Chapter 12: Fidelity

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Baekhyun's lack of appearance to the following lecture on Monday went unnoticed by everyone except Chanyeol. Keeping to himself, he tried to focus the professors words rather than the idle thoughts of his mind, but found it difficult, especially when his phone was continuously vibrating by his side. He found himself checking it every time. It was primarily Kyungsoo, responding to their conversation and sweet nothings between short messages, but when he saw  Baekhyun's name under the new notifications, Chanyeol couldn't open the text without noticing the slight shakiness of his thumb.

[ B. Baekhyun ] Hey.

[ B. Baekhyun ] My dorm. 8pm.

There was an anomaly in Baekhyun's approach in comparison to their past encounters. It was always through calls and never messages, leaving Chanyeol to wonder why this time was so different.

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Baekhyun raised his head the moment he heard three subtle knocks. Pushing himself away from his desk, he stood up and walked over to open the door.

"Finally."

Jongin rolled his eyes as he quickly entered, walking past Baekhyun, who was teasingly rolling his own eyes at his late arrival. "I came all this way to bring you dinner. I think you meant to say 'thank you'."

Scoffing, Baekhyun closed the door and leaned against it with his hands kept behind his body. "You're right. Thank you," he said, offering a smile. "Did you remember to get the ice pack?"

"I got everything you asked for," Jongin replied, setting the bag in hand on the desk. "Ointments, bandaids... How's your face?"

"Still a little bit swollen, but I'm not worried. It'll heal."

"Hm..." Moving towards him, Jongin cocked his head as his eyes carefully looked at the bruised coloring right above Baekhyun's cheeks. "That bruise underneath your eye looks even worse than the last time I saw you."

"Bruises get darker a few days after you get them, but it's nothing."

Grazing the softness of Baekhyun's skin underneath his thumb, Jongin cupped his face into the palm of his hand and lifted up his gaze until their eyes met. Then, he leaned forward, closing his eyes as he slanted his lips over Baekhyun's, pushing him against the door. 

Baekhyun felt nothing, and he knew that Jongin felt the same. The shallow interaction only lasted for a few seconds before the football quarterback pulled away from him, looking disappointed, though Baekhyun knew that disappointment wasn't towards him at all. Some voids couldn't be filled. 

"Sorry," Jongin muttered, looking away to the side. 

He had no obligation to spare the other's feelings. Nonetheless, Baekhyun gave him a small smile, nodding. "It wasn't that great anyways."

Scoffing, Jongin chuckled. "Not that I was actually trying."

Putting a hand on the handle, Baekhyun twisted the knob, opening the door. "I appreciate the honesty," he said, stepping off to the side. "I'll send money to pay you back."

"Don't worry about it. Just take care of yourself."

Smirking, Baekhyun shrugged. "You, too," he said, watching as Jongin passed him and stepped out into the hallway. "The best way to get over someone is to find someone new, you know."

Jongin laughed underneath his breath, combing through his hair as he shook his head. "Yeah... You're right." Despite his words, Baekhyun wasn't convinced Jongin believed him entirely at all. "I'll see you later."

"Call me."

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As Chanyeol waited for the the elevator to return down to the lobby, questions loomed over his head as to what Baekhyun could've wanted, but most importantly, what he was doing running back to him so easily. He had a love-hate relationship for the way he responded to the latter's every request, but at the same time, he was weak and excused it as such.

The bell rang and Chanyeol's eyes snapped forward, ready to the enter what he expected to be an empty elevator only to be surprised by Jongin who seemed equally puzzled. However, the quarterback recovered immediately and exited before the doors closed. Then, they stood toe-to-toe. 

Jongin looked irked despite the bland expression on his face. Chanyeol couldn't tell if he was angry to see him, but he knew that the tension in the air had a reason for being there. Whatever it was, it didn't feel right.

"This isn't your building," Jongin said, speaking first and breaking the silence. "Hit your head too hard during practice, Park?"

His voice was obviously teasing, but Chanyeol knew better than to believe the smile that was on Jongin's face. "Uh, I'm actually here to see a friend. Needs my