In your eyes that try to smile, there is sadness
But I can’t do anything about it
I can feel it - Take You Home (Baekhyun)

OC - Kang Nami

Baekhyun have always pride himself to be a very rational guy.

He believed things could be settled through thorough communication... through a civilized and humane manner. For he was, in other words, a lover not a fighter.

“Ooof!”

The pain that shot through his jaw was agonizing and Baekhyun immediately tasted rust against his tongue upon the hit. The impact shoved him towards the neighbouring table, causing the couple sitting there to stand in fear and surprise. He winced as he held his mouth, feeling like his teeth was knocked off.  He hoped he was wrong because that would definitely be a big problem for his singing career.

“Never thought you had it in you Byun,” Park Jun said, a.k.a. the guy Baekhyun had attacked the moment he heard those two menacing words come out of his mouth:

“She's nothing.”

A fiery rage came over him then and before he could think twice about his actions, Baekhyun had delivered a punch to Jun’s face, which was then followed up (quite swiftly he might add) with a punch to his jaw.

Perhaps it was the alcohol in his system that made him brave, because Baekhyun wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Or maybe it was anger and frustration he had bottled up  so long and he simply reached his limit.

“What the hell is your problem anyway?!” Jun snapped and Baekhyung glared at him through lidded eyes before standing up and lunging at him with a growl.

The restaurant was in chaos as they tried to get the two men to stop fighting. Punches were delivered and kicks to the stomach that had Baekhyun doubling over. He was no fighter and his messy punches were proof. He was glad Jun wasn’t any better, but his punches were doing damage for sure.

“Hey—hey break it up!”

“Baekhyun, what are you doing?!”

When Baekhyun opened his eyes, he could see his best friend and bandmate, Kim Jongdae, holding him back with a forearm to his chest. As he was pushed back, Baekhyun caught sight of his other friend, Minseok, over Jongdae’s shoulder, pushing back a pissed-looking Jun to the opposite side of the room.

Seeing that guy made Baekhyun’s blood boil even more, and his body seemed to retaliate instantly on its own—pushing forward to lunge at him.

“Yah! Byun Baekhyun!” Jongdae scolded as he held him back. “Snap out if it!”

“He started it!” Jun shouted from across the room, pointing a finger at Baekhyun. Jongdae gave him a look like he was crazy and but he returned his gaze to his best friend, he was surprised to see him glaring at him.

“You did?” He asked.

“He’s a bastard.” Baekhyun gritted, not letting his eyes off Jun.

Jongdae sighed and shook his head before pushing him away even farther, right towards the restaurant’s doors.

“Leave before I call the police!” One of the waiters yelled and Jongdae waved a hand at him, assuring him they were leaving and most probably never returning. A shame really, considering Jongdae really liked the food they served.

Once they were outside, Baekhyun shoved his friend off of him and walked ahead to the other side of the street, his body swaying slightly. He walked a few blocks and rounded the corner street before leaning against the wall of a run-down infrastructure, panting and wincing as he held his bruised jaw.

In the quietness of his surroundings, Baekhyun felt his anger dissipating slowly; the adrenaline from the fight a few minutes ago finally disappearing, emphasizing the pain those punches costed him.

Right then, he felt stupid for starting the fight. But he had to admit he didn't feel a single ounce of regret. He had wanted to deliver that punch for a long time now.

“Okay. What happened back there?”

Baekhyun raised his eyes and saw Minseok jogging towards them with an incredulous look as he pointed back at the restaurant.

“Nothing.” Baekhyun muttered a reply as he stood straighter, only to wince and crouch back down when pain shot through his rib cage.

“Yeah, definitely nothing.” Jongdae rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky we got there before that dude smashed your pretty face.”

“I was handling it just fine.” Baekhyun snapped, causing the other two to look at him with worry.

“You’re not likely to start a fight Baek,” Minseok said, looking disappointed. “So that guy must’ve done some real sh*t to piss you off that much.”

“That guy looks familiar though…” Jongdae said thoughtfully and before Baekhyun could tell him to shut up because the pounding in his head was hurting him, he added, “Aah! He’s Nami’s boyfriend!”

Baekhyun frowned upon the mention of her name, clenching his jaw and looking away from his best friends as if he could mask the true reason he got into that fight in the first place.

“Baekhyun…” Minseok started with a gaze that showed he had already picked up on the situation. But before he could say more, Baekhyun held up his finger and gave the both of them a warning look.

“Not a word of this to Nami.”

“Why? Because she’ll kick your ?” Jongdae snickered as he crossed his arms. Minseok snorted too, knowing Nami definitely would once she found out.

“She’ll find out eventually, you know. I saw someone taking a video of your little show. You’ll be lucky if it doesn’t go viral around campus by morning.”

Baekhyun closed his eyes and cursed under his breath, just as a loud ringing pierced the air around them.

They stared at each other for a moment, letting the phone ring through the empty street. It took a couple more seconds before their eyes finally settled on Baekhyun’s coat pockets where the ringing was coming from.

He took out his phone and frowned when he saw Nami’s name on the screen. There was also a photo of her doing a wacky pose which was originally supposed to be a candid shot but she had caught him taking pictures and decided to pose. And as usual, she chose the funny one where her eyes are crossed and lips puckered like a fish.

Not like Baekhyun needed a reminder why he liked her so much.

“Good luck dude.” Jongdae said grimly just as Baekhyun hit the decline button and pocketed his phone without a word.

“Let’s go home.” He simply said before turning and walking away.

~~~

“Did you see that fight? Baekhyun totally smashed his face!”

“Well he totally got that blow back. Did you see that punch to his jaw?”

“That’s gotta hurt.”

Nami gripped her pencil tighter as she tried to drown out the hushed whispers of her classmates. It’s been the talk of the whole university since last night; one that rattled her awake from a peaceful slumber.

The video had gone viral on Facebook and their university student page. It was a miracle that neither of them got in trouble but she guessed it was because it happened outside campus and they weren’t exactly flaunting the school’s name while at it.

Normally Nami never minded these things. Fights happened all the time and people were too eager to get a shot of it. But this time around, it concerned two people she knew… two guys who meant something to her.

It was her best friend and her boyfriend.

Nami had called Jun the moment she saw the video but he was too upset to talk about it and had told her to ask her "so-called" best friend since he was the one who started the fight. He hung up before she could ask.

The fact that Baekhyun, her closest and most beloved bestfriend—who got scared in the presence of bugs, would walk up to someone and punch them in the face was both a mystery and a surprise. Baekhyun was good guy and never had she seen him laid a hand on or perform an act of violence towards someone…

He was usually a calm (though he can be rambunctious and annoying) and sensitive (he cried while watching Finding Dory—twice) guy.

Another thing that was a mystery to her was how Baekhyun ignored her calls and texts last night. And he still was as of the moment. He never missed her calls unless he was rehearsing with the band or asleep. But 95% of the time, he would answer.

Nami wasn’t sure how to feel about her messages being unanswered or her calls being deliberately ignored. She frowned at the empty seat two rows down from hers where Baekhyun usually sat. He didn’t come to school today which got her more upset; worried that he might have had serious injuries. But she had bumped into Jongdae this morning and he had assured her he was fine. He tell her much after that which only upset her even more because that meant he was purposely avoiding her.

Nami wished classes would end soon so she could go to Baekhyun and give him a piece of her mind.

~~~

Baekhyun sat down by the keyboard, his fingers dancing against the keys as he played a random melody. It was late afternoon and the sun hung low in the sky, causing a yellow streak to pass through the studio’s windows.

Their band studio was located a few minutes’ drive from the university—right at Minseok’s house’s basement. They had rented the place back in freshman year when they decided to form a band and “get serious” with their music.

Minseok’s parents had always been a supportive bunch and they practically treated them like their own children with how they grew up together through middle school and high school. They offered their basement which was conveniently close by to the university grounds that they could easily crash and practice after class. But wanting to prove their band’s worth and independence, the group insisted on paying rent even if the place was offered to them for free.

“Hey Baekhyun, I got something I want you to hear—whoa! What the hell happened to your face?!”

Baekhyun stopped playing and then looked up nonchalantly at Chanyeol, their resident guitarist and producer, who was frozen on the last tread of the basement stairs with a surprised look on his face.

“So it’s true what they say that you really do live under a rock.” Baekhyun snickered as he pulled his hood up over his head, as if that would give less attention to the purple bruise on his jaw and cheek.

“What’d I miss?” Chanyeol asked stupidly