USED || (Chanbaek)

H o m e c o m i n g

Chapter 16: Homecoming

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The constant tapping of Chanyeol's fingers against the counter didn't go as unnoticed as he initially thought. His stressed nature took Kyungsoo's attention as he raised his eyes off the menu settled between his hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Snapping his head upwards, Chanyeol met eyes with the boy sitting across from him. For a moment, he had forgotten that they were minutes away from deciding on their orders. "Oh, yeah. I'm good."

"You just seemed like something was bothering you," Kyungsoo said, smiling sympathetically. "Is it your midterms?"

"No, no." Chanyeol shook his head before consciously ceasing the mindless tapping of his fingers. Realizing how off he was acting, he took in a breath before straightening his posture. "It's nothing important."

"Listen, if you have something you need to do, then--"

"I don't," Chanyeol quickly dismissed. "I really don't mean to come off rude. I think I'm just stressed considering its halfway through the semester. Going about a bit stir crazy, if anything."

"Well, how about we get out of here then? We can do something else."

Chanyeol shook his head. "No, let's stay. You said you were hungry and so am I."

Cocking his head at the latter, Kyungsoo studied the expression on his face before relenting. The air around them still didn't feel completely right, but he understood that, perhaps, the territory of the topic was one Chanyeol wasn't willing to venture out towards.

"In that case..." Kyungsoo started, slowly as he moved his gaze away, "What do you feel like having?"

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Baekhyun's absence was first noted from his lack of in-class participation, but soon, Chanyeol realized that the male seemed to have left campus all together. The clubs the male had headed by himself that had given him nothing but a high public profile were left in stagnant as officers attempted to cover his absence with temporary chairs.  But all other instances were pale comparison to the loud silence that replaced the void that Baekhyun had previously occupied with late-night calls that softly whispered Chanyeol's name in the dark.

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A month and a half had passed and, for a while, Chanyeol had begun to forget about the boy who had once constantly occupied every waking thought. But upon re-entering the locker room post-practice , he stopped once his eyes locked on Baekhyun, who had drastically changed to a honey blond appearance, made him bitterly realize how nothing was different.

With his back pressed against the white-painted walls lecture building, Baekhyun's lips curved into an alluring smile, but it wasn't for him.

Following the boy's gaze, Chanyeol watched as Jongin, equally bewildered by the latter's sudden appearance, approached him as if the eyes of their peers weren't plastered on their lone interaction. Halting just a foot away from the male, Jongin dropped his voice as he spoke.

What the hell are you doing here?

It earned nothing more than a single elusive laugh that escaped Baekhyun's slightly parted lips. But as he ran his slender hand through his golden locks, Chanyeol couldn't help but take note of the simple yet sophisticated ring occupying his former lover's hand.

Chanyeol drew his eyes away from the two and was the first of the group to break off in another direction, heading to his locker to quickly rid of his gear. The sooner he left, the better.

There had been rumors of Baekhyun and the man Chanyeol had seen with him once before. The lack of appearances made by either only confirmed the ever-boiling gossip. Between his engagement to a promising, young politician, the attempt to create the image of a perfectly happy couple, and a sudden visit for Jongin, there was no simple way to make sense of it all.

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Kyungsoo watched as Chanyeol continued to hunch over his desk, immensely focused on his work. Attempting to rip him away for a short break was a task that Kyungsoo had yet to accomplish. The man was so consumed in his papers that he hadn't considered his boyfriend's mood disparity the last few times they had gotten together.

Having been there for last thirty minutes, sitting in awkward silence as he dwelled in his failure, Kyungsoo sighed, ultimately deciding it was time to leave for the night. It was nearing ten and Sehun was scheduled to return soon from his lab, making it all the more uncomfortable if he stayed any longer.

Getting off the bed, Kyungsoo walked over and wrapped his arms over Chanyeol's shoulders, embracing him from behind. "It's getting late. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah..." Chanyeol leaned against Kyungsoo's touch. "I'm really sorry. There's just a lot of things I have to catch up on."

"Donn't worry about about it. I understand. Good luck, okay?"

Nodding, Chanyeol rose from his seat the moment Kyungsoo began pulling away. He followed him up until the doorway where Kyungsoo stood for a moment before stepping outside. "I'll walk you out to your building--"

"You don't have to. I'll be fine."

Chanyeol stopped for a second. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." The smile on his face was bleak, but both chalked it up to fatigue. "I'll leave you to it. I know how busy you are this semester. Just don't overwork yourself, alright?"

"I won't."

"Good." Placing a quick kiss on Chanyeol's cheek, Kyungsoo nodded. "Call me you need anything. I love you."

"Love you, too," Chanyeol responded before briefly pausing. "Text me when you get back to your dorm."

He watched as Kyungsoo turned his back and walked away until he stopped in front of the elevator doors. In that moment, Chanyeol decided to return back inside his room, shutting the door behind him. 

The air was a bit tense and bits of regret began to seep through his consciousness of the way he had handled Kyungsoo presence that evening, but he figured that he'd apologize tomorrow. Maybe take the latter out for lunch to smooth things over and make up for the fact that he'd been neglectful as a boyfriend as of late.

Heaving his shoulders, Chanyeol sat back down in his chair and leaned back. There was something off about everything, and despite knowing what it could've been that was affecting his life, he didn't dare put a label on it.

A knock at the door brought him back from his deeper thoughts. Rising back up from his seat, he took his time approaching the door. Assuming Kyungsoo had forgotten something before departure, the giant dismissed the idea of looking through the door . 

As soon as the door became wide open, time stopped as he came face to face that familiar smile.

"Park."

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A/N: I have some shit planned lmao but for now, good-bye! Again lmao. 

PS: Pre-order Don't Mess Up My Tempo! 

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