So...sorry I kept you waiting, guys. Just remember that I love you all to freaking death. Seriously. 

“I am so sorry, Baekhyun!” Yixing profusely apologized, feeling highly distressed and on the verge of tears.

After the incident, Yixing at yelled loudly for someone’s help while he ran to Baekhyun, who had knocked his head on the floor and fell unconscious. Yixing felt terrible for doing something so stupidly clumsy. Junmyeon, who had also been making his way to the staff room, heard the commotion and hurriedly come to see what had happened. They called an ambulance and now all three of the coworkers were in the emergency room.

Baekhyun had woken up slightly confused, not quite sure where he was at, but that was to be expected. After some moments of regaining his bearings, he was deemed fine and ready to be discharged within the hour.

Baekhyun sighed heavily and smiled up at Yixing reassuringly. “Yixing, I’m just fine. You heard the doctor, I can go home. Don’t worry about it anymore,” he said calmly, hoping that Yixing would calm down soon.

“I j-just feel s-so a-awful!”

Junmyeon, who had been silently watching the two interact for a while now, decided it was time to speak up to clear the confusion in his head. “Listen to Baekhyun. The doctors say he’ll be just fine, so please don’t worry too much. I understand that you feel bad, but you get over it since he’s just fine now,” he said, looking at Yixing who was still sniffling. “Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you again? I don’t recognize you,” Junmyeon asked.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, “You don’t know? He’s your new transfer assistant. He works on our floor. Shouldn’t you recognize your employee?”

“Well, I didn’t interview him and he didn’t come introduce himself to me,” Junmyeon explained, his gaze flickering to Yixing who was now wiping his eyes clean of the tears that had fallen just moments before.

“I-I was told n-not to bother you, sir,” Yixing said apologetically. “I’ll introduce myself now. I’m Zhang Yixing, Chinese transfer. I’m sorry for injuring your employee and my coworker. It won’t happen again, sir.”

Junmyeon waved it off as if to say it was alright. “Don’t worry about it,” Junmyeon said, chuckling slightly, “Nice to meet you, Yixing.”

After a few moments longer of waiting, a nurse finally made her entrance with Baekhyun’s discharge papers. Taking only a few seconds of signing the paperwork and quick instructions on what he should and shouldn’t do over the next few days, Baekhyun was ready to leave, holding onto Junmyeon’s arm in case of dizzy spells with Yixing trailing behind them.

They reached the lobby and just as they were about to walk out the door, someone mad their way in almost running into them. Junmyeon gripped Baekhyun tighter as he tried to move him out of the way and the stranger ended up stumbling to the side to avoid the collision.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Junmyeon snapped angrily, turning around to the face the guy while Yixing scurried to Baekhyun’s side, asking if he was alright.

Baekhyun nodded dumbly before looking over to the person who had almost run into them.

He suddenly wished he could just run away right then. Or taken longer signing the discharge papers.

Junmyeon too was equally shocked at the sight of seeing Chanyeol, who was picking himself up off the floor with wide eyes when he noticed the two familiar people.

Baekhyun simply couldn’t help the words that escaped his mouth. “Chanyeol…are you alright?” he asked nervously. He suddenly felt like crying. Chanyeol hadn’t contacted him in a week and now they’ve run into each other.

Why is the world so cruel?

“You….Idiot, stop gaping like that. You look like an idiot,” Junmyeon barked, looking at Chanyeol who was staring at Baekhyun. “If you have somewhere to be, then get there.”

“Baekhyun, are you alright?” Chanyeol reciprocated the question, noticing the bandage on Baekhyun’s head and the way the elder man was grasping onto his friend’s arm for support.

Baekhyun’s mouth felt dry so he only nodded instead of speaking. His didn’t trust his voice.

“Okay, okay, now that we’ve established we’re all just fine, we will be leaving now. I need to get Baekhyun back home so he can rest,” Junmyeon announced, leading Baekhyun out the door along with Yixing, leaving Chanyeol to watch them leave, their forms getting smaller and smaller as they got farther away.

Baekhyun thought the encounter was all too short.

With a final sigh, Chanyeol turned away and walked further into the familiar hospital saying a quick hello to the receptionist whom knew him well already. Chanyeol briefly thought, as he walked down the halls, if he should ask for an examination of his heart, for it was beating so fast and hard that he wondered if he’d fall dead right there from the feelings he was experiencing right then.

Was this guilt?

“You’re sure you’ll be alright?” Junmyeon asked for the nth time, fluffing Baekhyun’s pillow so that he would be comfortable. The boss and Yixing had escorted Baekhyun back to his apartment in Junmyeon’s car, since the elder didn’t ride in the ambulance with Baekhyun—Yixing did—and the two wanted to make sure their friends was comfortable before returning to work.

Much to Baekhyun’s dismay, Junmyeon, being the boss, ordered him to not return to work for the next week. Baekhyun had insisted that he was fine, but Junmyeon just wouldn’t hear it and that was that.

“I’ll be just fine, don’t worry so much,” Baekhyun insisted, relaxing into his bed more as Junmyeon drew the blinds so that there wasn’t much sunlight.

“Okay, okay. Well, if you need anything, just give me a call,” Junmyeon added, his tone softer so that Yixing wouldn’t hear and Baekhyun nodded. “Alright, we’ll be on our way now.”

“Thanks for helping me, guys,” Baekhyun said gratefully, looking to both of his friends.

“No problem. And I’m so sorry, again,” Yixing sighed, still looking regretful.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “If you apologize one more time, I’ll push you down a flight of stairs in return, ok!” he snapped, playfully of course, which made Yixing chuckle a bit.

“Okay, okay, I get it. We’ll get out of your hair now. Junmyeon, sir, shall we go?”

“Yeah, you go ahead. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Yixing nodded, taking the keys Junmyeon handed him before walking out of the apartment, leaving the other two men in the room together. Junmyeon sighed, kneeling over Baekhyun and pressing his soft lips against the man’s forehead.

“Text me if you feel more pain, alright? Want me to come over after work?” he asked, staring at Baekhyun with soft eyes. Baekhyun shook his head slowly.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll probably be sleeping anyway,” Baekhyun said. He reached his arms up, pulling Junmyeon close to give the elder a hug in thanks. “Now get out of here. Don’t worry too much.”

“Okay. I’m really going now. Sleep well. Don’t move around too much.”

“Okay, dad.”

Junmyeon rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he left the room, locking the front door of the apartment.

Baekhyun sat alone in silence, closing his eyes to relax. His head was throbbing a bit, but it wasn’t bad. He had taken some pain relievers when he got home, so he couldn’t take anything else for at least another four hours.

Baekhyun bit in the inside of his cheek as he remembered the encounter with Chanyeol earlier that day. Why did he do this to himself? He got his hopes up, thinking the idiot would call, but he never did. He was saddened, and when he saw Chanyeol, he didn’t expect to feel such weight in his heart.

Damn that Park Chanyeol.

The familiar stinging sensation in his eyes returned to him and Baekhyun did his best to will them away, but to no avail. Soon, he was crying in self-pity, small sobs erupting from his mouth as he cuddled his pillow.

Baekhyun desperately wanted to know what happened between them. He was so happy in college, spending every day with the man he loved so much, and he thought Chanyeol was happy with him too. He thought they would be together forever, even get married if they got the chance.

So why did everything fall apart? How did it even?

Damn that Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun wasn’t sure when exactly fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes it was already dark outside and the clock read nine o’clock. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he rolled out of bed, shuffling into the kitchen for something to eat. He pulled out a container of left over pasta and ate that, along with a cold beer to wash it down. He probably shouldn’t have been drinking, but to hell with that. He wasn’t feeling so well at the moment, emotionally, even if the nap did help a bit. He hadn’t realized just how tired he was.

The silence in the room was finally cut through by the ringing of Baekhyun’s cell phone, blaring a Girl’s Generation song. He grabbed the phone lazily, not bothering to read the caller ID assuming it was just Junmyeon. It was obviously him. It was always him.

“Hello?” Baekhyun answered, leaning against the counter, closing his eyes to shield them from the light.

“Hello? Er…Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun froze, not knowing what to do. He knew this voice. He could feel his hands standing to shake.

It was obviously not Junmyeon this time.

“Aish, just answer. It’s Chanyeol.”

A/N: ............... *envelopes you all in a wonderful hug* I very lub you. *heart*

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