Euthymia

Quick Fixes, Love Remedies, And Better Sex

Sehun and Baekhyun have errands to run. Again. Neither will outright say why they must go to the grocery store first thing in the morning or what they intend to buy, but Chanyeol has stuck his nose in enough of their business (by accident, really) to deduce what's going through their minds.

Sehun thinks flowers and pinks and creams will fill in the cracks forming in their relationship. Baekhyun's run out of pregnancy tests.

"You're coming with us."

Chanyeol sets his chopsticks down, abandoning a bite of early morning Ramen.

Sehun, of all people, looks him dead in the eyes.

"I don't trust you here by yourself and Suho expects you to serve as our bodyguard. So you're coming with us."

Instinctively, he glances over at Baekhyun sitting at the table, picking at his food and refusing a bite. No eye contact in return. The lover's quarrel has an iron grip on the house once again.

"Get up, get dressed. You're not riding with us; you can follow on your bike."

They set the rest of breakfast aside and search for fresh clothes in silence. In his chest, Chanyeol feels an ache that won't leave him no matter how often he massages his ribs. Air doesn't come to him as easily as usual, and the simple act of fishing through his luggage for a leather jacket knocks the wind out of him. This twinge in his heart squeezes him tighter the further he gets away from the others. The further he gets away from Baekhyun. When they regroup outside the house on the stone steps, Baekhyun brushes past him and the pain flees for only a moment.

Is this the cosmos' way of promoting attachment issues? Surely they're aware they've caused enough drama between the three of them; there's no need to stimulate more neediness and desperation in Chanyeol's soul. Not now while Sehun can feel himself losing his grip on the perfect alpha facade he'd do anything to maintain – the facade of a strong, respectable man with a perfect, loving omega and a cookie-cutter future ahead of him.

Why else would he be scrambling to the store, in search of quick fixes, love remedies, and better sex? The cosmos have pulled every trick out of their sleeve to make each of them as miserable and unfortunate as possible. And now Chanyeol can't help making it worse as his eyes seem to find Baekhyun no matter where he's standing and Sehun can't help noticing.

"Can I ride with Chanyeol instead?"

Both Sehun and Chanyeol freeze.

Just when they thought the situation couldn't get any worse, Baekhyun has to open his mouth and say by far the most poorly timed and inappropriate request possible.

It's not really his fault, they have to keep in mind. He doesn't have the awareness or the intuition to detect cosmos interference or tell-tale pheromones. Baekhyun exists in his world of obliviousness where social cues don't exist and ignorance is not a bliss. He has only body language to rely on when reading people, not smells. But he's not very attentive either. Or maybe he's exceptionally attentive. He knows exactly how to be a brat to get under people's skin. Maybe he didn't appreciate that bubble bath after all.

"Excuse me?" Sehun scoffs. He can't hide the sheer offense in his narrowed eyes and gaping mouth. "Like hell I'm letting you get on that thing. With him, no less. Get in the car."

"What?" Baekhyun continues approaching Chanyeol and his bike, speed in his step. "What'd you say, Sehun?"

"'Baekhyun, get over here. Now."

They're face-to-face now, Chanyeol halfway on his motorcycle and Baekhyun pleading with his eyes to let him on. One look over his shoulder at Sehun's beat red face should've been enough to deter him from making another bad decision, but he can't say he put up much of a fight when Baekhyun snatches the helmet from his hands and pulls it over his head.