Chanyeol sighed and opened his eyes, focusing them on the plate in front of him. He nervously lifted his fist and convinced himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. He was only going to talk to Kyungsoo - his best friend for five years and someone he truly cared about. Kyungsoo was harmless anyways, and there was really nothing the boy could do that Chanyeol should be scared about. However, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of anxiety bottling up inside him.

When he finally managed to knock, there were only a few moments of silence before the door flung open. Jongin stared back at him with tired eyes before they widened in recognition. He immediately looked back and stared at Kyungsoo’s hunched up back.

“Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo visibly flinched at the mention of his name. Chanyeol could feel the suffocating tension in the room, and guessed that it was probably the first time in a while that Jongin addressed Kyungsoo. He cleared his throat as Kyungsoo turned around and stared at the two with an uneasy expression.

“Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asked, looked bewildered at the unexpected guest. Jongin sighed before picking up his jacket. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

Chanyeol saw Jongin’s gaze linger on Kyungsoo, who was desperately trying to avoid the boy’s eyes. Jongin tore his eyes away and gave Chanyeol a small nod before closing the door behind him.

“Wow,” Chanyeol muttered, “that was awkward. So you guys aren’t even talking anymore?”

Kyungsoo let out a strangled laugh. “We never talked before. It was just fighting all the time. Anyways, enough about him. Why are you here?”

Chanyeol winced slightly at Kyungsoo’s tone and made his way to Kyungsoo’s bed, plopping down on top of it. He gathered his legs together and stared at him.

“This fight,” Chanyeol started, watching as Kyungsoo pale at the mention of such a touchy subject, “it was probably the first one we had since three years ago, right? Definitely more serious than the last one though. I just thought.....we shouldn’t blow this one out of proportion. This whole ed up situation here is between you and Jongin, not between you and me. I shouldn’t have gotten so involved. I’m sorry for calling you a bully. But I wanted you understand where I was coming from. I kept quiet about this issue for years, but it’s time we talked about it. I knew you would shut me off again. I was mad and pissed off. I still am, to be honest, but I don’t want to keep this fight up for any longer. It’s just stupid.”

Kyungsoo continued to look back at Chanyeol with an unreadable expression before he stood up and took a seat beside his friend. He smiled tentatively and leaned his head against Chanyeol’s arm.

“Thanks Chanyeol. You’re my best friend and I don’t want to lose you, but I would never have had the courage to confront you before you took the initiative. It’s my fault I kept you in the dark for so long. It wasn’t fair. I understand that, but I just wasn’t able to face my insecurities. I thought speaking them out loud was going to make them more real. But you know what? Telling you isn’t going to make a difference. It’s all over now.”

Chanyeol looked down at Kyungsoo’s shadowed face with a tiny frown.

“That’s bull and you know it too,” he shot, surprising Kyungsoo. “This isn’t anywhere near finished. You can’t honestly believe that the awkward, strained relationship between you and Jongin is just going to go away. Something has to be done.”

Kyungsoo suddenly let out a airy laugh. “That’s exactly what Sehun said. What is it about us that makes everyone so goddamn desperate to make things better? Why can’t you see that there is no better? I’ve tried everything I could, Chanyeol.”

“Look, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol faced Kyungsoo with a stern expression. “I want to help you. I really do. But there’s one only way that’s going to happen. You need to trust me and tell me everything. You can do that, can’t you? I’m your best friend! I’ve known you for five years! We’ve been everything together. Don’t keep this away from me. I have the right to know.”

“You don’t want to know,” Kyungsoo said, but Chanyeol merely narrowed his eyes in a disapproving manner.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Chanyeol said, before relaxing and giving Kyungsoo an encouraging, small smile. “Come on Soo.”

Kyungsoo sighed and dropped his gaze. Finally, he looked up and met Chanyeol’s eyes with determination.

“Just promise me that you won’t judge me. Try to understand where I am coming from. Alright?”

Chanyeol nodded, and Kyungsoo, after moments of hesitation, finally opened his mouth and reiterated the painful past to the one person he trusted the most in the world.

There was a limit to how patient Luhan could be, and waiting for 2 hours was more than enough. He slammed down his pencil on his desk and stared at his nearly empty workbook before glaring at the boy sitting beside him.

“It’s been two hours,” Luhan hissed, but Sehun, who was too engrossed in reading his textbook, didn’t bother replying. Sighing heavily, he lifted his leg and swiftly kicked the boy’s chair. Sehun immediately looked up with an irritated frown.

“I’m trying to study here,” Sehun shot back, but Luhan slumped down in his seat and whined.

“You’ve been studying all day! I get that you’re trying to make up for being unable to write with your sprained wrist, but this is too much! Think about the torture you’re putting me through!”

“I’m not forcing you to study. Why don’t you go and hang out with someone else?”

Luhan groaned. “Everyone’s busy. Baekhyun’s probably sleeping in his room, Jongdae and Minseok are doing whatever they do all the time, and Jongin is not hang out material these days.”

“Your love and understanding for Jongin is overwhelming me,” Sehun drawled. Luhan rolled his eyes and stuck out his leg to kick him in the shin, but Sehun, who had fastened his reflex in his time here, quickly moved out of the way.

“Lame,” Luhan muttered, earning an exasperated sigh from the younger.

Before Sehun could reply, the door burst open and Jongin came walking in, looking half dead. Luhan stared at his best friend as he slumped down on Luhan’s bed.

Sehun immediately scowled. “I’m sleeping there these days. Don’t you dare get your dirty germs on the sheets.”

Jongin looked at Sehun with an unamused look before deciding that an argument wasn’t worth it. He dragged himself up and made his way to Sehun’s bed instead.

No one spoke up; Jongin too tired, Luhan too confused, and Sehun too annoyed. Sehun was the first one to gather his books and stand up.

“I’ll leave you guys to talk,” he said, but Jongin caught his arm and made him sit down again.

“I would never dream of making you leave, hetero,” he said. Luhan stifled a giggle as Sehun narrowed his eyes threateningly.

“What are you doing here?” Luhan asked before neither party could speak again. Jongin shrugged and leaned against the bedpost.

“I need some help,” Jongin murmured, causing both Luhan and Sehun to share a look.

“It’s to do with Kyungsoo, isn’t it?”

Jongin dropped his gaze and nodded.

“I need to get him to trust me again,” he said, “staying like this is doing neither of us a favor. Kyungsoo said he loved me. Heaven knows I love him too. That’s why I need your help guys. He’s not going to listen to anything I say, and I desperately need some advice.”

Luhan softened his gaze and sat down beside Jongin, putting his arm around his shoulders.

“I can’t help but think how differently it would be if this whole misunderstanding didn’t happen,” Jongin closed his eyes in pain, “both of us would be so happy. I can’t let go of that, Luhan. I want it so badly. Kyungsoo thinks it’s too late, but I’m not convinced. We still have two more years of high school left. I’m going to do everything I can from now on. But I don’t know what.”

Sehun stared as Luhan turned to him with worried eyes, urging him to say something. Sighing, he leaned forward and clasped his hands together.

“From what I can tell he’s still convinced you’re a bully,” he started. “You need to get rid of that mindset. You need to convince him that you’re on his side.”

“You were doing it all wrong,” Luhan interrupted. “Kyungsoo doesn’t appreciate grand gestures and public declarations of affection. He takes them as embarrassment and harassment. All you can do is be quite. Don’t overwhelm him. Start doing little things for him and be careful with your words. Win him over slowly, Jongin.”

“And that’s going to work?” Jongin sounded unbelieving. Luhan offered his best friend a soft smile and nodded.

“Give it time. Trust, especially damaged trust, isn’t built over night. Do it by pieces. Keep in mind that Kyungsoo told you he loved you. That isn’t going to disappear. Just make Kyungsoo bring that love out.”

Jongin closed his eyes and remained silent. He finally nodded and gave the two boys a grateful smile.

“Thanks,” he said. He eyed the bed wearily. “You guys don’t mind if I take a nap, do you? I wasn’t able to get any sleep for the past couple of days.”

“Of course you may,” Luhan said quickly. He walked over to a disgruntled Sehun and pulled the boy out of his chair. “We’ll go to the library.”

“We will?” Sehun asked, and Luhan knudged him in the ribs before closing the door behind him.

It was late at night, far past the time all students were required to be in their respective dorms, but Chanyeol just couldn’t keep himself calm. He thought hearing Kyungsoo’s perspective would make everything clearer, but it merely served to confuse him even more. Everything was just so goddamn complicated with the two that he was on the brink of pulling out all of his hair.

There really was nothing he could do, so after giving Kyungsoo a tight hug and apologizing once more for his behavior, he left the room in hurry and made a beeline to his own room. His roommate wasn’t there - the guy was probably off fooling around with his group of friends - so he spent the rest of the day fuming in silence. Chanyeol was known for his extreme protectiveness of his friend, and learning that Kyungsoo was a victim of severe bullying when he was younger did no good for his defensive side. Now he was just extremely pissed off and worried.

Chanyeol knew better than to blame Jongin. He was young and immature, not to mention clearly unaware of Kyungsoo’s past bullying experiences. He understood that Jongin had no intention of doing harm by that accidental prank. Jongin spent nine years trying to make up for some crime he wasn’t even aware about, and that made Chanyeol’s heart constrict in sympathy for the guy.

After hours of enraging and trying to keep himself from breaking something, his roommate finally returned. It was only a few minutes before inspection but trusting his roommate to cover for him, he grabbed his jacket and stormed out of his room. He needed more time to think and some fresh air. This whole ed up situation was driving him insane.

That’s why Chanyeol found himself roaming through an almost completely dark hallway, barely being able to see what was right in front of him. Trusting only his gut instinct to pull him forward and not even knowing exactly where he wanted to go, Chanyeol walked aimlessly around.

He had almost reached the glass door leading to the garden when he heard a loud rumbling from behind. He quickly let go and hid behind a large pillar, hoping that it wasn’t a teacher or a member of the student council. Like Baekhyun had said earlier, he really did not need a scratch on his otherwise perfect record.

“So, did you hear? It’s the biggest gossip on campus these days.”

Chanyeol sighed out in relief when he heard a relatively young sounding voice. It definitely wasn’t a teacher, and by the context of the conversation it wasn’t one of the stuck up student council members either.

“Seriously though. I don’t even know why people are so surprised. It’s not like Do Kyungsoo and Kim Jongin ever had a chance in the first place.”

Chanyeol’s ears immediately perked up at the mention of Kyungsoo. He felt his barely suppressed anger rise up as he listened to someone who dared gossip about his best friend.

“I’m surprised it took nine years to come to this. Does anyone know exactly how it went?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Kim Jongin finally got sick of chasing Do Kyungsoo’s pathetic . Everyone knew it was never going to work. Jongin was the only one in the dark.”

“God, what does Jongin even see in him? He’s been such a loser since third grade.”

“Kim Jongin is mentally ed up. That’s the only explanation.”

Laughter resonated through the halls and as the boys cackled loudly, they ran into a large bulky object in front of them. They were immediately flung back and hit the floor with a painful sounding crack.

“What the ?” One of the boys hissed as he quickly reached for his phone to get some light. He quickly shone it in front of him, revealing Chanyeol towering in front of them with a deadly expression.

“Park Chanyeol?” Another boy spoke up as he slowly stood up. Chanyeol emitted a low growl and took a step forward, eyes narrowing even more.

“I’ve been wanting to let off some steam, and it looks like I just found the perfect way to do so.”

A somewhat Chanyeol centered chapter XD with bits and pieces of kaisoo and hunhan in it, so yay? haha

I'm excited that Chanyeol and Kyungsoo have finally restored their friendship! It's been bugging me for so long ughh

Honestly though, Kaisoo is bringing their whole friendgroup down with them. Something has to be done with their relationship before anything happens with the rest.

Next update as usual will be around Wednesday or Thursday. I really enjoyed writing the next chapter, and although i'm not sure you guys will enjoy reading it, i think some people will definitely enjoy the drama in it lolol

See you guys soon!