Chanyeol sat lazily on his couch, aimlessly flipping through channels with one hand while balancing his laptop on his knee as he browsed the internet. He wasn't particularly enjoying his Friday night, but he was more of a homebody than a life of the party type guy - and quality nights in with his laptop and mindless television were always a welcome break from his frequent late nights at the office. 

 

He was scrolling through a Buzzfeed article his friend Kyungsoo had posted on Facebook when SNSD's Gee began blaring from the coffee table. He knew that ringtone. It was only set for one person.

 

Baek, you know I hate Girls' Generation.

 

- I know, but now you'll always know when it's me calling.

 

He'd never thought to change it back, because Baekhyun never called anymore.

 

He stared at the device as if it had suddenly grown legs and was dancing around the coffee table (when in reality it was slightly rotating due to the vibration). Should he pick it up? What would Baekhyun want with him? 

 

Chanyeol reached for the phone, still staring at the screen as "Byun Baek ~~" flashed across it, above the contact image of himself and Baekhyun over a year ago. Baekhyun was kissing his cheek and Chanyeol spent a moment taking in the happiness on both their faces. 

 

He shook his head out of the reverie.

 

"He probably just -dailed me," he muttered to himself as he slid the answer button across the screen. Tentatively he put the phone to his ear.

 

"Hello?" It sounded about as unsure as he felt. 

 

However, he was not met with the familiar nasily tone that he was anticipating. He found himself somewhat disappointed by the raspy, deep voice that responded. 

 

"Hello? Is this Chanyeol?" The stranger could barely be heard over the background, which sounded like a combination of rock music and multiple conversations.

 

"Uh…. Yes?" He checked the screen again and it was definitely Baekhyun's number. "Who is this?"

 

"Sorry, uh, this is Jongin. I'm the bartender down at Mars Pub. You know the place?"

 

"Um, yeah. I think." Chanyeol responded, wondering exactly what the hell was going on. 

 

"Right well, we have a little situation here. Do you a Baekhyuk?" Chanyeol heard a faint yelling of 'Baekhyun!' in the background before, "I mean a Baekhyun?"

 

"Yes, I know him. What's wrong?"

 

"Well, he's been here for around four hours now, man, and he's on the bad side of belligerent. And trust me, I see a lot of drunkos here. Anyway, he won't shut up about some idiot named Chanyeol, no offense..."

 

"None taken." Now Chanyeol was really confused.

 

"… and someone needs to come get him. I don't think he'll be able to get home on his own. So I borrowed his phone and sure enough there's a Chanyeol in his contacts so I thought you would be the man for the job." 

 

"I see." Chanyeol was still taking everything in. Baekhyun was fall-down drunk. Baekhyun was talking about him. This Jongin guy was asking him to come pick up Baekhyun?

 

Baekhyun. His ex as of three months ago, Baekhyun. The Baekhyun who screamed 'I never want to see you again' before breaking several plates Baekhyun. That Baekhyun was asking for him to come get him? 

 

Choosing not to share his inner monologue with this Jongin guy, he clarified, "Baekhyun wants me to come get him?" 

 

"Well, he never said that exactly. But someone has to, I can't deal with him anymore…. Wait, he might be asleep now…. Yup, out like a lamp." He could hear Jongin give an exasperated sigh, "Please man, help this guy out."

 

Chanyeol knew he could easily list several other contacts that would surely be in Baekhyun's phone that could do the job, but something possessed his mouth before his brain got that far.

 

"Sure. I'll head over right away." 

 

He heard Jongin give a quick "Thanks man" before he hung up the phone and began to track down his socks. 

 

 

 

Twenty minutes later, Chanyeol found himself sitting in his parked car in Mars' parking lot, second-guessing every decision he had made this evening. Maybe it wasn't too late to call up Luhan and ask him instead. No, that would be rude and plus, Luhan would definitely tell Baekhyun that I was the one who called him. Which would mean I knew and didn't come. They might be broken up, but Chanyeol didn't have any intention of fully burning the bridge, and if Baekhyun knew he wouldn't come get him, then he would think Chanyeol really didn't want anything to do with him. Well don't you? 

 

Mustering up all his courage after his minor breakdown, Chanyeol removed his keys from the ignition and made his way to the entrance. He paid the $5 cover, all the while mumbling about Baekhyun owing him, and found his way to the bar. The place was pretty crowded, it was only 11pm and the second band in the line-up was making their way through their set. As expected, the bar was equally as crowded as the floor. Thankfully, Chanyeol had height on his side. 

 

He spotted a tanned, young looking bartender near the end of the bar, "Hello?! Are you Jongin?" He shouted once the bartender caught his gaze.

 

"Yes. Are you Chanyeol?" Chanyeol nodded, "Took you long enough man!" At that, Jongin pointed to the other end of the bar, where Chanyeol spotted a slumped over figure who's head was tucked in his elbow. He felt a pang of something - maybe nostalgia? affection? - run through him before he nodded at Jongin and made his way over.

 

Baekhyun didn't move an inch as Chnayeol stood over him. Jongin poked the unconscious man, not-so-gently Chanyeol noticed, in the arm as he screamed, "Hey! Baekhyun! Chanyeol is here to take you home! Wake up!" 

 

The drunk man moved a little while grumpy mumbles of nonsense escaped his lips, "Chanyeoooll? Why would he come for me?" Chanyeol heard before Baekhyun's head once again banged into the bar. He also thought he heard "… he doesn't love me anymore." but the bar was too loud (and Baekhyun was too drunk) to be sure of anything. 

 

Jongin shrugged at Chanyeol before his attention was diverted to patrons who were in need of refills. Chanyeol hollered after him, "Wait! Doesn't he have a tab?" as he began to pull cash out of his wallet. 

 

Jongin returned with the bill, at which point Chanyeol tipped him gratuitously before he threw one of Baekhyun's limp arms over his shoulder and hoisted him up. 

 

"Come on, Baek, let's get you home."

 

Baekhyun turned his head suddenly, meeting Chanyeol's gaze with half-open, scruntizing eyes. 

 

"…. Chan- Chanyeol?"

 

Chanyeol knew there was no point in responding, he moved his eyes away and focused on maneuvering the dead weight that was Byun Baekhyun through the crowd. After quite a bit of struggle, they made their way outside, Baekhyun's eyes never leaving Chanyeol's face. 

 

Chanyeol briefly fumbled with his keys as he rested Baekhyun against the passenger side of his car. Once the door was finally opened he gave a quick, "Here ya go" as he lifted Baekhyun and placed him in the passenger seat. When he reached around to buckle his belt he felt a small hand latch on to his wrist.

 

"Chanyeol? Why are you here?"

 

He couldn't think of an answer, so instead he avoided Baekhyun's gaze, snapped the belt into place and made his way to the driver's side of the car. By the time he had buckled his own seatbelt, Baekhyun was once again unconscious, head against the window, mouth hanging open.

 

Chanyeol smiled to himself as that warm ping ran through him once again. 

 

For a moment, he wondered if he should take Baekhyun back to his apartment, but he didn't really want to Baekhyun to find his keys, so instead he began the familiar route home. With Baekhyun asleep, the ride was quiet and Chanyeol began to take a stroll down memory lane.

 

He knew Mars. Baekhyun dragged him there for shows every once in a while. Chanyeol wasn't really one for going to shows (he always felt too tall and too crowded), but Baekhyun loved to keep up with the local scene. With him working for a music company, it made sense. Chanyeol always went along and listened as Baekhyun rattled off local bands and provided a commentary to the sets he particularly enjoyed. Chanyeol enjoyed it all because he was with Baekhyun. However, since the break-up, he had had no interest in going to shows. He might see Baekhyun, and he was pretty sure Baekhyun didn't want to see him. The way he saw it, venues were Baekhyun's turf and coffee shops were his own. Having their own interests really came in handy post-breakup. 

 

The silence was suddenly broken with a simple, "Why did you leave?" from the passenger seat.

 

Chanyeol turned his head suddenly in surprise and was met with Baekhyun, still leaning against the window but with his face now turned to Chanyeol.

 

"You told me to, Baekhyun." He said, tiredly, as he turned his attention back to the road.

 

There was only silence that followed. Chanyeol didn't enjoy replaying the breakup in his head (he'd done that enough the first month), but he could still hear Baekhyun's screams of 'get out' and 'I never want to see you again' like it happened yesterday. 

 

Chanyeol heard a faint, "maybe I didn't mean it." Before Baekhyun was once again asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun awoke the next morning feeling oddly comfortable, given the pounding headache he was experiencing. He attempted to open his eyes slightly and was met by the harsh morning (mid afternoon?) sunlight. It hurt. It hurt a lot. 

 

He knew he wasn't in his own apartment, yet strangely, he didn't feel worried. There was an odd familiarity encasing him. He rolled over to face away from the window and opened his eyes once again.

 

He knew that lamp on the bedside table.

 

As he inhaled he was hit with the familiar scent of bar soap and another smell he couldn't quite explain, but would never forget.

 

oh my god. 

 

He bolted upright. He was in Chanyeol's bed, in Chanyeol's room. 

 

Nausea hit him hard. Thankfully he knew exactly where the bathroom was and made a beeline for it.

 

After puking up everything he had ingested in the past twenty four hours, he leaned back against the bathtub and tried to piece together the previous night. He remembered going to Mars to see a band alone. He also recalled running into Sehun, the owner, who asked where Chanyeol was. Then he remembered a bartender who's name sounded like Kim Jong Un who had the horrible habit of calling everyone 'man', and alcohol. Lot's of alcohol.

 

He could explain the headache, but not how he ended up in Chanyeol's apartment.

 

With apprehension, he made his way out of the bathroom and prayed Chanyeol hadn't overheard the digestive pyrotechnics that just transpired. 

 

Luck wasn't on his side, however. 

 

Just as he made his way into the living room, Chanyeol emerged from the kitchen.

"You're up." He was holding a glass of water and what appeared to be aspirin. "Thought you might need this," he said as he set the items on the coffee table.

 

"Uh, thanks. My head is killing me." 

 

"I'm not surprised." Chanyeol chuckled to himself as he picked up the remote. 

 

"Um," Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he had adopted from Chanyeol, "how did I end up here?" 

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol was caught for a moment, how much do I tell him? He decided the less Baekhun knew, the less awkward it would be for both of them.

 

"I guess you got pretty smashed at Mars last night and the bartender decided to call me to pick you up," Chanyeol explained, almost mechanically, "I didn't know if you had your keys or not, so I brought you back here."

 

He saw Baekhyun nod, taking it all in.

 

"Don't worry, I slept on the couch." Chanyeol didn't know why he felt the need to throw that in, but he thought it might make Baekhyun more comfortable with the whole situation. After all, they hadn't spoken in three months and Baekhyun suddenly woke up in Chanyeol's bed. If it were Chanyeol, and the situation were reversed, he would have already spazzed all over the apartment, most likely injuring himself in the process. 

 

"Right, well, thank you Chanyeol. You didn't have to." Baekhyun said politely after a moment. 

 

"It wasn't a problem, really. Although, you're about ten times heavier when you're unconscious, Baek. Just so you know." 

 

Chanyeol faintly heard Baekhyun's quick intake of breath at the name 'Baek' and remembered all too late that he couldn't call him that anymore. Now he was just Byun Baekhyun, his ex boyfriend who was no longer part of his life. (Or his lexicon of nicknames.) 

 

After a heavy silence, Baekhyun made his way back to the bedroom where Chanyeol had delicately placed his jacket and shoes before returning to the living room and making a beeline for the door.

 

"Thanks again, Chanyeol. I'm sorry to have been a burden on you. Uh, goodbye." 

 

And with that, Baekhyun disappeared through the front door and Chanyeol made no attempt to stop him. 

 

He didn't even take the aspirin Chanyeol had set out.

 

 

 

 

 

The following Thursday, Chanyeol was sitting in his cubicle working through a spread sheet when Gee began blaring above the quiet shuffling of papers and tapping of keyboards.

 

Earning quite a few stares from his co-workers, Chanyeol pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and, with much less hesitation, answered it.

 

"Hello?"

 

"Chanyeol? It's Baekhyun." 

 

"I know." Chanyeol didn't mean to be short with him, but nervousness caused him to go into auto-pilot. Coughing, and trying to lighten the mood he quickly added, "to what do I owe the pleasure?" He then smacked his palm against his forehead and berated himself for sounding like he was flirting with Baekhyun. He really needed to get it together. Kyungsoo, who had the cubicle across from Chanyeol, raised an eyebrow skeptically. 

 

"I just wanted to thank you again for last Friday. I must have been a mess, I still don't remember much about it. But, regardless, you were good to me so I thought should return the favor." 

 

Chanyeol only got out a "huh" before Baekhyun continued.

 

"…. I was thinking you could let me take you out? For coffee I mean! I know you like that shop around the corner from your office. You know, the one with all the different chairs?" 

 

Chanyeol laughed to himself. The few times he had met Baekhyun at that coffee shop when they were together, Baekhyun would always complain about the mismatched chairs. Chanyeol would sit back as Baekhyun recited his familiar monologue about matching furniture and cohesion of decor and he would simply smile, tuning him out. Instead opting to watch the way his mouth moved, or his eyes sparkled a little the more frustrated he became. 

 

"Yeah?" Was all Chanyeol responded, still lost in memories.

 

"Do you still go there after work?"

 

"Sometimes. Depends on when I leave, usually."

 

"Oh well, I'm heading out of my office around six. Do you think we could meet there. I'll buy you coffee and we could…. I don't know… catch up…. maybe?"

 

Chanyeol could hear the nerves in Baekhyun's voice, along with a slight hint of pleading. He himself was apprehensive about meeting Baekhyun again (sober, this time), but his mind was already made up as soon as Baekhyun called.

 

"Sure. I"ll meet you there around six thirty."

 

"Great! I mean… that would be really nice Chanyeol. I'll see you then." The line went dead before Chanyeol had a chance to say goodbye. 

 

He pulled his phone away from his ear and stared at it curiously, as if it could explain what the hell he was feeling or what Baekhyun was up to. 

 

"Who was that?" 

 

Chanyeol turned his attention to Kyungsoo.

 

"Uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "It was Baekhyun."

 

"Oh?" Kyungsoo raised his brows in surprise.

 

"Yeah. Remember what I told you about Friday night?" Kyungsoo nodded. "He wants to make it up to me, so we're meeting for coffee after work."

 

"You sure you want to do that?" Kyungsoo asked slowly, so as to not offend Chanyeol.

 

"I want to see him sober, yeah," Chanyeol gave a light chuckle. "It wouldn't hurt to catch up either. Friday night isn't the best memory to have of the last time we see each other." He was doing his best to not read into anything beyond coffee and a simple parting on good terms.

 

"It sounded better than the last time you saw each other before that." Kyungsoo commented with a smirk.

 

"Well yeah, anything beats broken dishes and screaming," Chanyeol caught himself laughing along with Kyungsoo. 

 

However, Kyungsoo's face soon turned serious. "Do you miss him?"

 

Caught of guard, Chanyeol struggled to say anything for a moment. 

 

"Sometimes.. Yeah. I miss him a lot." 

 

"Are you going to tell him that, or just helplessly walk away again?" Kyungsoo was always blunt, but Chanyeol was still a bit surprised by the question.

 

Before turning back to his computer, Chanyeol dejectedly sighed, "I don't know, Kyungsoo. I don't know."

 

 

 

 

 

 

To say that Chanyeol was nervous as he made his way to the coffee shop would be an understatement. He checked his hair in every reflective surface he passed, fussed with his tie and was unable to control the nervous mumbles escaping his mouth as he maneuvered down the street. At least last time Baekhyun had been drunk, he wasn't fully himself, and Chanyeol could distance himself somewhat from the feelings and memories that would have otherwise overcome him. This time, however, he was going to meet the Baekhyun he remembered, and he had no idea what to do with himself. 

 

As he entered the shop, he immediately spotted Baekhyun, sitting at his favorite table in the back corner with two cups in front of him. Baekhyun smiled, his eyes forming happy slits, as he waved Chanyeol over.

 

"I ordered for you, I hope your drink of choice hasn't changed." Baekhyun said happily as Chanyeol pulled out his chair. "Vanilla latte, extra shot, skim milk, right?" 

 

"Right." Chanyeol responded easily, watching as Baekhyun's face lit up with pride.

 

"You were always once for consistency," Bakehyun remarked as he took a drink from his own cup, most likely a carmel macchiato with extra syrup, but Chanyeol didn't dare himself to ask. He let Baekhyun continue to ramble on.

 

"I see they still have mismatched chairs," He tsk'd as he set his drink down, "I know it gives the place a certain feel or whatever, but it drives me nuts. Aside from that, it's a cute place. I understand why you always come here."

 

Chanyeol realized he'd been staring at Baekhyun. As Baekhyun finished up his rant, he stared right back in silence, before a wide grin spread across his face. Chanyeol knew all of Baekhyun's smiles, and he knew this one was genuine. It made him feel special, to be looked at that way by Baekhyun once again.

 

"So, how is work?" Chanyeol broke the silence.

 

"Oh, same old same old. There's this new band that we're working with. I actually discovered them at Mars a la Sehun's suggestion. They're more alternative rock, but they're pretty good. I'm excited to see what we can produce with them."

 

"That's good to hear. New bands always keep you busy and entertained."

 

Baekhyun laughed shyly. "Right. They also tend to annoy the crap out of me, but that's beside the point." Baekhyun continued to stare at Chanyeol, genuinely happy to see him. Chanyeol could only imagine that he was probably looking at Baekhyun as if he was questioning if he was real or a hologram. Everything felt so strange, yet familiar as they fell into easy conversation as Baekhyun elaborated on his musical endeavors.

 

"How about your work?"

 

"It's time for quarterly reports, so I've been shut in the office a ridiculous amount of hours these past few weeks. But Kyungsoo is always there and we about it together."

 

"Oh, Kyungsoo! How is he?"

 

"Still a sarcastic, and quite possibly sadistic, son of a , but that's why he's my best friend."

 

An expression of hurt quickly crossed Baekhyun's features. If Chanyeol weren't so captivated with Baekhyun's every move, he might have missed it. There was once a time when Chanyeol called Baekhyun his best friend, but that wasn't really appropriate anymore.

 

"Right. Well I'm glad he's well." There was his fake smile, Chanyeol thought as Baekhyun looked down to his coffee cup, both hands wrapped securely around it. It pained him a little to see Baekhyun shut down so suddenly. 

 

Since the mood was already darkened, Chanyeol allowed himself to ask the one question he didn't want to know the answer to, but needed to ask anyway.

 

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

 

Baekhyun looked up suddenly, "No," he said quietly, shaking his head, "no one seriously. You?"

 

"I've gone on a few blind dates, thanks to Kris, but no, no one of note." Chanyeol figured he should be honest, and he didn't want to seem to pathetic. Kris, his other close friend, had urged him to go on a few blind dates, something about 'getting back into the game' and 'getting through the rebound phase.' But the dates were lackluster, and if Chanyeol was being completely honest with himself, he always found himself comparing them to Baekhyun.

 

"Oh." Was all Baekhyun said as he turned his attention back to his coffee. 

 

"Yeah."

 

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, before Baekhyun looked up again.

 

"I must have really been a mess Friday, right?" He asked with a forced joking tone to his voice. Chanyeol winced slightly at how hard he was trying to lighten the mood.

 

Chanyeol decided to play along, anything to make Baekhyun feel more comfortable, "Well, aside from being completely unconscious, you didn't really do much." Baekhyun laughed.

 

"So you had to carry me out of the bar? God, I don't even know how much a drank. I just remember the bro bartender and his sleeveless shirt."

 

Chanyeol recounted the night to him, leaving out the bits and pieces about why Jongin called Chanyeol specifically and definitely leaving out Baekhyun's drunken utterances. Instead they laughed about Baekhyun's apparent narcolepsy and affinity for windows and drooling. 

 

"It's really good to see you again Chanyeol," Baekhyun said when the conversation hit another lull.

 

Chanyeol smiled, nerves returning as he looked into Baekhyun's honest eyes, "I've missed you." It wasn't what he'd meant to say. A simple 'it's good to see you too' would have sufficed, but Chanyeol could never filter himself when Baekhyun looked at him like that. 

 

Baekhyun smiled, a faint hint of pink dusting his cheeks, but he said nothing. 

 

"Well, I should get going." Chanyeol needed to escape before any more confessions crossed his lips.

 

"Right. Me too." 

 

They both stood, and began to walk toward the exit. Once outside Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol, "We should do this again sometime." 

 

It seemed like a vain promise to Chanyeol, but he nodded and smiled anyway giving a quick goodbye before they walked off in opposite directions.

 

 

 

 

 

Three weeks passed, and Chanyeol decided it really was over between himself and Baekhyun.

 

In an attempt to return to having a social life, Chanyeol found himself agreeing to go out with Kyungsoo for drinks after work.

 

He wasn't expecting Kyungsoo to take him to Mars.

 

"Don't worry Chanyeol, there's no show tonight, just normal bar operations, you'll be fine," Kyungsoo reassured as he patted Chanyeol on the back and simultaneously pushed him towards the entrance. "Plus, you two are 'friends' or 'on good terms now' or whatever, so it wouldn't be the end of the world."

 

"Do you like to watch me suffer, Soo?"

 

"Sometimes," he said with a smile, "but not when it comes to Baekhyun. I'm just trying to help you move on."

 

"You sound like Kris."

 

"Hey! I'm not trying to set you up with some Wushu master who thinks listing all the ways possible to kill a man with a stick is an acceptable first date conversation."

 

Chanyeol regretted telling Kyungsoo anything.

 

"What was his name? Tao? Anyway, I think he and Kris are seeing each other now. Funny how that works out." 

 

"Right." Chanyeol agreed numbly. Tao did seem more like Kris' type: scary. 

 

They took their seats at the bar and were met with a familiar face.

 

"Hey man, Chansook was it?" Jongin smiled widely.

 

"Chanyeol, actually."

 

But Jongin heard nothing as all his attention was quickly drawn to Kyungsoo.

 

"My, my. Hello there. And you are…?" Chanyeol held in a gag as he watched Jongin turn on the charm for his doe-eyed friend.

 

"Not interested," Kyungsoo quickly spat. "But I'd like a Fat Tire on draft please." Kyugsoo gave his best fake smile before ignoring Jongin completely.

 

Jongin served their drinks (and also several horrible pick-up lines) and carried on with his shift as Chanyeol and Kyungsoo complained about work.

 

About an hour in, the duo heard Jongin exclaim, "oh no, not again" under his breath and followed his eyes to a figure approaching the bar.

 

Byun Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun spotted Chanyeol almost instantly, he then turned his eyes to Kyungsoo, before making his way over the pair.

 

"Hello Baekhyun," Kyungsoo stared defensively over the rim of his glass.

 

"Hi Kyungsoo, Chanyeol." He looked at them curiously. "What brings you two here?"

 

"Can't two friends go out for drinks?" Kyungsoo asked, feigning pleasantry. Chanyeol knew Kyungsoo was upset with Baekhyun, because it had been Kyungsoo who picked up the pieces of a broken Chanyeol for the past few months.

 

"Of course," Baekhyun gave his most cordial smile, "but I've never seen you two here before. Mind if I join?"

 

Chanyeol quickly responded, "Yes, of course," while Kyungsoo grumbled "If you must," bitterly.

 

Jongin then approached, "Well at least your ride home is already here tonight. You however," turning his attention to Kyungsoo "might just have to go home with me."

 

"Dream on, pretty boy." Jongin looked unaffected, if anything he seemed more determined the more Kyungsoo rejected him.

 

"What's going on there?" Chanyeol suddenly felt warm breath on his neck and Baekhyun leaned in to whisper in his ear.

 

"I have no clue," he turned to Baekhyun, "but it's kind of fun to watch Kyungsoo torture the kid." Chanyeol didn't realize how close Baekhyun was. For a moment they just looked at each other, eyes wide.

 

They shared an awkward laugh before Chanyeol noticed Kyungsoo staring blankly at both of them.

 

"Welcome back," Kyungsoo mumbled before berating Baekhyun with questions about his job and life. It would have been fine if he hadn't thrown in "Broken any more hearts recently?" around ten minutes in.

 

Chanyeol quickly attempted to deter the conversation by throwing his arm around Kyungsoo and exaggeratedly saying "Whoa! No more drinks for you!" But it was too late, Kyungsoo was giving Baekhyun the death stare and Baekhyun looked a mix of shocked and devastated as he stood from his barstool, stumbling a little.

 

"I'd better go."

 

"No Baekhyun, you don't have to - " Chanyeol tried, but it was too late. Baekhyun was already halfway out the door.

 

"Well," Kyungsoo started.

 

But Chanyeol was already off his stool, chasing Baekhyun out of the bar.

 

"Baek! Wait!" He called to the retreating figure, now half a block ahead of him. Baekhyun stopped.

 

When Chanyeol caught up to his ex boyfriend, Baekhyun didn't turn to face him. 

 

"You still call me Baek," he stated weakly.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"No. Not like that….. I mean, do you still think of me as your Baek? Or am I just the who broke your heart?" At this, Baekhyun turned around. Chanyeol could see faint tears building in his eyes.

 

He didn't know what to say, so caught off guard by everything. He could only stare. He wanted so badly to reach out and comfort Baekhyun, but he knew that wouldn't be enough.

 

Baekhyun took his silence as an answer, and choked out "I'm sorry" before turning and continuing down the road.

 

Once again, Chanyeol didn't chase after him. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks passed. Chanyeol had forgiven Kyungsoo, because he knew Kyungsoo was just defensive of his friends.

 

(That didn't stop him from forcing Kyungsoo to accept a date with Jongin as punishment.)

 

Chanyeol carried on with his daily routine until Gee awoke him from his apparent nap on his couch. He didn't remember falling asleep and confusedly grappled for his cell phone. When he finally found it between the couch cushions he answered quickly.

 

"Channie?" Baekhyun's voice drawled. 

 

"Baekhyun?" He could hear the familiar sound of a venue in the background. 

 

"Channie, Jongin stopped serving me. That ."

 

"Baekhyun? Are you drunk?"

 

"Maaaaybbeee."

 

"And you're at Mars?"

 

Once again, "Mayyybbee"

 

"Wait there. I'll be over in twenty." 

 

Chanyeol hung up the phone, now very much awake, and quickly exited his apartment. 

 

Not long after he found himself at Mars, yet again paying the cover charge and finding Baekhyun yelling at Jongin at the bar, something about Kyunsoo not loving him because he was obviously discriminating against his customers. He was glad that this was a drunk Baekhyun he was used to, not the sleeping one he had encountered a month and a half ago. 

 

Chanyeol patted Baekhyun on the shoulder.

 

"Not interested. I love someone else." Baekhyun yelled without turning around. Chanyeol scrunched his brow at the comment, but figured Baekhyun used that line to defend himself against unwanted people trying to pick him up. 

 

"Baekhyun, It's me." At this, Baekhyun turned quickly, throwing his arms around Chanyeol's middle as Chanyeol exchanged a nod with Jongin. 

 

"I'm so happy to see you Channie! Jongin is being such a right now." Baekhyun nuzzled further into his chest.

 

"Uh, Baekhyun. Do you want me to take you home?" Chanyeol stood awkwardly, he could feel Baekhyun's fingers tracing familiar patterns against his spine. Jongin gave him a thumbs up and mouthed a 'thank you' before continuing with his work. 

 

"Yes please. Take me home." 

 

Chanyeol moved to help Baekhyun, who stumbled a bit and reached for Chanyeol's hand, intertwining their fingers without resistance, before pulling Chanyeol out of the bar, tripping several times along the way. 

 

Once seated in the car, Chanyeol began to drive Baekhyun home. Baekhyun was always an affectionate drunk, so Chanyeol tried not to think too much of the skinship he had shown him in the bar.

 

Baekhyun was oddly silent the whole ride to his apartment. It wasn't until they pulled into the lot that he broke the silence.

 

"Walk me up, Chanyeol?" He pleaded, still slurring his words.

 

Although internally conflicted, Chanyeol smiled and said "Of course," before unbuckling his own belt and meeting Baekhyun at the trunk of the car.

 

They walked up the stairs in silence, Chanyeol trailing Baekhyun by a few feet, before they reached the familiar door.

 

Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol, his eyes searching Chanyeol's face.

 

"Remember at the coffee shop, when you said you missed me?" 

 

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun who was ever so slightly slumped against his door, struggling to pull his keys from his pocket without breaking eye contact.

 

"Yes."

 

"Did you mean it?" 

 

There was something so earnest in Baekhyun's eyes that Chanyeol didn't wait a second before replying.

 

"Yes."

 

Baekhyun moved quickly, pulling Chanyeol by his shirt until their foreheads touched. Chanyeol would have thought this was his Baekhyun, if not for the alcohol he could smell on his breath.

 

"Good." Was all Baekhyun said before latching his lips onto Chanyeol's.

 

It was a sweet kiss, albeit a little sloppy given Baekhyun's mental state. Chanyeol couldn't pull away. Not only because of Baekhyun's vice-like grip on his neck, but also because he was too overstimulated to stop himself. He kissed back with more force, tasting Baekhyun's lips with all the emotion he had been bottling up for the past four months. They moved together easily, mouths running on autopilot as Baekhyun's hands began to wander. It was like nothing changed, aside from the longing Chanyeol was now writing onto Baekhyun's mouth. 

 

When Baekhyun Chanyeol's lips, he instantly granted him access to his mouth. But when their tongues met, Chanyeol could taste the alcohol on Baekhyun. 

 

He quickly pulled away, simultaneously pushing Baekhyun into the door.

 

Baekhyun froze, looking at him with shocked eyes. 

 

"Why?" he asked in a quietly, barely above a whisper.

 

"Not like this Baekhyun. Not like this." Was all Chanyeol said before he his heels and ran out of the building. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Satuday, Chanyeol found himself in a catatonic state. Sitting on his couch, replaying every memory he had with Baekhyun.

 

He smiled at the good ones, like when he met Baekhyun at a mutual friend's ugly Christmas sweater party and was so infatuated with the petite man he wouldn't let him leave before he got his number.

 

He remembered Baekhyun's eye smile as he said yes.

 

He remembered their first date, and kiss. The first time Baekhyun called him his boyfriend. He remembered the week vacation they both took from work, intending to take a road trip but instead spending it locked inside Baekhyun's apartment enjoying each other's company and bodies more than any road trip could have ever promised.

 

Two years worth of happy memories.

 

Of course there were fights. Like the first time Baekhyun met Kyungsoo and decided that Kyungsoo was secretly in love with Chanyeol. It had been a pretty bad fight, but it lead to Chanyeol admitting he loved Baekhyun for the first time and a weekend of barely leaving Chanyeol's bed. 

 

Or the time Baekhyun got frustrated with Chanyeol for never wanting to go out with him to shows. After three days of the silent treatment, Chanyeol had decided he was being a stubborn and began to show more of an interest in Baekhyun's hobbies. 

 

Most of all he remembers that last fight. Funny how he didn't even remember what actually started it. It was a lot of things all coming to a head: Chanyeol always working late, Baekhyun's family pressuring him to 'live a respectable life,' Chanyeol's desire to move in together, and just life in general bringing them to a breaking point.

 

He remembers the hurt he felt when Baekhyun listed all his shortcomings on his hands. Chanyeol asked if he would ever be enough for Baekhyun. He then made his own laundry list of faults, all petty and pointless, including a few of Baekhyun's own insecurities. Baekhyun, in his hurt, told Chanyeol to get out. To never come back, and most importantly, 'WE'RE OVER!' 

 

Chanyeol walked out and waited in the hall for minutes, hoping Baekhyun would open the door, chase after him, do something. But Baekhyun never did, and Chanyeol took it as a clear sign that they were done.

 

 

 

Emotionally exhausted, Chanyeol fell asleep, once again, on the couch. Tomorrow he would start anew, he decided. 

 

 

 

 

 

He was awoken at 10pm by a banging on his door. Kyungsoo was impatient and violent, so Chanyeol assumed it was is best friend.

 

Instead he opened the door and found himself face to face with an equally exhausted looking Baekhyun.

 

He was holding a key in his hands.

 

"Baekhyun? What are you doing here?"

 

Baekhyun held up the key. "I made this for you. Five months ago. Before any of this" he gestured between the two of them "happened."

 

"What is it?"

 

"It's a key to my apartment. It was for you."

 

Chanyeol stared at the shimmering piece of metal. "Oh."

 

"But then we had that stupid fight. It wasn't even about us, was it?" Chanyeol could tell Baekhyun was talking to himself more than anyone, but continued to listen. "We were both so ing stressed out. We really hurt each other."

 

"Yeah," Chanyeol knew exactly what Baekhyun meant.

 

"I… I didn't mean to end it. I really didn't. I told you to get out, I know that. I think I even told you we were over." Chanyeol nodded his head, replaying everything, "But I never expected you to actually just walk out like it was easy."

 

"It wasn't easy." Chanyeol said solemnly. 

 

"It wasn't? Then why didn't you come back? I waited! I waited for you to come back in, to fight for me, but you just left. You told me everything you hated about me and you walked out!"

 

By now, Baekhyun was crying, tears streaming down his face as he looked up from his shoes to Chanyeol's eyes. 

 

"I didn't want you to leave."

 

Unthinking, Chanyeol reached out and pulled Baekhyun to him in a tight embrace. He rubbed soothing circles on his back as he tried to calm him.

 

"I didn't want to leave either, Baek," He whispered. 

 

"We both really ed up didn't we?" Baekhyun mumbled into Chanyeol's shirt. Deciding the answer to Baekhyun's question was obvious, he chose a different one.

 

"Remember what you asked me at the bar that night? About if you were still my Baek?"

 

Baekhyun nodded. 

 

"You never stopped being my Baek. Even when you were the who broke my heart, you were still the person I loved."

 

Baekhyun pulled away slightly to lock eyes with Chanyeol, "Do you… still….?"

 

Chanyeol didn't need to hear him finish the sentence to confidently say "Yes," before he pulled Baekhyun back in. This time, connecting their lips and showing Baekhyun exactly how much he meant those three words. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--------

tiny epilogue/

 

It's easy to fall back into the routine that is Chanyeol and Baekhyun, and Chanyeol couldn't be happier. Kyungsoo, while a little bitter, accepts that Happy Virus Chanyeol is back and he also might have accepted a second (third, forth, fifth) date with Kim Jongin. 

 

After a month of being reunited, Baekhyun formally asks Chanyeol to move in. 

 

Nothing is ever perfect, but Chanyeol decides life is always better with Baekhyun around. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------

a/n

welp, i wrote this in like two hours, idk what it even is anymore. non beta'd.

I apologize for my inability to write endings. 

(also the overwhelming amount of lame).

But thank you for reading ^^

 

 

 

comments and such would be lovely.

 

(might encourage me to post more stuff i've written (that I actually spent time on, and could potentially be less crappy)).