Indebted To You (A BaekYeol Fanfic)

Part XV

Chanyeol

It always seemed to me that any time lots of good things happened, the smallest bad thing had enough power to ruin all of the good things. 

Things with Baekhyun were getting better and I was truly happier than I remembered being in a long time. But it only took something as small as him not looking at me as he passed by or him pushing me away any time he thought we would get caught at home to remind me of what a less than ideal situation we were in. 

I wanted to tell someone. I didn't think I was ready to scream that I was quickly falling in love with him from the rooftops yet, but more and more, I hated the idea of having to hide. Sure, his friends knew, but I wouldn't have considered them to be my friends yet. I wanted to tell someone, but there was no one for me to tell without worrying about a negative reaction. It honestly made me feel really alone.

I was quietly working on homework during my study hall period, not really paying too much attention to the conversations going on around me. I felt someone poke my arm and looked up to see that Suho was the culprit.

"Did you hear me? I asked if you got an invitation to Taemin's graduation party," he said. I lifted my head up more and saw that Chen, Lay, and Tao were all staring at me.

"Oh, um...I think so, yeah," I answered. "My dad hasn't said if we're going or not."

"My parents are forcing me," Chen said with an annoyed sigh and eye roll. "I hate that we have to suck up to him just for their sake. It also doesn't help that he acts like a bodyguard to those losers."

"Speaking of them, I haven't seen them around too much lately. You'd think they'd be around here more since what's his name moved in with Chanyeol," Lay commented.

I sighed, trying to conceal the sound. "Baekhyun. His name is Baekhyun," I said, briefly glancing at him as he just waved a hand at me.

"They may be dumb, but they're smart enough to know to stay away from here," Chen said. 

"Not entirely," Suho interjected, earning a look from all of us. "Kai has been hanging around Kyungsoo a lot. Kyungsoo thinks I don't know, but he's never been good at hiding anything."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Tao questioned with furrowed eyebrows. "Are they hooking up or something?"

"I'm pretty sure. I don't know why else Kyungsoo would be sneaking back in the house so late at night," Suho answered, letting out a distressed sigh. "I fucking knew it. The night he ran away or whatever and I found with Kai, something told me there was something going on between them. I just thought Kyungsoo was smart enough to not get involved with him."

"It's not his fault, it's obviously Kai's," Chen said. "He's probably doing it to piss you off or get revenge or some stupid shit like that."

Suho shook his head. I had the overwhelming urge to tell them to shut up and that they were all wrong, but my mouth refused to open. I tried to blame it on the fact that it was nowhere near my place to tell them about Kai and Kyungsoo's relationship, especially since it seemed like they were trying to hide it, but even then I knew I should have said something, any small thing to defend them. I just couldn't.

"You should know something, Chanyeol," Suho said, turning to me again. 

"Yeah, Kyungsoo has been hanging out with Baekhyun a lot, so I'm sure he's taken it upon himself to introduce him to them, right?" Chen chimed in.

I looked back and forth at both of them. "How the fuck would I know what Baekhyun does?" I lied, knowing that if they could hear how fast my heart was beating, I would be a goner.

"You live with him, jackass," Chen said. 

"That doesn't mean I'm friends with him or anything. We barely talk really."

"It doesn't matter if you two are best friends or not," he went on, turning toward me a little more. "Just show enough interest in him to find out if him and his friends are going to have some kind of celebration of their own for their protector. If they are, we'll just show up and scare them a little bit, you know, to teach them a lesson."

"Why can't you guys just give it a rest?" I said, temporarily setting my pencil down. "I mean, isn't this getting old?"

Scoffing and grinning a little, Chen continued looking at me. "What the fuck is your issue? You've never said anything about us messing with them before," he said. 

"Maybe Baekhyun's been living with you for too long," Tao said. "Maybe he actually likes him."

"Shut the fuck up," I said, feeling my face heat up in anger. I sighed, trying to get some of my composure back. "Look, do whatever the fuck you want, but leave me out of it, alright? Unlike you guys, I actually want to grow out of my middle school bullying phase."

"Listen to that," Chen replied, letting out a few sarcastic laughs. "Are you gonna become their second bodyguard? Is that what's happening now?"

"That's not what I said, I just--"

"Then prove it." He was looking me dead in the eyes when he cut me off. I swallowed nervously, but I looked back at him. "Play nice with Baekhyun and tell us where we can find those fuckers. Then I'll believe that you haven't completely lost your damn mind."

He turned back around in his seat after that, the others gradually following after him. I sighed again before picking up my pencil and trying to focus on my work again. 

::::::::

I sat silently in bed later that night, my lips sealed together tightly. I couldn't stop thinking about what Chen had said earlier.  I felt ashamed of myself for getting so close to just coming clean but chickening out in the end like I always seemed to do. If they were my friends and I felt comfortable around them,  I should have been able to say something, right? 

But maybe that was just it; maybe they weren't and maybe I didn't.

Baekhyun walking out of the bathroom fully dressed again startled me out of my trance. He got back in my bed and laid down right next to me, using my chest as his pillow. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, tilting his head so he could see me. "You've been quieter than usual today."

I just looked at him for a second. He was the one person I felt I could talk to, but all of a sudden, it was like I couldn't anymore. 

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, putting on a smile I hoped was believable enough. "Just stressed about finals and what not, you know, the usual."

"Understandable. You guys take finals really seriously there. The atmosphere is so intense nowadays," he replied, looking away again. 

"That's just the death grip our parents have over us, our grades, and our futures," I said with a chuckle. "Was it not as bad at your old school?"

"It was still a lot, but I don't remember ever walking into school and feeling other people's stress," he answered, earning a laugh from me. "I think it helped having my friends around. Kyungsoo's great and all and I'm happy I have him, but I still miss seeing them every day. There's something I like about being surrounded by their chaotic good energy."

"I can understand that. They seem like good people, even if they are a little loud." He laughed and nodded against my chest. "But I'm here, you know, if it ever gets to be too much. I'm not very good at comforting people, but I like to think I have enough experience dealing with uptight, stressed-out rich kids to give you some advice if you need it."

He laughed, tilting his head up again. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, instead just gazing at me. "I'm really lucky to have you, aren't I?" he said, his voice soft like a whisper. I just smiled and hugged him closer to me.

"No, I'm the lucky one."

I hoped my luck would last.