Kyungsoo hears the whispers about that new kid and how he is already best friends with Chanyeol. He sees the signs - saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I see the signs - he is not stupid. He knows something is wrong because Chanyeol has been sticking by Baekhyun more and more and it irks him.

"Baek is fun," Chanyeol says with a shrug, "We just click, you know?"

"You just met him," Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. 

"Sometimes you just know with people, Kyungsoo."

What about with me?

.

Baekhyun is essentially everything Kyungsoo isn’t. It’s hard to believe that they are both Chanyeol’s best friends considering how much they differ from each other. Then again, Chanyeol isn’t really that picky with people in general - he’s friends with Sehun after all.

Baekhyun is easy smiles and constant flow of conversations. Baekhyun is confident and comfortable in his own skin. Baekhyun sways his hips and wears funny wigs and imitates Girls Generations for laughs.

Everything that Kyungsoo isn’t.

.

When debut rounds the corner and everyone seems to pair up, Kyungsoo is stuck with Joonmyun - the appa and umma couple. Not that he minds, of course, because Joonmyun gives Kyungsoo chummy smiles and free access to his credit card. Still, as he sees more and more Baekyeol fan signs, Kyungsoo can’t help the tightness in his chest.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun gets picked for cutest couple on some show, the members have a good laugh about it. 

"As if," Baekhyun chuckles, "I don’t date people with crazy hair."

"I don’t like baby smurfs."

"Well, I don’t date dumbos."

"I’m afraid you’d stomp me with those stubby legs."

Kyungsoo tunes it out and chooses to study how water condensation forms instead.

.

It’s later that Baekhyun corners him in the bathroom. Kyungsoo is glad he hasn’t taken his clothes off yet. Still, it doesn’t make him feel any better when Baekhyun crashes through the door and slams it shut, slowly invading Kyungsoo’s personal space.

"You don’t like me," Baekhyun states like it’s the truth, the whole truth. He dares Kyungsoo to deny it with perfectly arched eyebrows.

"I..like you," Kyungsoo stammers, feeling exposed even when he hasn’t undressed. "I…warm up to people slowly."

"Okay," Baekhyun says. "You like Chanyeol, though. That means you see me as a threat."

Kyungsoo wishes the older boy has some sort of brain to mouth filter. “Not…a threat. I mean I do like him but not. Well, he is - was - my best friend.”

"Was?"

"I don’t know, we haven’t talked lately."

Baekhyun nods slowly. “Because you’re avoiding him. And me. Us. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

"Get out of the bathroom."

.

It’s later still that Kyungsoo comes to term with his feelings. He has never been good at things like this. Feelings, people - everything is so messy. Kyungsoo likes straight lines and predictability. He likes order and neat boxes where he can store all of his feelings for another day. He likes labels and knowing where he stands. 

Baekhyun spins and spins and spins like a tornado, ruffling the lives he touches until they are swept away by his charms. Kyungsoo doesn’t know how to do that. He can barely process day to day emotions.

That’s why Kyungsoo stuck with Chanyeol. Because Chanyeol doesn’t question or really cares, Chanyeol lets Kyungsoo ignore him when he talks. It doesn’t stop the taller boy from telling Kyungsoo about his day. And Kyungsoo likes listening, would rather listen to Chanyeol’s deep voice recalling the smallest of things.

Chanyeol likes to fix and build things. He likes to fix and build people, too. He finds Kyungsoo without a computing chip for feelings and work with him little by little. Chanyeol is all about robust reactions and fireworks, Kyungsoo knows it’s rubbing off when he finds himself trying to express more, wanting more…

More time? More words? More moments?

Nothing really contains his feelings when he comes to Chanyeol. How do you fit an ocean of friendship and love and history all into a neat little box.

Love.

Love.

Kyungsoo freezes.

Love.

.

And it’s like a pail that’s threatening to overflow because suddenly Kyungsoo doesn’t know how to hold it in. He doesn’t know how to stop because all of these…feelings.

He panics, chest heaving, heart thundering. 

No. It can’t be.

But it is because Chanyeol is smiling widely, pulling Kyungsoo into one of those long bear hugs. “Hiyah! How was vocal practice?” 

Love.

"I…"

"What’s wrong?" Chanyeol steps back to look down, "Are you okay?"

"I…" He chokes on the words rising up his throat. "I…"

And suddenly he is being pushed into a chair. Chanyeol kneels down and takes Kyungsoo’s face in his hands. So soft and gentle. 

"Was it hard today?" Chanyeol’s eyes are imploring, searching for what Kyungsoo doesn’t know. "Sometimes the vocal coach can be such a ."

She was but that’s not the problem here.

"Don’t strain yourself," Chanyeol says, still trying to fix things, still so earnest even though Kyungsoo sees the tired lines around his eyes - eyes that are red and irritated because Chanyeol hasn’t gotten enough sleep.

"You don’t strain yourself," Kyungsoo says finally. "Stop worrying about me when your eyes are so swollen." 

"You can talk to me," Chanyeol is stubborn, too. One among many traits Kyungsoo appreciates but doesn’t like. "Anything."

Anything. “I think…I like you,” Kyungsoo’s voice is so small. So, so small. “But, you need someone like Baekhyun, who’s fun and bright and bubbly. I am rambling, I know but I just…couldn’t - I don’t know what to say. Just that I like you and I know you deserve Baekhyun, not me, who is so boring they paired me up with Joonmyun! Joonmyun! He takes vitamins. 

Point is, you and Baekhyun are perfect together. And with some people, you just know.”

Kyungsoo would have said more but Chanyeol shuts him up.

With his lips, smashes right into Kyungsoo’s still moving mouth. There is an awkward moment because Kyungsoo is in the middle of speaking but things progresses more smoothly after that.

"Why me?" Kyungsoo squeaks out eventually when Chanyeol stops trying to his way into Kyungsoo’s mouth.

"Because you are amazing," Chanyeol leans in for another kiss. Less hurried this time. It’s soft and addicting - builds and builds - and yeah, Kyungsoo doesn’t think there is anything big enough to hold all of these emotions when he feels like his heart is about to burst. 

When Chanyeol pulls away, he grins, “Yeah, with some people you just know.”