I'll find the places where you hide
I'll be the dawn on your worst night
The only thing left that I like
Yeah I would kill for you, that's right
I'll run out of this town
Oh, my love is true
Tell me, something I wouldn't do.       -What you wanted, One Republic
                                  

A/N: The present time is in black and the past would be in gray, if anyone would be confused :D

                                                                                                                       word count: 4355

Chanyeol panted as he pushed the door open. He was late for an hour and he was perfectly sure that Baekhyun will be anything but pleased. His eyes swept through the entire café before they settled onto a raven haired boy that was back facing him a few meters in front of him. The lanky boy took a few hesitant steps forward until he was standing awkwardly behind the chair Baekhyun was residing, before engulfing the small boy into his hug.

Baekhyun nearly jumped when he felt a pair of arms encircling him, but immediately relaxed when he realized that it was just Chanyeol. His lips quirked into a smile and he squeezed the hand around the nape of his neck. “You’re late,” he chided when Chanyeol took the seat opposite him.

Chanyeol scrunched his nose and he frowned. “I got caught up at work. Some thought it would be fun to mess up with the documents needed for the company’s meeting tomorrow.” Baekhyun let out no noise as he calmly took a sip from his glass of vanilla latte. Chanyeol gnawed on his bottom lip as he stared at the raven haired boy facing him. “I’m sorry I’m late. Baek?”

The smaller boy heaved a sigh of contentment as he set down his glass onto the table. “Drink your coffee before it gets cold, though I think that it’s cooled down already.” Baekhyun looked up to meet Chanyeol crestfallen face, and he chuckled. “I’m not mad, Chanyeol- ah. It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

Chanyeol smiled bitterly and run his fingers along the rim of the cup. “I know. It’s just that I felt bad. It’s been a long time and here I was, being late. You probably thought that I was going to bail out on you.” The small boy patted his hand affectionately and mumbled out what sounds like, ‘you’re forgiven, and I trusted you enough that you wouldn’t leave me here.’

“Anyway what did you get me?” Chanyeol perked up, smiling goofily from ear to ear. Baekhyun snorted at the immediate change of mood. “Vanilla latte.”

Chanyeol’s face immediately fell and Baekhyun had to bit his lips to stop himself from laughing. “Really Baekhyun? After all those years of dating you still couldn’t figure out that I detest vanilla latte with my whole being?” He grimaced as he held out the white colored cup gingerly with his left hand like it was c4 explosives. Still, he took a hesitant sip even though he clearly pointed out his hatred towards the sweet drink.

His scrunching eyebrows visibly straightened as he downed a gulp of the liquid. Baekhyun stared at him with a smug smile and he had to stop himself from punching the older boy in the face. “You liar.”

The elder chuckled as he took a sip of latte from his cup. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t speak the truth.” Chanyeol smiled as he took another swig of the Americano that he liked so much. “They’re the same, .”

Baekhyun chuckled. “No, they’re not. There is a difference. It’s just that your pea sized brain couldn’t comprehend it.”

The tall boy faked an angry expression. “Are you calling me dumb?” Baekhyun shrugged and rested his chins onto his open palms. “Nah. I said that you have a pea sized brain. Pretty sure there’s not the word ‘dumb’ in that sentence.”

Chanyeol let out an incredulous laugh. Winning an argument against Baekhyun is impossible and he knows that. The boy let his eyes rest onto the face he adored so much this past few years. “Hey Baek”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows at him but made no sound. Chanyeol cleared his throat nervously. “Sorry I missed our anniversary.”

The elder flashed him a smile but Chanyeol could clearly see that smile didn’t reach his eyes like they’re used to. He cut him before the older boy had a chance to open his mouth. “Stop saying that it’s okay, Baekhyun. I know that it’s not. Stop faking it.”

“But you’re here now. So it’s okay.” Baekhyun pursed his lips and Chanyeol took that as a sign to drop the subject. A waiter dropped by their table to ask whether they need anything but quickly left when he sensed the somber atmosphere surrounding the both of them. He figured that the couple would want to be left alone.

The tall boy gingerly took his boyfriend’s hand that was resting on the table. He always like the way Baekhyun’s slender fingers fit around his. “Baekhyun.” He liked the way Baekhyun’s name roll around his tongue too. The said boy hummed as he squeezed his hand that was in Chanyeol’s grasp.

“Tell me a story.”

The first time that Baekhyun saw him was 7 years ago. It was a summer morning and it was really hot so he decided to spend the rest of his day inside a small café at the end of the street. The café is nice, with huge glass windows that enables him to look outside as he finish cups after cups of iced coffee.

He amused himself by people watching, something that he do best. He got bored after a few hours watching people walked back and forth, so he decided to leave after finishing his drink.

Baekhyun let his eyes linger around the store. It was quaint, with dainty chairs and tables. There’s not much people around. He admired the small decorative lamps hung against the walls, a small smile threatening to form on his face.

The boy looked up as the front door let out a small chime, the wind chime positioned at the top of the door tinkling peacefully as somebody pushed the door open. Baekhyun’s eyes were unblinking as he took in the new customer’s appearance, tall and lanky limbs, with a curly mop of hair. He felt some kind of attraction to the stranger as he watched him politely saying his order to the barista behind the counter.

The brunette slowly downed the last few dregs of his iced drink as the customer gratefully thanked the barista, placing a few notes onto the marble countertop and left. The ice inside the tall glass Baekhyun was holding rattled as he shook it absent mindedly.

Then he decided that he too, have to go.

Baekhyun stared at the glass windows in front of him with a vacant expression. He toyed with the rim of his glass, all the while breathlessly muttering the lyrics of The Scientist to himself. He came back again to the café after a few days of aimless walking down the streets and alleys.

For some reason he found the place comforting. The strong rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee to the sweet smell of vanilla attacked his nostrils as he took a tentative sniff. The café was quite empty except for a few customers sitting here and there, just like the time when Baekhyun first set his feet inside the place.

Baekhyun let out a huge sigh as he turned his gaze around the café surroundings. He blinked when a petite waiter flashed him a small smile, asking him if he needs anything. The boy shook his head without a sound, and the waiter frowned before flashing him another smile.

He glanced at the vintage wall clock mounted on the wall beside him and realized that it was well past 7 in the evening. No wonder the waiter kept giving him weird looks. He’d been sitting there for five straight hours. His stomach suddenly growled, indicating that it needs to be filled. He raised his right hand and it took a solid minute before the waiter spotted him.

“Do you need anything now?” she said, smiling yet again. Baekhyun’s lips twitched, as if his body was remembering how to smile. He calmly ordered himself a sandwich and nodded when the waiter told him to wait a bit and left, leaving him alone once more.

The boy was contemplating whether to leave after finishing his dinner or to stay a couple of hours more before going home. He decided on the latter, because really, it’s not like he has anything to look forward to at home.

Baekhyun drummed his knuckles across the polished marble surface of the table, his eyes wandering everywhere. The door let out a melodic tinkle and he looked up just in time to see a new customer making his way to the counter.

Oh.

It’s the boy from before. The boy let his head rest on one palm as he openly stared at the lanky boy who was currently ordering a drink. Right then and there Baekhyun knew that he liked the boy, even though he doesn’t know anything about him but his face. But there’s something about him that draws Baekhyun in. And maybe, Baekhyun thought to himself, maybe he’s the one. A smile broke out on his face as he averted his eyes back to the glass windows.

That boy probably didn’t know it, but he’d just caused Baekhyun a reason to come back to the café again.

Baekhyun stayed true to his words. He visited the coffee shop almost every single day of the week just to get a glimpse of the boy he was crushing on. The boy never realized it to be honest, because Baekhyun always managed to make himself invisible to the surroundings. He always sits at the farthest table in the corner, hidden by two large pots of ferns which made the area even more secluded.

The reason that he chose that table because Baekhyun loves solitude. He likes to be alone. Plus there was the huge glass windows by his side he always gaze through to pass the time. Nobody notice his frequent and long visits in the coffee shop except for the same waitress who always dropped by to see if he needs anything. Other than that, nothing.

He even made friends with the waitress too, something that he normally wouldn’t do. Baekhyun wasn’t the most social person in the world, so he surprised himself one day by asking the waitress for her name when she was putting down his cup of latte.

The brunette stared at the door when it suddenly burst open, revealing a curly redhead with a goofy grin walking to the counter, as usual. Baekhyun held his breath when the boy sat himself in an empty table facing him. He was lucky the two big ferns somewhat hides him but Baekhyun shrinks in his seat a little bit for good measure.

He had to stop himself from squealing as he managed to look at his crush properly in the face, not in the side view as he always does. Baekhyun cupped his face with his palms as the corner of his lips curled up into a faraway smile.

Baekhyun discovered that his name is Chanyeol.

Chanyeol gazed lovingly at the man in front of him, softly his palm with the tips of his fingers. “How come I’ve never noticed you?” It was a rhetorical question, yet Baekhyun smiled and open his mouth to answer. “Because you’re always oblivious to the things happening on your surroundings.”

The younger grinned and flicked Baekhyun’s forehead playfully. “Really? Then let me tell you what I know.”

Chanyeol stared at the rain spattered glass windows on his left. It was a habit, staring at nothingness but the heavy rain that doesn’t seem to be planning to stop anytime soon. He finds the boisterous clapping of thunder and the sounds of rain hammering on the roof oddly comforting, though.

He was too preoccupied into watching the rain as it pours down unforgivingly onto the roof, the road and the unsuspecting people desperately trying to get away from the heavy downpour he didn’t notice a brunette waving his hands in front of his face.

“Uh, hellooo?”

He blinked as the brunette snapped his fingers in between his eyes. The boy tilted his head as he took in the brunette’s disheveled appearance, from his completely soaked clothes to the headphone around his neck blaring out a song that suspiciously sounded like Girls Generation to his wet bangs that was plastered onto his equally wet forehead.

“Do I know you?”

The brunette let out a chuckle. “No. But I do know that you actually have an empty seat inside this crowded place so do you mind if I sit here?” He quickly nodded and patted at the empty chair beside him. “Sure. Have a seat. You look like you need it.”

The brunette plopped himself onto the open seat, sighing in relief as he did so. He stared as the boy beside him wrapped his frozen fingers around his steaming cup of coffee. For a while there wasn’t a sound between them, silence engulfing everything. “I’m-“

“Chanyeol, I know.” The brunette cut him before he was able to say out his own name. The boy smiled, an indescribable glint in his eyes as he did so. Chanyeol felt intrigued, unconsciously leaning closer to the brunette, with million thoughts running over in his mind. 

“How do you know my name? Are you stalking me?” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. The brunette scoffed although Chanyeol could see that his face was carefully guarded. “Ha. You wish you’re that special,” the small boy said, poking out his tongue. As if right on cue, the barista behind the counter rang the bell. “Americano for Chanyeol!”

Oh.

Chanyeol felt like drowning himself in the deepest sea he could find and never came back. The brunette in front of him smugly smiled and spread out his arms. “I’m stalking you, huh?”

“Shut up.”

Baekhyun smiled at the memory. “I always knew you’re an idiot.” Chanyeol faked a hurt expression and placed a hand over his heart. “Baekkie!”

The raven haired boy laughed and threatened to spill his latte all over Chanyeol. Chanyeol playfully dodged and laughed. The somber mood had lifted a bit yet both Baekhyun and Chanyeol felt a heavy, sinking feeling deep in their hearts.

Chanyeol cleared his throat, attempting to ward away the awkward air around them. He threaded his and Baekhyun’s finger together and held them close to his face. Somehow Baekhyun found the act a bit too intimate he forced himself to look away. Of course, Chanyeol realized this and let out a sigh. He faked a smile.“Tell me another story, Baek.”

Baekhyun raised his head as a few stray drops of rain touches his face, his nose. Damn, it just had to rain when he didn’t have his umbrella with him, Baekhyun thought to himself. He was supposed to meet Chanyeol at 3 and it was nearing 3.30 right now. He pursed his lips as he thought of braving through the drizzle.

The brunette mentally calculated the time it would took and the distance from the coffee shop to their designated meeting place, and decided to just get moving before the rain gets any harder. He just managed to walk past a block when a shadow falls above him.

Baekhyun stand, bewildered as he discovered that he was no longer pelted with raindrops. His curiosity were answered as soon as an arm wrapped itself around his shoulder. Baekhyun flashed the giant beside him a gracious smile. “Sorry. I didn’t have my umbrella with me so that explains why I’m late.”

Chanyeol returned the smile and hugged the smaller boy closer beside him so he wouldn’t be exposed to the rain. “It’s okay. I don’t regret picking you up, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said and turned just to smile sweetly at the shorter boy. Baekhyun felt his face blushed crimson so he threw the giant a light punch, mumbling incoherent words to himself.

They seeks refuge underneath an abandoned bus stop. Baekhyun glanced around and watched as the rain fell in showers. “I guess we’re a bit unlucky today,” he blurted as the surroundings gets a little too quiet to his liking.

Chanyeol tilted his head to the side as he assessed what the brunette just told him. “I guess you could say that,” he nodded slowly, “I do have some things planned, but now that it’s raining so I think we should just enjoy the rain while it lasted.”

Baekhyun snorted. “Who likes the rain, Park Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “We do.” The elder narrowed his eyes and gave him a soft (not really) nudge. “What are you planning?”

Chanyeol suddenly got up to his feet and dragged Baekhyun along with him. The umbrella was left forgotten as it stay propped up against the wall. Baekhyun screeched as the rain wets him. He tried to run back to the safety of the bus stop but Chanyeol has a surprisingly strong grip on his wrist that keeps him in his place.

“What are you doing? Are you stupid?” Baekhyun raised his voice a bit so that Chanyeol could hear him. The boy childishly shook his head and flashed him an innocent grin, something that Baekhyun has long learnt not to trust that kind of expression on him. “Didn’t you tell me you want to be serenaded under the rain?” Chanyeol practically shouted into his left ears, making him scrunching up his nose due to the noise.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure I meant it when I’m under an umbrella or something, not under the open sky!”

Chanyeol shushed him and hugged him closer, knocking every breath out of him due to the proximity. He let out a small gasp and instinctively hugged the taller boy closer to him. Chanyeol secretly smiled as he buried his face in the elder’s hair. He tilted his head a bit so his mouth would be level to Baekhyun’s ear. The brunette could practically hear him taking a deep breath and somehow it made his heartbeat speed up a little bit.

And when Chanyeol started to sing, it took all Baekhyun’s willpower not to crush him with his hug.

When I see your smile
Tears roll down my face I can't replace
And now that I'm strong I have figured out
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one

I will never let you fall (let you fall)
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
Seasons are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one

I will never let you fall (let you fall)
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)
Even if saving you sends me to heaven

Cuz you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away
Cuz I'm here for you
Please don't walk away and 
Please tell me you'll stay woah, stay woah

Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for a thrill
And I know I'll be okay
Though my skies are turning gray

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
[to fade]

Baekhyun hides his face in the other’s chest to disguise the fact the he is practically crying. Chanyeol held him tighter as he felt the front of his shirt getting wetter by the second. “Hey Baekhyun-ah,” he whispered lowly to his ears. He felt Baekhyun nodding so he continued. “I love you.”

The raven haired boy stared at the marble topped table in front of him. “That’s the first time you told me that you loved me.” He whispered quietly Chanyeol had to strain his ears a bit to hear him. Ironically it had started to rain just in time Baekhyun had finished retelling Chanyeol the day of his confession.

“It was raining like this, too.” He said, voice having a sad lilt to it as he dreamily stared at the blurred glass surface of the windows.

Chanyeol played with the hem with his shirt, just for something to do. He refused to look up and meet his boyfriend’s eyes when he spoke next, too scared to see what’s going to happen.

“What’s happening to us?”

Baekhyun heart clenched as he heard Chanyeol spoke in a timid, almost resigned voice. This is for the best, he remembered telling himself in the morning when he got ready to go for their meet up. But right now it felt like otherwise. He too, is scared of what the future would bring, so he conjured up the safest answer he could think of.

“I… don’t know.”

“We really are breaking up, aren’t we?” Chanyeol said, calmly taking a sip out of his Americano, the coffee suddenly tasted a lot more bitter than it was. Baekhyun took a shaky breath, as if he was struggling to keep all his tears inside. When he spoke, though, it was deathly calm and Chanyeol didn’t like it one bit.

“Don’t you think that we should? We’re already drifting apart it was a matter of time until it finally happens anyway.”

Chanyeol grabbed the side of his chair, his knuckles turning white from the force he was exerting. “Basically you’re implying that we should get it over with as soon as we can, right?” he said with a detached tone, looking at anywhere but Baekhyun’s face.

“Don’t you think that we can’t do this anymore?” Baekhyun said without answering Chanyeol. The younger stubbornly kept his lips sealed, refusing to let loose another word.

“We rarely meet, you barely replied to any of my texts, the calls were scarce and they never last longer than a minute, and even when we talked over the phone it was…impersonal. So tell me, Chanyeol. Should we keep this up?”

Baekhyun gulped and blinked harshly in an attempt to keep himself from tearing up. Chanyeol bit his lips as a stray tear tracked its way out onto his cheek.

“What happened to us, Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol said, struggling to keep the tremor out of his voice. He heard Baekhyun chuckling bitterly to himself.

“We grew up. That’s what happened.”

Baekhyun got up from his seat and went to Chanyeol. The younger boy had his head down and looked really miserable, it made Baekhyun questioning himself whether he making the right decision. He engulfed the taller boy in his arms as he held Chanyeol’s head close to his chest.

The smell of the younger’s hair hit him like a wave of nostalgia and suddenly all kinds of memories rushed to him; cuddling in his bed during the winter, holding hands during their daily stroll in the park, the quiet times spent together in the café they’ve been frequenting the past seven years.

Baekhyun had to force himself not to sob as he held the man close to him. “I love you, Chanyeol,” he finally broke down and sobbed into his hair. “Really, I do. But then all the drifting apart had been messing with my thoughts plus our relationship is what it used to be. We are lovers but we don’t look like one, for one second I really thought that you don’t want me anymore.”

Baekhyun felt the front of his shirt wetting up, the feeling of déjà vu hitting him so hard like a solid punch to the face. Only this time it wasn’t him who was crying his heart out, it was Chanyeol. And surely the tears are not out of happiness. “You’d started to put your work as the first priority, and then you started to miss our anniversaries, my birthdays, your surprise birthday, once, it got me to finally think that maybe I’m not important to you anymore.”

Chanyeol tightened his hold around Baekhyun’s waist as he sobbed harder. “You’re never...unimportant.” he choked up in between sobs. “I’m sorry, Baekhyun. I’m really sorry.” Baekhyun smiled sadly at the window in front of him, rocking Chanyeol back and forth just like a mother would do to calm her crying child.

“It’s okay, really.”

He tugged a paper napkin out of the small box provided on the table and gently wiped away the snots and tears marring Chanyeol’s beautiful face. “Let’s get you home, okay?” Baekhyun whispered softly at him, brushing away the matted bangs on his forehead.

The walk home was short, and Baekhyun cherished every second he gets to hold the warm hand in his, because really, he’ll never knew when he gets to experience it again. Probably never.

Chanyeol sniffed as he unlocked his front door, and Baekhyun knows that this is finally it. He tried to keep the smile on his face as he hugged the younger boy for the last time, patting him on the head to ensure him that everything, will be alright. He silently sent a small prayer up to the sky, that he’ll definitely take Chanyeol back if the younger boy asks for it, one last time.

Chanyeol was reluctant to let him go, but he did so in the end, a vacant expression on his face. He watched as Baekhyun’s silhouette gets smaller and smaller, and he knew that this was a make-or-break decision.

Baekhyun held up his palm so it could collect the rain, and played with it as he walked away, away from Chanyeol’s house, away from Chanyeol’s life. But then a familiar warm hand clutched onto his hand that was wet from the rain like a lifeline, and he knows it. That he’s not ready to let Park Chanyeol go just yet.

No. Not yet. 

tbh I found it quite hard writing the break up scene :/ anyway it's done now so it would be nice to know what you guys think :D

Comments are loved and subscribers are welcome! /gives virtual hugs/

pardon me if there are any grammatical errors; english is not my first language.

oh, and the song Chanyeol sang to Baekhyun is Your Guardian Angel -Red Jumpsuit Apparatus