The two go on their date that weekend, leaving Chanyeol alone on his and Baekhyun’s typical video game night. He lays down on his bed, head hanging off the edge with his long limbs running up the wall, guitar sat on his stomach as he strummed experimentally.

Things were always a lot quieter when Baekhyun wasn’t around.

Every few moments, he’d pick up his phone, checking for any sign of communication from Baekhyun. None came.

He sighed as he put his phone back down, returning to mindlessly strumming his guitar. He scanned his room from his bed, everything upside down and starting to blur. He groaned as he sat up, blood rushing back down as he rubbed his temple with the of his palm. He cast another forlorn glance to his phone, deflating when he saw that there were no more notifications than there were a few moments ago.

A part of him regrets encouraging his friend to go on that date. Maybe if he didn’t, the smaller would be by his side now, soft voice singing along with his guitar as they lay side by side on the giant’s bed.

He smiled a bit to himself at the image, trying to calm the beating in his chest.

His finger danced across the strings of his guitars, hearing the chords ring out softly before he left his hand to rest on the soft comforter of his bed.

He groaned, running a hand through his hair. He really needed to get his mind off things.

It’s not like his life revolved around Baekhyun. He could live without him for a few hours. Even if being without him meant that Baekhyun was off with someone else. It was okay. It was just one date. Not that it mattered anyways. High school relationships rarely ever work out in the end. Odds are that—

A sharp ringtone snapped Chanyeol out of his thoughts, the tall boy diving for his phone vibrating incessantly on his bed. His fingers slipped over themselves as he tried to grip the device, answering the call quickly and almost slamming it to his ear.

“Hello?” he said quickly, almost out of breath.

“Someone’s breathing heavy. Spending another lonely night with your favourite hand?” a voice asked, a lilt in their tone. Chanyeol deflated, pulling the phone away from his ear to check the caller ID.

“What do you want, Jongdae?”

“You’re always so mean to me, Yeollie. Maybe sometimes I just wanna have a quality conversation with my friend.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Alright Dae. Converse away, then.”

The line went silent for a moment.

“You didn’t think this far, did you?”

“Shut up, I’m thinking now.”

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have a call I’m waiting for.”

“Are you waiting on Baek? Is that why you answered the phone in such a hurry?”

“… No.”

“Ah you’re so in love with the kid, it hurts a bit to watch.”

“I just… I wanna make sure everything went well with him. He went on a date with Sehun tonight.”

Jongdae sputtered. “He went on a date?! And it wasn’t with you?”

“Don’t remind me, Dae.”

“You guys are practically joined at the hip, I’m surprised that he didn’t bring you along with him. I didn’t even know it was possible for you two to be separated for this long.”

Chanyeol let out a soft sigh. “It’s… whatever.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

Chanyeol felt the phone vibrate against his cheek, pulling it away and feeling his heart flutter a bit.

“I have to go, it’s- “

“Of course, Baekhyun awaits. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chanyeol took in a deep breath before accepting the other boy’s call, clearing his throat before returning the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey Yeol!”

“Baek!” he said with feigned excitement. “How did your date go?”

The smaller boy only giggled softly through the phone. “Actually… it went really well.”

Chanyeol grit his teeth. “Really?” he asked, trying not to let anything seep into his tone.

“Yeah! Sehun was like, five times more nervous than I was. Apparently, he had been trying to work up the nerve to ask me out for like two months now,” Baekhyun said with another laugh. “It was actually really cute. He couldn’t even look me in the eyes for the first ten minutes.”

“Some date that must’ve been.” Chanyeol muttered under his breath.

“I mean, once he got over his nerves, he was really funny and charming,” Baekhyun continued, seemingly not hearing his friend. “I wasn’t expecting it, honestly. He’s always so stoic in class. I honestly thought he hated me before a few days ago.” He concluded with a chuckle.

“Good to know it went well.” Chanyeol said half-heartedly.

There was a pause.

“Yeol, are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just tired.”

“Do you want me to swing by? The night’s still young, we can make up video game time~”

“Nah, you don’t need to- “

“I can be there in less than five minutes with food~”

Chanyeol smiled into the receiver. He could never really deny his friend.

“You’d better bring the sour- “

“Cream and onion chips from the corner store, no need to remind me, Yoda. It’s in my best friend duties to remember.”

The giant rolled his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Alright, alright. Just be here in 20 or I’m not letting you in.”

He could hear a soft laughter from the other end.

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

And in a matter of minutes, Baekhyun was at Chanyeol’s front door, arms full of Chanyeol’s favourite snacks with a smile stretched across his face. The giant rolled his eyes as the smaller welcomed himself in, Chanyeol catching a whiff of an unfamiliar smell on his clothes.

“You smell… Different.”

“Different good, different bad?” he asked as he slipped his shoes off, making a beeline for Chanyeol’s room.

“Just… Different.”

Baekhyun hummed, shouldering the door to the giant’s room open. “I didn’t wear anything new tonight… Maybe I just spent too much time near Sehun.”

Chanyeol furrowed his brow. “Why the hell would you smell like Sehun?”

The smaller laughed. “Well, I did just go on a date with him.”

“Yeah, but you can… hang out with someone without smelling like them after. What were you doing with him?”

“Calm the interrogation, Yoda. We went to watch a movie and I guess we just got a little close.”

“On your first date? Were you at his place?” he said, voice coming out more aggressive than he intended it to.

Baekhyun plopped the snacks on the taller’s bed, turning to look at him with his brows raised. “You seem awfully invested in this date.”

“Baekhyun- “

“We went out to the theatre,” he said almost apprehensively, sitting in front of the TV. “He was wearing some kind of cologne and he just put his arm around me. It’s not like we made out or anything, and he didn’t try anything other than that, okay?”

Chanyeol set his lips in a tight line, taking a seat on his bed as Baekhyun started up the game console.

“Are you gonna go out with him again?” Chanyeol asked softly as Baekhyun turned to hand him one of the controllers and settled down with his back against the bed frame. The smaller cast his glance to the ground, fingers fiddling with the controller absentmindedly.

“Maybe? Probably? I don’t know yet.”

“Would you… want to?”

“I don’t know, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said with a sigh, still not looking Chanyeol in the eyes. The taller frowned, but the smaller’s tensed frame told him not to press on the topic anymore.

~~~~~

For some time after, things seem like they always were.

Though Baekhyun was a little more distant than he used to be, the pair still met up at the school’s library every other evening to study for their exams, still finding time every weekend to play video games and just spend time with each other.

For some time, it’s like nothing changed.

But a month or two before graduation, Chanyeol found himself alone on more nights than ever, found himself sitting alone at a library table meant for two, on the edge of his bed, finding less fun in games when it was just him playing.

It was always something every week.

“Sehun wanted to grab some bubble tea.”

“Sehun needed me to help him with his math homework.”

“Sehun has a cold so I’m bringing over some soup for him!”

Sehun, Sehun, Sehun. It was always Sehun. Like an awkwardly lanky whirlwind, the boy had come into their lives and swept Baekhyun away from Chanyeol. Since Baekhyun and Sehun’s first date a few months ago, the tall boy had made a very awkward presence around Chanyeol.

Even after months of Baekhyun and Sehun dating, Chanyeol has yet to maintain a full conversation with the other boy, only ever exchanging awkward greetings whenever they bumped into each other with Baekhyun present.

Their relationship was awkward, to say the least.

Chanyeol sighed as he leaned back against the frame of his bed, staring forlornly at the empty space next to him like the love-struck teenager that he was, rejected by his first love (he may not have been directly rejected but it still hurt).

It had been a good two weeks since he last spent one on one time with Baekhyun, only ever hanging out with him with someone else around, and as of late, that someone else was almost always Sehun.

If Chanyeol had known how well the two would’ve gotten along, maybe he wouldn’t have encouraged Baekhyun to go on that date.

If Chanyeol had known how well the two would’ve gotten along, maybe he would’ve taken his chance when he still had one.

But he supposes there was no point in him dwelling on the past now. Even if it hurt in the moment, something told Chanyeol the pair wouldn’t last long. Be it his own internalized hopes or a lack of compatibility between the two, Chanyeol wasn’t sure. He knew from Baekhyun’s rambles that he and Sehun had different plans after high school, had different dreams that they were going to pursue from different places, and the giant firmly believed their relationship wouldn’t be able to stand the test of distance. He hates to admit it, but it gave him a sick of satisfaction. Baekhyun may be spending his time with Sehun now, but at the end of the day, Sehun didn’t grow up with Baekhyun.

Sehun wasn’t Baekhyun’s best friend.

Sehun didn’t spend his life so irrevocably in love with Baekhyun.

But then why did it hurt Chanyeol so much to see Baekhyun so happy around Sehun?

Chanyeol let out a sigh as he threw his head back until it met the soft fabric of his comforter, eyes drifting to Baekhyun’s usual spot on his bed, wishing that Baekhyun was back here with him instead.

~~~~~

Chanyeol stood on the street, waiting awkwardly and wondering whether Baekhyun was even home. It had been a while since they had walked to school together, the older often going to school much earlier to tutor Sehun in math.

He shifted his balance on his feet, staring up at Baekhyun’s window, waiting for movement, a shadow, anything that would tell him if Baekhyun was still up there.

Chanyeol checked his phone one more time, the screen still absent of any response from Baekhyun. After a few moments, he deflated, assuming that Baekhyun had already left long ago, trudging down the streets on his way to school.

He just makes it down the street before a force hits him in the back, causing him to stumble forward, flailing as he tried to steady himself. He has half a mind to yell at whoever collided into him, but the moment he turned around, he was met with the beaming face of his best friend. All his anger dissipated and Chanyeol curses himself for being so weak.

“Yoda! I saw you outside the window earlier but when I came down, you were gone.”

Chanyeol shrugged. “I figured you already left to go study with Sehun.” He said, trying hard not to spit the boy’s name.

“Ah…”

“Why aren’t you with him now?”

“I mean, I was gonna go study with him, but I realized it’s been a while since we just hung out so I took a rain check.”

Chanyeol nodded, eyes watching their feet as they fell into step like they always did.

“How have you been lately? I feel like I haven’t heard from you in ages.”

Maybe because you’re off with Sehun all the time. “Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“We should catch up soon. I’ve missed hanging out with you.”

Chanyeol nodded, smiling a bit as they continued on their way.

“I know I haven’t exactly been present for the past few weeks, and I’m sorry about that. I miss you, Yoda.”

“I missed you too.” More than you know.

Baekhyun smiled. “Dinner tonight? My treat~”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Well obviously I have to come now.”

“School gates at 4?”

“I’ll be there.”

~~~~~

For a while that night, it felt like it was just them again. Like it was them against the world again and Sehun was never a part of their lives.

He missed it so much.

They were never the type to go out and have fancy dinners, the two opting instead to stay in and order fried chicken instead. Chanyeol would smile whenever he watched the older boy eat so excitedly, giving up all the best pieces of the chicken just to see him beam. He didn’t mind as long as Baekhyun stayed happy.

He wants to curse himself for being so weak around the boy, but he knows there was a reason he had spent so much time in love with his friend.

Every smile makes his heart flutter out of his chest, every joke has him doubled over and laughing until his cheeks hurt, every touch gives him heart palpitations. Everything about Baekhyun made him feel elated.

And Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he was ever going to be ready to share that feeling with anyone else.

He knew he was being selfish—Baekhyun was his own person, and he was allowed to spend his time with whoever he wanted to, he was allowed to date whoever he wanted to— but the thought of anyone else spending these nights with Baekhyun, the thought of Sehun spending these nights with Baekhyun, just left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Chanyeol too, had stopped believing in the magic qualities of rocks long ago, but the hope that something, anything could keep Baekhyun from leaving his side had him picking them up from the side of the street like he did when he was a child, wishing as hard as he could for his dreams to come true.

Wishing that Baekhyun could finally be his.

~~~~~

Months pass, and not much changes.

Chanyeol keeps wishing on rocks and Baekhyun splits his time after school between him and Sehun. The end of the school term was fast approaching, and there wasn’t much time before they were to graduate. He had spent all of his free time working on his university applications, and he knew that when Baekhyun was alone, he was doing the same.

There was too much to do and not enough time to get it done, and Chanyeol spent more time awake than he did asleep, more time cooped up in libraries than he did in the comfort of his own home.

It isn’t until he’s clutching a letter from his top choice in schools, opening his door to rush to his best friend’s home that he sees Baekhyun standing at his door, one hand raised to knock as the other tightly holding a letter from the same school. The older boy enters without a word, both too nervous to say anything as Chanyeol grabs the letter opener from his dining table, hurriedly ripping the seal on his letter before giving it to Baekhyun, waiting for him to do the same.

They take a deep breath together, pulling the papers out of their envelopes and quickly scanning its contents before their eyes met again, both sporting matching grins on their faces.

Before Chanyeol can even register it, Baekhyun throws himself forward, nuzzling his face into the crook on Chanyeol’s neck, arms wrapped tightly around the taller’s waist. It takes him a moment to wrap his own arms around the smaller, holding him close.

Time stood still for a moment, and all that existed in that space was the two of them, all that mattered was Chanyeol and the boy in his arms.

“It’s happening, Yeol,” Baekhyun murmured into the collar of his taller friend’s shirt. “It’s really happening.”

Chanyeol placed his lips on the crown of Baekhyun’s head, not quite enough to call it a kiss, but enough to bury Baekhyun further into the crook of his neck. He let his eyes flutter closed for a moment as he felt the warmth of the smaller against him, letting out an airy chuckle.

Baekhyun pulled away, hurriedly wiping his eyes with his sleeve with a small laugh. “I would’ve thought with your work ethic you would’ve never gotten in.”

Chanyeol cupped Baekhyun’s cheek with his hand, drying any excess tears on the boy’s face with his thumb. “What’re you crying for, squirt? It’s gonna take more than my terrible work ethic to keep me away from you,” he said jokingly, heart slightly aching. “You know you’re stuck with me till death, right?”

Baekhyun smiled that smile that sent butterflies flying in the pit of Chanyeol’s stomach, shaking his head lightly. “You’re the one that’s stuck with me, Yoda. I’m gonna be like a leech on you in university. You’re gonna wish you could get rid of me.”

Never. “I don’t mind leeches as long as they’re cute, so you’re safe for now, Byun.” He says with a gentle ruffle of Baekhyun’s hair.

“It’ll always be you and me.”

~~~~~

The rest of the semester passes by in such a flash that they’re graduating before Chanyeol can really register it, sitting in his robes with his hands bunched in his lap as he sat through speech after endless speech. By the time the graduates began lining up to receive their diplomas, Chanyeol was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, both out of soreness and in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Baekhyun in line.

He gets his wish when the graduates begin filing on stage, and Chanyeol can feel his heart beat a little harder when he sees his friend, completely swallowed by the graduation robes and wearing a cap that flattened his bangs against his forehead. Baekhyun accepted his diploma with a dazzling smile, turning his head to the audience for a moment, scanning, scanning, scanning until his eyes met with Chanyeol’s, giving the boy a beam as he walked off stage. The giant’s heart fluttered, his ears turning pink as he gave a smile back.

It was something meant just for him, a smile that Baekhyun wouldn’t give anyone else but Chanyeol.

Not their peers, not any of their other friends, not even Sehun.

The entire interaction couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, and though Chanyeol hadn’t thought of taking a picture of it in the moment, he knows it’s an image he wasn’t soon to forget.

The rest of the ceremony doesn’t last that much longer, Chanyeol only barely managing to make it across the stage himself without falling flat on his face. He grips the rolled sheet of paper in his hand tightly, holding it to his chest as the last speech of the night came to an end, dismissing the students and their families from their seats. He’s still holding the paper tightly when he rises, wandering around the grounds to look for Baekhyun.

He perks up when he sees his own family in a conversation with Baekhyun’s, walking up to greet them. He was welcomed with congratulations from both families, patting him on the back and giving him flowers as they smiled up at him. But with his best friend nowhere to be seen, Chanyeol keeps craning his neck out, briefly catching his sister’s gaze as she gave him a knowing smile. She nodded her head back towards the crowd of his peers, silently telling him to go out and look for Baekhyun as she engaged everyone else in conversation, taking the focus away from him.

He gave her a smile in thanks before turning and entering the crowd again.

It was a hot summer day, and he could feel himself baking in his long robes as he waded through the crowd of students, but he couldn’t stop until he found his friend.

Finally, he sees him. Under the shade of a tree, talking excitedly to Jongdae. Chanyeol’s steps slow to a stop when he hears Baekhyun laugh, the sound all boisterous and unabashed and Chanyeol can feel his heart flutter again. Jongdae takes notice of him after a moment, Baekhyun following the boy’s gaze to Chanyeol, standing awkwardly away from anyone else. Without hesitation, the small boy runs to him, closing the gap and wrapping his arms around the giant’s waist to bury his face in the tall boy’s chest as Chanyeol’s arms raised to embrace him back.

Jongdae laughs, taking relaxed steps towards the two as Baekhyun pulls away.

“I can’t believe it’s finally over!” Baekhyun said.  

“Who would’ve thought Yeol was gonna make it this far?” Jongdae said, patting a hand on the tall boy’s shoulder. “I thought for sure you were either gonna flunk out or get eaten by Ms. Kwon after failing so many math tests.”

“Don’t speak too soon, Dae. He could totally still flunk out of university.” Baekhyun said.

“You’re one to talk, Jongdae. You were the one on academic probation because you spent senior year chasing after some college freshman. What was his name again? Mint socks?”

“You’re just jealous because I have a hot older boyfriend now.”

“I’m honestly more worried for him than anything. If only he knew what he was getting himself into.”

“And it’s this caring personality I’m gonna miss most next year. You idiots better visit me at some point or I’m officially terminating this friendship.” Jongdae said with a smile.

Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something, but his words died in his throat when Sehun came rushing behind him, enveloping the small boy in a hug and lifting him off the ground, twirling him in a circle as the small boy laughed in glee, frantically patting his boyfriend’s arm to get him to put him down.

The smile on Chanyeol’s face began to fade, a bitter taste in his mouth as Sehun put the small boy down, swooping in for a chaste peck on the lips. A smile formed on Baekhyun’s lips, a dazzling smile that Chanyeol once hoped was reserved only for him, now directed at Sehun. His boyfriend.

The giant locks his jaw, though he knows he has no right to be upset. But his best friend is standing there, looking as beautiful as he did the first day they met. A hand was s around his waist, and Chanyeol hates that it doesn’t belong to him. His best friend was smiling brightly and Chanyeol hates that it wasn’t meant for him.

His best friend was in love and Chanyeol hates that it isn’t with him.  

~~~~~

The next few days are silent.

Chanyeol, still unreasonably miffed by what had happened on their graduation day, was becoming a bit more distant. He brushed it off as the exhaustion of his final year finally catching up to him to anyone that asked about it, but his closest friends knew why he was really like this.

Well, his closest friends except for Baekhyun.

Chanyeol honestly hated how much of an influence his best friend could have on him sometimes. His heart ached with longing, but Baekhyun was happy and he’d have to content himself with that.

It takes about a week of lonely sulking before Chanyeol hears a knock on his door, going to answer it wrapped up in his blankets, not paying mind to how it would look to a stranger seeing a teenage boy in need of a shower, cocooned in his unwashed sheets. With disinterest, he flings the door open, ready to deal with whoever was there so he could crawl back into bed, but any words he had died in his throat as he saw the face of his best friend.

“Baek-“

“Where have you been all week?” Baekhyun asked impatiently, a frown on his face. “You’ve been acting weird since grad.”

“No I haven’t.”

“Don’t bull me, Yoda. I know for a fact you’ve been weird since then because that’s the last time I’ve heard from you!”

“I’ve been, uh…”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, nudging past his friend and walking further into the boy’s home as if it were his own, which it essentially was at this point in their friendship. He flings the door to Chanyeol’s room open, sighing when he sees the giant’s blackout curtains pulled over the window, shrouding the whole room in darkness. He walks over to the window just as Chanyeol catches up to him, standing in the doorway as Baekhyun flings the curtain off to the side, Chanyeol wincing when the sunlight bathed the room.

“It’s just sunlight, you dumb giant. Grow up,” Baekhyun said at the sight, opening his window. “Lord knows you probably need it anyways.”

“You disappear for a week just to hole up in your room,” Baekhyun mutters under his breath, leaning over to pick up empty bags of chips and half drunken water bottles off the floor. “Who knows how long it would’ve been until you saw someone if I didn’t come over.”

Chanyeol stands like a child being scolded by his mother with his hands clasped together in front of him as he stared at his feet while Baekhyun continued cleaning up after him. After so many years of friendship, he knows better than to disturb the boy while he’s like this.

“I keep telling you to use a reusable bottle instead of halfway drinking ten plastic water bottles, why don’t you ever listen to me?” Baekhyun continues muttering, arranging the bottles on Chanyeol’s desk before going around to pick up stray articles of clothing. “How much worse would it have gotten if I didn’t show up?”

Chanyeol remained silent, picking at his fingers as his small friend cleaned up after him.

It takes several more minutes before the room is in a significantly cleaner state than it had been before Baekhyun had entered it, the small boy taking a deep breath before seating himself on Chanyeol’s chair as the giant walked in with awkward steps, feeling uncomfortable in his own home. He takes a careful seat on his bed, tucking his legs under him and holding onto the nearest pillow as Baekhyun watched him.

The smaller boy, now visibly less agitated, let out a soft sigh at his friend. “Will you please tell me what’s wrong, Yeol? Did something happen? Did I do something?”

You got a boyfriend and left me behind. Chanyeol thought, but he knew it was too selfish of him to voice it to his friend. No matter how long they’ve known one another, no matter how long they’ve spent together, at the end of the day, Chanyeol knows that Baekhyun doesn’t owe him his romantic affection, no matter how much Chanyeol craves the reciprocation of his feelings.

“I guess university stress is just kicking in,” Chanyeol half-lied. “Now that high school’s over, it suddenly feels like it’s really happening. Everything is moving so fast and I don’t know if I’m ready.”  

Baekhyun let out a soft breath. If he knew his friend wasn’t telling him the whole truth, he certainly didn’t make a show of it.

“You ignored my calls and texts for that?” he asked, tone gentle. “I’m scared too, Chanyeol. We all are. But it’s another adventure we’re gonna have together, Yeol.”

Chanyeol lets out a small laugh. “Our adventures are almost always terrible.”

The small boy smiled back. “But we wouldn’t be the same without them. We wouldn’t be the same without each other. They might sometimes, but I’m still excited to go on this adventure with you.”

The giant looked over at his friend with a smile, praying that the heat he could feel rising to his face wasn’t visible. It wasn’t the response he was expecting, but it made his heart beat a little faster nonetheless.

Baekhyun got to his feet, digging through his pockets before taking a seat on the bed next to Chanyeol.

“I was saving this for something special, but…” Baekhyun began, pulling something out from his pocket. “Who else is more special than my best friend?”

He hovered his hand in the air, shaking it a bit in an attempt to prompt Chanyeol to move faster, leaving his hand hanging until Chanyeol supplemented his below. Baekhyun smiled as he opened his hand, leaving nothing but a small rock onto the giant’s palm. It couldn’t have been much larger than his thumbnail, but it sparkled in such a captivating way, the sunlight in the room making it shine a bright red with the tilt of his hand.

“This is the most special rock I own. I keep it on me pretty much all the time, since it’s so small. It’s the last rock grandma gave me before… you know. She told me to save it for something special.”

Chanyeol’s gaze shot up from the rock to his best friend. “Baek, I can’t take this.”

“If there’s anyone I’d want to give this to, it’s you.”

The taller gave him an unsure look, but Baekhyun wrapped Chanyeol’s fingers around the stone. “Just promise me you’ll keep it safe, Yoda.”

After a moment of hesitation, the taller gave in, nodding to his friend as he slid the stone into his own pocket. Baekhyun smiled.

“That’s more like it.” Baekhyun said with a smile, giving Chanyeol’s head a soft pat before holding his scarred hand up. Chanyeol smiled, holding up his own scarred hand, and Baekhyun laces their fingers together.

“You and me till the end, Yeol.”