Chanyeol is silent for a moment, before grinning widely. “Let me rephrase that. My best friend.”

 

Baekhyun smiles, this time letting the warmth in his chest spread out.

 

“Yeah.”

 

--

 

“So tell me,” Baekhyun asks later as they both lie down side-by-side on his queen-sized bed, “how was Conquest of the Week?”

 

Chanyeol snorts. “You really need to stop labeling them like that. And she was okay, I guess. I’ve had better.”

 

Baekhyun kicks him lightly. “, be grateful that you’re getting laid more than I ever will.”

 

Chanyeol kicks him back. “That’s because you spend your Saturday nights having a karaoke date with Jongdae. Honestly, you’re a waste of a pretty face.”

 

Baekhyun stiffens for a bit before kicking Chanyeol again. “Just go to sleep, .”

 

Chanyeol huffs. “Fine. Goodnight,” he mutters as he switches off the bedside lamp, causing the room to fall into darkness.

 

Baekhyun mumbles out a reply and lies on his side, facing away from Chanyeol.

 

Sometime later, when Baekhyun is about to doze off, he feels an arm around his waist and a warm body against his back. He feels Chanyeol’s nose against his hair.

 

Since he is too tired to recognize the implications, he merely leans back and closes his eyes once more.

 

Sleep comes first, after all.

 

--

 

When Baekhyun sees Chanyeol making out with another man, he feels like throwing up.

 

Hearing and knowing about it is one thing, but seeing it is a whole different thing. Sure, a few months ago, he may have technically made out with Chanyeol, but that didn’t count because Chanyeol was drunk and kisses weren’t supposed to hurt that much.

 

But honestly, couldn’t they have found a more private place than in front of his ing work place? Sure, the club’s nearby, but what the couldn’t they at least control their ing until they’re out of the public eye?

 

It’s eleven at night. It’s way too early for this .

 

Jongin sighs from beside him. “College students these days,” he mutters as he locks up the store.

 

“Shut up, kid. You’re still in high school,” Baekhyun mumbles back as he tries not to stare at them. He really wonders whether fate has a thing against him. Figures that the night he had to accompany Jongin for stock take he sees this.

 

Chanyeol’s whispering something against the other man’s neck, causing him to moan. Baekhyun’s grateful that the street’s always empty at these times, or else they could have been arrested for public indecency.

 

Jongin makes a face. “They’re really getting it on, huh. They should really be careful. Not to mention they’re both guys.”

 

Baekhyun flicks his forehead. “Shut up and let’s go. You’re sleeping over, right?”

 

Jongin grins happily at him. “Yeah. Sehun will definitely be jealous that he can’t-”

 

“Baekhyunnie!”

 

Bakhyun winces and turns around to see Chanyeol running towards him, grinning widely. He grabs Baekhyun into a bone-crushing hug.

 

Baekhyun frowns at the strong smell of alcohol coming from Chanyeol and pushes Chanyeol back. “You’re drunk,” he mutters and he sees Chanyeol’s conquest eyeing him from a distance.

 

Chanyeol pouts at him. He sees Jongin and blinks. “Who’s this?”

 

Jongin looks at Baekhyun incredulously. “You know him?”

 

Baekhyun sighs. “Yeah,” he turns to Chanyeol.  “This is Jongin, Chanyeol. He works with me. Now go back to your conquest and for god’s sake, don’t make out in public. Do it somewhere else.” He really is glad that nobody's around, or else people would stare.

 

Chanyeol frowns at him. “Why? Because it’s disgusting?”

 

“No. Because it’s indecent and you could get arrested for public indecency.”

 

Chanyeol glares at him. Baekhyun sighs again. “Just go, Chanyeol,” he grabs Jongin by the wrist and drags him in the direction of his apartment.

 

Jongin follows him uncertainly, letting him lead. “Uh, Baekhyun-”

 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun mutters.

 

He doesn’t know why he feels so angry and betrayed, and he tries to ignore the implications those feelings present.