USED || (Chanbaek)

D e c e p t i o n

Chapter 24: Deception
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After seconds of visible hesitation, Chanyeol went against his better judgement and relented. Stepping aside, he watched as Baekhyun walked into the room with confidence in each stride, hands loosely by his side. Without wasting another moment, the athlete shut the door to avoid cause further disruption down the hall.

His eyes carefully followed the brunet as he walked down the room, only to stop in the middle before turning around. For a brief moment, Chanyeol could've sworn the expression on the latter's face softened, but it quickly disappeared as Baekhyun reverted back to his facade.

"I heard Jeonghwa took a little trip to the football team's physician." Glancing at Chanyeol's knuckles, Baekhyun cocked his head. "So did you, but yours wasn't that serious."

"You came all this way to talk about some hand injury?"

"Maybe."

"Could've just asked Jeonghwa about it," Chanyeol muttered, easing the disgraced teammate's name out of his mouth with disgust. And yet, he held back when directing his anger. "No point in wasting your time walking over here."

"Then maybe I just needed an excuse to see you."

Baekhyun cocked his head slightly to the right, crossing his arms tightly. The looseness in his smile contradicted his stiff and protective body language, but Chanyeol made no comment about the matter. It was merely an observation.

"And why would you want to see me? Thought our business was finished."

"It is." The half-hearted shrug given didn't project an ounce of certainty. "Or, at least, I thought it was— until I heard about your hand."

Irked and frustrated, Chanyeol leaned back against the door. "What's your point? Spit it out," he said harshly. "Unlike you, I can't buy my grades. So the faster you get out, the sooner I can get back to studying—"

"Why'd you hit him?" The look in Baekhyun's eyes made it clear he wanted answers. "And don't even try to lie to me. I see right through people and you're not that different from most guys, so if you want me gone, say it."

"It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"I'm not Kyungsoo, Park. You don't have to lie to me to make me feel better." Baekhyun took a step forward, cautious and slow despite his harsh demeanor. "If anything, you're the one who overstepped your boundaries by sending my friend to the hospital."

"You call that asshole your friend?"

"I was being nice. I can't call him my 'routine fuck' or else you'd be hot and bothered about it... Not that I have a problem with that." Stopping just inches away from the towering male, Baekhyun reached out until both of hands gently cupped the latter's face. His touch was soft and light, contradicting the firmness of his tone. "I've always thought of you as my gentle giant, Park. Even when you act like you can't stand me, the feelings are still there... With that being said, I don't need you to protect me. I can handle things on my own."

As he was about to retract his hands, Chanyeol stopped him, grabbing them midway. His grip was firm, yet it wasn't forceful. Baekhyun had no reason to resist, letting the latter take control.

"If that's all you wanted to say, you should've just called."

"You blocked my number so I thought I'd come pay you a visit." Baekhyun laughed softly under his breath. "I'm not going to lie. Part of me feels flattered that you'd go out of your way to send some sad fuck to the hospital over me. But at the same time, I could've done that myself."

"But you didn't."

Rather than confirm or deny, Baekhyun shrugged as though the definitive answer the allegations had little to no significance to him— And it didn't. Changing the subject, he was swift to take a step back, creating distance once he realized his disregard of boundaries in favor of familiar closeness meant he was treading on dangerous grounds.

"There's a home game soon. You should be more careful. Next time, your boyfriend might find out you're fighting other people's battles, and when he finds out it's me, I don't think he'll be very happy with you, Park." His lips curved into a faded smile that was as empty and hallow as the look in his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder what you said about me that would make that guy dislike me so much. Personally, I think I'm wonderful."

"I don't talk to him about you." Chanyeol clenched his jaw, but he was determined to maintain eye contact.

"Then maybe your silence says it all." Pursing his lips, Baekhyun sighed, staring off at the ceiling above him. "Regardless of how I feel about the situation, I appreciate you standing up for me. Just don't make it a habit... or, at least, don't let him find out."

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A/N: goodnight! We're going dramatic drama llama