He is thankful that that morning Kris sleeps in - his mother has tried to wake him up to walk to school with Chanyeol but fails - so he bids a quick goodbye with his toast hung in his mouth and hurries out of the house. He needs to see Baekhyun and make sure that his friend is okay because he has behaved differently to him yesterday. And to think that he has done something that may have caused Baekhyun to be like that... He shakes his head. Looking over his shoulder to make sure that his Kris isn't trailing after him, he quickens his steps to the white buildings in his view and his body moves on its own accord and there he finds himself smiling ever so widely at the sight of his friend, poring over some papers, a pen twirling between his middle finger and his thumb, and Chanyeol can feel himself breathe after hours of restless night.

Baekhyun doesn't seem to have noticed his presence so Chanyeol walks in quietly, and only when he reaches the desk in front of their usual seat does he picks up a chair noisily and positions it in front of Baekhyun, ending the intrusion with a soft flick to Baekhyun's forehead.

"Hi there," he moves the hand to pat his friend's head, and brush the hair that is covering his eyes aside, only for them to drop back in place making Chanyeol frown. "Hey," he tilted Baekhyun's chin up to meet his eyes, unable to read them, and it hurts him when Baekhyun shakes away from his hold and divert his eyes. His mouth opens to say something, but Baekhyun beats him when he looks up and smiles. And although the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, Chanyeol is at least relieved because that smile can always calm him down and assure him that everything will be- "Is everything alright?"

There isn't any hesitancy in Baekhyun's nod, and although he knows Chanyeol has more questions at the tip of his tongue, Baekhyun excuses himself saying that he needs to take his textbook in his locker. Chanyeol doesn't push further, and he watches as Baekhyun's lean body maneuvers out of the door.

Baekhyun keeps his eyes to the tiled floor of the corridor, sighing audibly as thoughts process in his head. Perhaps he has acted immaturely; it has even caused his friend to worry over him. But why has he acted that way? It isn't his right to mend into other's life. Chanyeol has his own, separate from Baekhyun's. Perhaps it is because Chanyeol has been his closest friend that he feels betrayed when he sees Chanyeol with someone else. He reminds himself that he has no rights to have Chanyeol for himself. Chanyeol can be close to any others. He takes the book and hurries back to the classroom.

-

Chanyeol notices the space between them and it takes his all not to ask Baekhyun why. He has insisted on walking Baekhyun to his registration class. At the door he stops and Baekhyun lightly bumps into him, the impact seemingly bringing Baekhyun out of his thoughts.

"Thanks," Baekhyun says quietly and without looking at Chanyeol he turns to enter his classroom. Taking a quick step inside the room Chanyeol takes Baekhyun's hands and Baekhyun looks at him mildly surprised.

"I'll see you during lunch?" He asks hopefully.

Chanyeol waits for Baekhyun's nod and only then he releases his hand and waves at him.

-

Five minutes before the first bell Kris enters the room, eyes forthrightly meeting Chanyeol's as he walks up to his seat, face indifferent to others but Chanyeol. Chanyeol is first to break the eye contact, manipulating the same indifferent and unheeding attitude.

There are quick rattling of chain against the desk and chair as Kris takes his seat; Chanyeol doesn't look in his way and keeps his gaze out of the window. He scans three sets of windows from the end of the left wing of his school buildings and thinks to himself that that is Baekhyun's class when suddenly a chair is placed beside his and there Kris sits himself with his arms crossed on Chanyeol's desk, directly looking at him.

"What?" Chanyeol deadpans.

"We didn't leave together."

"So?"

"Mom wants us to leavefor school together."

How Kris has said "mom" so easily has affected him more than what he was talking about.

-

Baekhyun searches for his lanky friend amongst the crowd in the cafeteria. He stands on his toes and scans - pink sweater, woolen hat... There he is! He walks up to the line and approaches his friend, pulling a little at the small of the other's sweater to grab his attention and when he turns, Baekhyun calls for him to follow.

It's much like yesterday, this position, where Baekhyun leans against the sink and the other stands not a feet in front of him as he examines the ugly bruises that just yesterday colours his friends face, but now only appearing in light hues of red.

"Sehun-ah, tell me who did this to you," He lightly traces the healing cuts. "You got this the night you didn't come to study hall, didn't you?" Sehun holds his hand and assures him otherwise. Although Baekhyun doesn't buy what Sehun said, he doesn't press. "Just be careful, okay? And stay out of trouble." Baekhyun's eyes met Sehun's and he feels the warmth in them.

"Thank you, hyung," Sehun squeezes Baekhyun's upper arms and nods before turning to leave, but halts in his movement as if he has remembered something. Baekhyun waits, tilting his head a little to the side until Sehun speaks up. "But hyung, what happened yesterday? Why did you leave so suddenly?"

He takes in the elder's face, and the quietness surrounding them, and without words but a smile, Sehun leaves the bathroom.

-

From the spot he's standing at, Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun strides up to his seatmate in the line waiting up for lunch. He's just close by and if he calls Baekhyun could have immediately spot him; he tries but when he opens his mouth, it closes again. Baekhyun holds the hem of Sehun's shirt as he leads him, and Chanyeol can only watch and hurt when Sehun releases the tug and holds Baekhyun's hand instead.

Where is Baekhyun taking him? What are they doing together? Since when did the become so close?

Chanyeol quietly retreats to their usual table after he gets his lunch, and waits for Baekhyun to return. Fifteen minutes later there he is walking up to them with his soft smile and searching eyes. Their eyes met and when he's close enough for them to hear, Baekhyun asks, "Where's Sehun?"

Chanyeol face drops, but he quickly regains himself and shakes his head.

"He didn't come back here?" Baekhyun asks, more to himself as he places himself beside Chanyeol. Unknown to him this has made a big impact on Chanyeol, who immediately has his upper teeth sunk into his bottom lip in suppressed glee.

In contrary, Baekhyun flinches when he realises he's unconciously sat beside Chanyeol. He reminds himself that everything is just the way it has been before, and it is normal for him to sit beside his friend like how he usually does.

Only that it isn't normal when suddenly there's a clang against the lunch table - one soft to the ears of the loud crowd but loud enough to stop Chanyeol and his friends from chatting and bring Baekhyun out of his thoughts.

"Why is it so hard to find you."

Baekhyun couldn't take his eyes off him, the person he saw Chanyeol with just yesterday. What us this? Why is his chest clenching? Who is he?

Baekhyun doesn't take his eyes off his empty slot of the table, and with that in mind he blurts out, "I'm going to get my lunch."

When Baekhyun comes back, he sits beside Kai because his seat is taken.