Closets Are For Ghosts And Gays | Chanbaek, Chansoo

Take This To Your Grave

"Guys, there's no girlfriend."

The library was silent. Kyungsoo, Kai, and Sehun looked up from their phones when Chanyeol approached their table to deliver the news. They were sorting through all of the evidence they collected, constructing a narrative before Chanyeol completely threw a wrench into the mix.

"What?" Kyungsoo eventually asked.

"Baekhyun never had a girlfriend. He lied."

"How do you know?"

"I can see it written all over his face. He only said that to make us think he wasn't the nerdy loser everyone teased in high school."

They slowly put their phones away and sat back to let the information sink in. Sehun rapped his knuckles against the table, lost in thought. "So, if there's no girlfriend, what could've been the roommate's motive?"

"I don't think it was the roommate." Chanyeol admitted. "His roommate was basically his caretaker. He took him off the streets when he got kicked out for getting in trouble with his parents as a teen."

"Okay, but there's still the three main suspects." Kai reminded them.

"I don't think it was Mr. Kim, or Ms. Bae, or Mr. Suho either."

Kyungsoo frowned. "Who do you think it was then?"

I don't think we'll ever know." He pulled up a chair to sit between Sehun and Kyungsoo. "I think we're just running in circles, going nowhere."

"So, that's it?" Kai asked. "We're just going to give up on this mystery?"

"October's almost over." Sehun said. "We might as well. Once Chanyeol moves out, Baekhyun will be gone anyway. I say we forget about this and start enjoying our Halloween for once." He packed up his belongings and skipped down the book aisle. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go costume shopping."

"I'm going too." Kai stood up. "See you guys later."

It was Chanyeol and Kyungsoo left, sitting in silence. Chanyeol dropped his head on the table with a sigh. Kyungsoo reached over to pat him on the back. "We tried our best."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Hey,"

Chanyeol sat up to look his crush in the eyes. He stared back at him with a comforting smile that warmed his heart every time he saw it.

"I know we were only doing this to get Baekhyun out of your hair, but I actually wanted to help him find peace and I think at some point you did too." He rested his hand on top of Chanyeol's, making him flinch. "I admire all you've done for him, but we can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped."

"I thought we were close."

"I don't think it would've mattered. Baekhyun's too attached to the past. There's no way to help him now. At least we tried."

Chanyeol leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling. He thought back to the day before, when he and Baekhyun went to the mall. He hadn't spoken to the ghost since, nor had he seen him. His chest tightened when he reached even further back into his memories, back to Baekhyun's old house. He remembered the tears running down his face, the emptiness in his eyes, the secrets he shared with him. Kyungsoo was right; it wasn't just about getting rid of him anymore.

He looked over at Kyungsoo, who was doing homework. Behind him, taped to one of the bookshelves was a poster for the Halloween dance taking place on Halloween night. He sat up and cleared his throat, getting Kyungsoo's attention.

"Soo, there's something I want to tell you."

Kyungsoo set his homework aside to give him his fullest attention. "What's up?"