► Because I absolutely couldn't wait. Lmao. Enjoy ♥

Word Count: 3260

It was late into the night when the gathering ended. Not letting the chance of being together for a longer period of time pass until they go back to pretending, and surround themselves with pressures of school and yearends.

As everyone leaves one by one, Baekhyun waves one last enthusiastic goodbye and engulfs Junmyeon in a tight hug – a thank you to his earlier comfort and understanding.

He equally hugs Jongin with the same appreciation he had of Junmyeon and meekly tells him “One day, I’ll talk to you.” An implication of their earlier talk, he receives a nod and smile in return. Jongin hugs him back just as tight and with one last fond look of brotherly love, he pulls away for Kyungsoo’s turn.

It was Kyungsoo’s turn to pepper his face in kisses eliciting a loud laughter from them both.

“It’s like we’re also in a secret friendship.” Kyungsoo says teasingly.

Tao on the other hand, pounce him a goodbye, engulfing him in a hug rocking their bodies side to side.

“I missed you and I’ll miss you again.” He sniffles, wiping his face of fake tears.

Jongdae playfully fist bumps him – holding up his closed fist in the air; Baekhyun responds as he gets the message and fist bumps back as he laughs. However, he’s surprisingly pulled in in a hug as Jongdae laughs in his ear in success.

“’till next time Baekkie.”

Out of all of them, Minho surprises him the most. He was pulled in in a one arm hug by the taller, a first time since they have met. As warmth surrounds him as soon as Minho embraces him with both arms circling him tight, Baekhyun melts against him. The impact of the small gesture affecting him more than it should. It was funny, how their ages were barely far apart but Junmyeon and Minho's presence felt more like parents to him. He thought of a father’s hug – something he’s never felt before.

He is left even more surprised as Minho whispers firmly in his ear. “If anyone hurts you, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

As they leave one by one, Baekhyun watches them with both gratefulness and longing – grateful of their friendship, longing to tell the truth. But as he feels a tight hold on his hand, an assuring presence behind him, he decides to once again throw away all doubts and pain for the nth time. From the very beginning, he decided to be selfish, thinking of his temporary happiness first than the awaiting consequences.

“Something wrong?” Chanyeol does not miss the longing in Baekhyun’s eyes, but he assumes it’s due to missing their friends just as soon as they parted.

Looking up to Chanyeol behind him, Baekhyun is greeted with concerned eyes but evident love as the taller looks at him. One of the main reasons why he’s firm with his decision, this may be his only chance. The only chance of happiness.

“Nothing, I just missed everyone. I missed you.”

An arm circles around his waist, the hold in his hand tightens as if not meant to let go. Chanyeol kisses the brunette’s temple, smiling as he does so.

♠♠♠

The whole ride back, Baekhyun spent it sleeping. He was too exhausted of tonight’s clash of feelings – happiness and pain, that after he took a seat inside the car, it was as if a heavy weight was lifted off. Sleep took him in less than a few minutes.

On the last intersection between the campus and Chanyeol’s penthouse, Chanyeol turns away the university. On a sudden whim, due to the lateness of the night (and wanting to spend more time with other), he decides to bring Baekhyun to his place; refusing to wake him up and worrying his ride home alone if Baekhyun got home safely. He needs to one day ask where he lives.

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol tries to gently shake the smaller awake. He smiles as Baekhyun responds adorably rubbing his eyes of sleepiness. Lightly laughs at how the brunette struggled out of the car and into his arms.

The trip up to the penthouse was spent with Chanyeol guiding and holding a very sleepy very exhausted Baekhyun as the smaller clings to him like little child. However, as soon as they reach the penthouse, Baekhyun mildly wakes.

“Kitties?” He asks sleepily.

Chanyeol chuckles in response, his chest feeling all fluttery with warmth. Even in sleep he still looks for them. “They’re at the neighbors, we’ll pick them up tomorrow.. okay?” He says as he guides Baekhyun further in.

He is taken aback as instead of a word reply, Baekhyun pulls in against him, resting his forehead unconsciously against his lips sleepily. “Mmm..”

The act brought another smile to his lips, now seeming more permanent as he helps Baekhyun out of the coat he wore that was his – gently pulling off his arms out of the sleeve and kisses his forehead fondly. When he made an attempt to pull him to his bedroom but fails as the smaller seemed more asleep than awake, Chanyeol figures carrying him would be the only way. Baekhyun just seems to be extra tired tonight and won’t budge from his position of clinging on the giant.

Struggling how to carry Baekhyun, Chanyeol tries to figure out how. With Baekhyun's arms around his neck, he grips the smaller’s waist and lifts him up. He ends up laughing albeit quietly at Baekhyun’s response of circling his legs around his waist, clinging to him like a baby being carried.

Walking towards the bed, he is stopped abruptly at Baekhyun’s sudden slur of his name, a little muffled as he was talking, or rather murmuring, against his shoulder.

“Yeol~?”

“Mmm..?”

The arms around his neck tighten and the next words, albeit still slurred but clear, freezes him.

“I love you.”

After a moment that seemed more like hours of just standing idly, Chanyeol tightens his hold on Baekhyun, the smile on his lips widen even more as if reaching his ears, as a surge of different feelings swell inside of him altogether – warmth, excitement, joy, delight, glee (everything synonymous to happy). That one simple phrase catching him off guard but sending him to a heaven he has never felt before.

In bed, Chanyeol watches Baekhyun sleep beside him. He caresses his cheek and brushes his now messy hair away his face; smiling at the pouting of lips from time to time.

With the moon’s light through the windows illuminating the side of his face, Baekhyun was beautiful. He remembers his talk with Minho earlier, his words playing like a broken record.

“Don’t hurt him…”

“… just because you want answers.”

No. He would never. His feelings for Baekhyun, his love, are proving to be much more different, much deeper, and much more meaningful, than that of his ex-girlfriend’s.

“I love you.”

Chanyeol has heard the words more than a hundred times from different people – from his family to his admirers to his friends to his ex-girlfriend, from fake to full meaning. But Baekhyun’s sleepy slur of the three words somehow meant more different, affecting him in ways he never thought could be possible.

He presses his forehead against Baekhyun’s, their lips a mere breath away, no kiss was made but the mere connecting of their skin was much more than Chanyeol could have asked for at the moment.

However, he is brought back to the memories of earlier – Baekhyun running toward Junmyeon and them leaving to be left in private. They did not go too far, only a distance away in a rather dark area of the house. But even then, even with the distance, even with the darkness, Chanyeol could tell something was wrong. The earlier look of longing in Baekhyun’s eyes that he did not miss did not help as it had an underlying meaning, Chanyeol could tell.