CHINGUX 2014: swing batter batter swing (1/1) for rivenlux
Title: Swing Batter Batter Swing
Author: loudestoflove
Recipient: rivenlux
Pairing/Focus: Kyungsoo/Everyone, [Spoiler (click to open)]Chanyeol/Kyungsoo
Rating: PG
Length: 5100w
Summary: Kyungsoo’s friends aren’t nearly as subtle as they think they are, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t reap the rewards of this bet.
“Coffee,” Jongdae moans, throwing himself down in the chair across from Kyungsoo. His pencils clatter across the table to bump up against Kyungsoo’s Starbucks cup, and Jongdae follows the movement hungrily, eyes lingering. “Coffee?” he says hopefully, walking his spidery fingers over Kyungsoo’s textbook towards his prey.
Kyungsoo wedges his highlighter under Jongdae’s hand and slaps him away. “Maybe, if you woke up at a decent time of day for once, you’d be able to get your own,” he says dryly, and Jongdae pouts a little, rubbing his knuckles. It has no effect on Kyungsoo, of course. He’s learned better than to cave to Jongdae’s puppy eyes. Give an inch and he’ll take a mile. “Do you have the notes?”
Luckily, Jongdae has always recovered quickly. “Here,” he says, digging them out of his bag. “As promised.” Jongdae may have a habit of arriving just under the wire, but his notes are neatly organized and clear, unlike Baekhyun’s half-hearted scribbles and Chanyeol’s, well, creative style of learning. Kyungsoo offers Jongdae a smile in thanks. “I can’t wait until this semester is over,” Jongdae says, rifling through his papers. “I don’t think I’ve slept in like a month.”
A patent lie. Kyungsoo found Jongdae facedown on his notebook this morning, drooling on his history notes. He smiles a little, turning back to his own textbook. “You’re very traumatized, I’m sure,” he says. Jongdae pouts again, kittenish bow of his mouth pursing into a frown, and Kyungsoo only feels a tiny bit bad about it. This sociology course has been absolutely killer since day one, and Jongdae’s always a little bit soft when he hasn’t had his coffee yet.
“Aw,” Chanyeol says, sliding into the seat next to Kyungsoo. Of course he’s got two drinks in his hand, one for Jongdae. “Is Kyungsoo being mean again?” He hands Jongdae a cup and offers Kyungsoo a blinding, albeit very tired grin.
“Oh, yes, I’m a terrible human being,” Kyungsoo says, and Chanyeol laughs and nudges him hard enough to nearly tip him over. It’s his exhaustion from studying that stops him from retaliating, not any fondness he might have for Chanyeol’s smile, Kyungsoo decides. Across the table, Jongdae makes happy noises while he slurps and ignores them, both hands curled around his paper cup.
Kyungsoo is lucky, really, to be taking this course with his friends. The professor is kind of legendary for being absolutely ruthless, barreling through his lectures and accepting no excuses for absences or late papers. At least with Jongdae and Chanyeol around, Kyungsoo has a chance at catching up on days he misses. Baekhyun, on the other hand… “Where is Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asks. Chanyeol shrugs, highlighter hanging from his lips, but he’s got that wide-eyed faux innocent look on. Kyungsoo recognizes it as the one he uses when Kyungsoo’s about to discover Baekhyun’s come on his pillow. He doesn’t like it. “I thought he said he was meeting us here.”
“He is,” Baekhyun says cheerfully. Kyungsoo turns to find him at his elbow, wearing what looks suspiciously like Jongdae’s sweater. One day, Baekhyun will learn to buy his own clothes and wear them. “Did you miss me?”
“Eternally,” Kyungsoo replies, with as much vitriol as he can possibly muster. Baekhyun basks in it.
He drops to one knee, and Kyungsoo feels a sense of dread settle into his gut. They’re out in the quad and there are people all around them, but of course, Baekhyun has always liked making a scene. “I knew it,” Baekhyun says, and then he reaches out to grab Kyungsoo’s hand.
His grip is sweaty and clammy, and Kyungsoo wriggles free of it, frowning. “Save your breath,” he says, sliding out of Baekhyun’s range and shifting uncomfortably. “I’m not interested in marriage.” Jongdae is grinning over his coffee and Chanyeol is stifling his giggle with a hand, and Kyungsoo eyes them both darkly. There’s no reason to encourage him.
There’s a certain charm to the way that Baekhyun smiles, Kyungsoo supposes, all blind confidence. Too bad it’s not working. “We’ll see about that,” Baekhyun tells him, and then he takes a deep breath, and begins to sing.
Baekhyun’s got a lovely voice, a fact that Kyungsoo’s been familiar with since their first year vocal classes together. That doesn’t mean he wants to sit here and listen to him belt out some horribly sappy love ballad while half the school sits and stares at them. And why is he doing this? Other than Kyungsoo’s complete humiliation, of course. “Stop, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo sighs, but Baekhyun just grabs his hand again, holding it captive against his chest while he croons. It’s mortifying and infuriating and neither Jongdae nor Chanyeol will stop laughing.
“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says in warning. Baekhyun gets louder, if that was possible, pretty fingers like steel around Kyungsoo’s wrist while he sings something silly about how deep and soulful Kyungsoo’s eyes are. He must be stopped.
Kyungsoo stands abruptly, planting one foot against Baekhyun’s gut and pushing. His serenade comes to an squawking end, Baekhyun sprawled on his back on the paving stones, and Kyungsoo takes advantage of his shock to gather up his things. “I don’t know what you’re doing,” he says, “but that was exactly the wrong way to do it.” He brushes his pants off and then tucks his books into his bags and steps neatly past Baekhyun’s prone body. “I’ll get you your notes after lunch,” he tells Jongdae, who salutes, nudging a toe into Baekhyun’s thigh. Baekhyun’s wailing about how no one respects artists anymore, but Kyungsoo has long since stopped listening.
He only pauses in his trek across the quad when Chanyeol shouts his name, long legs letting him catch up easily. “What was that about?” Kyungsoo asks him, raising an eyebrow.
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Chanyeol says, shrugging in one great big full-body movement. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him, and Chanyeol beams, innocent as a newborn babe. He slings his arm companionably over Kyungsoo’s narrow shoulders, steering him towards class even though he doesn’t need it. Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He’s more interested in trying to figure out what Baekhyun was doing. There’s something going on here, and Kyungsoo is going to find out what, sooner or later.
His suspicions only grow at lunch time. He unwraps his food, eyeing Baekhyun across the table, but for once in his life, he seems to have learned his lesson. He’s behaving himself, busying himself with stealing food from Chanyeol. He always does bring the best lunches, after all. Still, Kyungsoo knows better than to let his defenses down. He just never thought the next attack would come from Sehun.
“Hyung,” Sehun says with a sugar sweet voice as sweet, hooking a big hand around Kyungsoo’s elbow, and Kyungsoo is instantly on alert.
“What do you want, Sehun?” he asks, no heat to his voice, and he lets Sehun cling, folding his too long limbs in next to him and tucking his chin over his shoulder. Sehun is still young, but that doesn’t mean the childish, petulant set to his mouth fits his face anymore.
“Buy me a milk, hyung,” Sehun says, batting his eyelashes in some parody of aegyo that ends up somewhere around vaguely unsettling. “Please?” Across the table, next to Chanyeol, Jongin makes a gagging sound in the back of his throat.
Sehun’s almost entirely pressed up against Kyungsoo’s side now, which would be distracting except for the part where it’s utterly predictable. Sehun’s only ever sweet when he’s trying to wheedle something out of his hyungs, and Kyungsoo is not fooled. “Buy your own, Sehun-ah,” he says. “You’re a big boy now.” He glances across the table to Chanyeol, wide-eyed, lips pressed together in a thin line, trying to hold back his laughter. Yeah, thanks.
Sehun clicks his tongue and lets his hand fall just a hair too high on Kyungsoo’s thigh. “Please?” he says again, voice pitched breathy and nearly seductive, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. Sehun’s always been careless of an audience, but he’s fairly certain that he wouldn’t make a play for his dick in public. “Just this once?” His hand creeps higher and when Kyungsoo looks up, their entire table is watching with bated breath, like they’re cable TV.
Enough is enough. Kyungsoo catches his wrist and peels him away. “What are you doing?” he asks, brows creased in annoyance.
Sehun flushes, high up on his cheeks, and he slides away. “Whatever, fine,” he says, broad shoulders hunched forward like he’s embarrassed. Kyungsoo tips his head, trying to decipher exactly what’s happening here. “Be like that.” He snatches Chanyeol’s drink instead, ignoring his whine of complaint and doing his best to drain the whole thing in one shot. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Teenagers.
On the other side of the table, Baekhyun’s smile is smug, and Jongdae and Chanyeol are exchanging what they probably think is a discreet look. “Well,” Kyungsoo says. “Today’s been fun.” At least, he supposes, it’s a distraction from the mind-numbing studying he’s had to do for the past week. He’s not sure it’s an improvement, really, but being harassed by his friends is a change of pace.
Baekhyun sniffs. “You don’t know what you’re missing,” he says, and Kyungsoo only raises one eyebrow, slowly. Only someone as foolhardy as Baekhyun would think that a public serenade is a good opener.
“I think I’m okay with that,” Kyungsoo says easily, the corner of his mouth pulling up despite himself. “I’ll have to live my life without the eternal love of Byun Baekhyun.” Baekhyun lays a hand over his heart and makes a heartbroken face, one that absolutely nobody at the table is buying. Chanyeol catches Kyungsoo’s eye and shakes his head solemnly, and then winks. Kyungsoo isn’t sure how he managed to fall in with the most ridiculous crowd in this school, but sometimes, it’s not so bad.
He’s half-expecting someone to ambush him on the way home that night, but things are suspiciously calm for nearly three days. It’s not exactly easy to study when he feels like he’s always looking over his shoulder for the next haphazard seduction attempt, but Kyungsoo manages to pull it off, and he sails through their next history test with flying colours. He’s enjoying having a moment of downtime after class, listening idly to Chanyeol putter around in the kitchen, when Chanyeol pokes his head into the room. “Hey, uh, did you want some dinner?” He fidgets, shifting from foot to foot, clutching his hands together nervously. “I think I made too much.”
Hmm. It’s not an unusual event, but Chanyeol’s studied casual air and forced smile are making him curious. “Alright,” he says slowly, standing up and following Chanyeol to the table.
It’s… “Oh, wow,” Kyungsoo says, taking it in. Chanyeol’s set up candles. Candles! There’s flowers in a delicate little vase, there’s even wine. Kyungsoo didn’t know that Chanyeol even liked wine. “Special occasion?” he asks gently, raising an eyebrow. The pieces are definitely starting to come together now, but he has to admit, he’s kind of flattered by the effort that Chanyeol’s gone to. Each plate looks artfully arranged, pretty and delicious. He almost doesn’t want to sit down and eat.
“No,” Chanyeol says, his cheeks slowly turning red. He gestures for Kyungsoo to sit. “Just thought it’d be nice or something.”
Kyungsoo’s not about to turn down a free meal, not when Chanyeol is a pretty decent cook, and he looks a little like a dog waiting to be scolded. “Thank you,” Kyungsoo says, pulling out his chair. It does smell really good.
It takes him a moment to realize that Chanyeol is watching him, shoulders tense, hands pressed against the table. They’ve known each other for years, and still. Kyungsoo shakes his head, smiling a little, and takes a bite. “It’s good,” he says, because it is, and the tightness eases in Chanyeol’s posture.
“Oh, good,” Chanyeol says, his relief palpable, and Kyungsoo has to push down the urge to laugh. This is all so much work for something that Kyungsoo assumes is mostly trivial, but it’s still kind of sweet. “So, uh. Eat up.”
Kyungsoo raises his glass in a salute and turns to his meal. When he glances up again, Chanyeol’s got a tiny little smile on his face, and that’s kind of sweet too.
Jongin is the next to step up to the plate. Kyungsoo walks out of history two days later, Chanyeol at his heels, and he nearly walks straight into Jongin’s chest. It looks like he’s been loitering around the door, waiting for him to come out. He’s wearing an oversized sweater, and the thick knit hanging over his knuckles makes him look even younger than he is. “Isn’t your next class on the other side of the campus?” Kyungsoo asks, amused. Chanyeol shifts next to him, looming over Kyungsoo’s shoulder. At this point, Kyungsoo is mostly used to it.
“Do you want to go get coffee?” Jongin blurts out. His ears are red, and he’s got his hands balled up in the cuffs of his sleeves. It’s adorable. Not in a way that Kyungsoo wants to date, mind you, but it’s very cute. “Um. My treat.” He looks a little like he wants to throw up, and Kyungsoo can’t decide if that’s flattering or not.
“Why not?” he says, patting Jongin’s elbow. If the kid doesn’t relax, he might have a heart attack, and Kyungsoo would much rather he didn’t have that on his conscience. “That sounds very nice, Jongin-ah.”
Jongin instantly relaxes, and his face loses that pinched, I’m-trying-not-to-pass-out look, which pleases Kyungsoo. “Okay,” he says. A thought occurs to him and his entire face lights up, and Kyungsoo is reminded of just how handsome Jongin is. He forgets, sometimes, and he thinks Jongin does too. “You could meet my puppies!” Jongin says excitedly, clutching at Kyungsoo’s hand. “Won’t that be fun?”
When Kyungsoo looks up at Chanyeol, he’s a little confused when he catches a glimpse of something sullen in the set of his jaw. It vanishes after a second, though, replaced by another stiff smile. “Sounds like it to me,” Chanyeol says, and he jerks his chin in the opposite direction. “I, uh, I gotta go.”
“See you tonight,” Kyungsoo nods, and then he turns back to Jongin. “Alright,” he says. “Let’s go get that coffee.”
It doesn’t surprise him that Jongin’s drink of choice is something massive, sugary, and piled high with whipped cream. It doesn’t surprise him, either, that Jongin spills the beans within the first ten minutes of their ‘date’. “It’s a bet,” he admits, and then he claps his hands over his mouth. “Don’t tell the others I told you that.”
A bet. This past week is making much more sense now. “What was the object?” Kyungsoo asks, idly stirring his coffee. They’re sitting at a table outside the cafe on campus, and through the window, he can see Baekhyun and Jongdae, hiding their faces poorly behind a couple of menus. Really, do any of his friends have any concept of subtlety? One of Jongin’s puppies is very determinedly chewing on the laces of his shoe. He’d stop her, but there are always more shoes, and the soppy way that Jongin looks at his dogs warms his heart. “To seduce me?”
“Sort of?” The word ‘seduce’ has Jongin blushing all over again, staring down into the melty remains of his coffee and whipped cream. “It was a challenge to see who could win your heart.”
“That’s very charming,” Kyungsoo says. Baekhyun hadn’t been trying very hard if he’d decided that a public humiliation was what would get Kyungsoo’s motor going. It’s a toss-up whether or not Baekhyun actually thought that would work, or if he just wanted to get under Kyungsoo’s skin again. That kid. “Well,” Kyungsoo sighs, taking a sip of his coffee. “At least I’ve been getting something out of the deal.” Sehun’s borderline unsettling aegyo didn’t count, but this coffee was quite nice and dinner the other night, well, he’d definitely enjoyed that. Besides, there was something very pleasing about being in on the joke when nobody knew he was. “I’m having a good time now, right?”
Jongin’s smile is just the tiniest bit wobbly. “For the record, hyung, I, uh, this isn’t like, a real date.” When Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, Jongin starts backpedaling. “Not that I wouldn’t want it to be! Because, uh, hyung is very handsome and charming and he always looks after me…” Kyungsoo snorts, using his foot to pet along whichever of Jongin’s dogs is nosing at his ankles now. It takes a minute to register with Jongin that Kyungsoo isn’t mad. “It’s just. I like someone else.”
Kyungsoo thinks he might know the feeling. “It’s Naeun, right?” Kyungsoo nods. He knows the two of them share an English class, and he’s seen them come out, both of them blushing and bowing and saying goodbye at least three more times than is necessary. It’s sweet. “I wouldn’t want to steal you away from her.”
“Hyuuuuuung,” Jongin whines. He scoops up one of his dogs, Monggu, Kyungsoo thinks, and buries his face in his fur. “Stop.”
“Well, imagine that!” Baekhyun booms, and Kyungsoo rubs his temples. He supposes that this was inevitable. “You’re here, we’re here, what a coincidence!” He shoos a puppy out of the way and promptly throws himself into Kyungsoo’s lap. “I think this is fate.” Jongdae snorts, eyeing Baekhyun, and dips his finger into Jongin’s whipped cream, licking it clean. Jongin looks heartbroken.
A deft pinch to the soft part of Baekhyun’s thigh makes him shriek and stand up again, frowning. “Or, you’re stalking me,” Kyungsoo suggests. “Which is far less romantic than you think it is.”
“You wound me,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo hums, drinking the last of his coffee. “Here I am, offering up my heart and soul -”
Jongdae smoothly insinuates himself between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, which Kyungsoo would appreciate if it wasn’t immediately followed up by Jongdae somehow wedging himself onto the chair with Kyungsoo. Don’t these people know there are other chairs here? “You had your shot, Baekhyun,” he says, ignoring the hand that Baekhyun flaps in his face when he shushes him. “And I’m fairly certain you don’t have a soul left by now.”
“I’m trying to enjoy my coffee, here,” Kyungsoo says, and Jongdae leans over to peer into his cup.
“You’re all done,” he points out, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. Well, so much for a nice, quiet afternoon. Jongin doesn’t look so put-out, but that might have something to do with the dog licking his chin. He’s a very easily pleased kid. “So!” Jongdae says. “You. Me. Study date. Tomorrow. Down?”
He thinks he’s being very smooth. Kyungsoo can tell by the smug smile and the way he pushes his hand through his hair, like he thinks it makes him look sexy. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Well,” he says. “I do need to go over things before the exam next week.”
“It’s a date,” Jongdae agrees, like it was his irresistible charm that made Kyungsoo agree, not the fact that Jongdae always has the best notes. He decides not to disabuse him of this idea. He might as well get something out of this silly bet. “I’ll see you later.”
He’s got a swagger in his step as they walk away, or at least, he does until Baekhyun hipchecks him, complaining about the scales being tipped against him. “Alright, Jongin-ah,” Kyungsoo says, standing. “Shall I walk you home?”
While Jongin chatters about his puppies, Kyungsoo sends a quick text off to Chanyeol. a bet, really?
it seemed like a good idea at the time!!
It makes Kyungsoo snort, because really, of course it did. Of course. He hooks his arm in Jongin’s and they let his dogs take them for a walk.
“We’re being watched,” Kyungsoo says idly, tapping his highlighter against the page. Two tables over, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are the picture of nonchalance. Chanyeol’s got his feet propped up on the tabletop, and Baekhyun is noisily working his way through a bag of chips, sucking the flavouring off his fingertips. Kyungsoo is fairly certain that if Baekhyun spent half the time on studying that he does on interfering in Kyungsoo’s life, he might actually pass some courses.
“They just can’t handle the competition,” Jongdae says, and Kyungsoo rubs his nose to cover the way that he’s starting to smile. Competition indeed. He’ll be glad when this bet is over. He really needs Baekhyun to stop trying to feel him up.
“What could you possibly be competing for?” Kyungsoo deadpans, and Jongdae squints at him for a second, distracted from where he’s been trying to scooch his chair too close to Kyungsoo’s. Kyungsoo stretches out an arm and carefully tugs Jongdae’s notes for last class over towards him. “We’re just studying, aren’t we?”
Jongdae frowns at him. “Yes, but…” Kyungsoo usually doesn’t like the natural, wide look of his eyes, but it comes in extra handy when he’s trying to look convincingly naive. “Never mind,” Jongdae grumbles.
They get to work, and Kyungsoo tries to focus on the matter at hand, but it’s hard when Jongdae is pulling out the type of cheesy seduction moves that he hasn’t seen since high school. He lays his arm across the back of Kyungsoo’s chair, leaning in far closer than has ever been necessary, practically breathing down his neck. The pen drop is a clever move, especially when Jongdae practically folds himself over Kyungsoo’s lap to reach it. Very sneaky.
He does have to draw the line when Jongdae leans far too close, lips practically brushing up against his ear when he asks Kyungsoo what he got for this answer. “Is that necessary?” Kyungsoo asks, quirking an eyebrow.
Jongdae looks offended. “Really?” he says. “This is my A-game. Nothing?”
The laugh bubbles out of Kyungsoo before he can hold it back. “I think your A-game got stuck back in the tenth grade,” he says sadly, and he pats Jongdae’s knee. “Nice try, though.”
Across the library, Baekhyun brays with laughter and slaps Chanyeol, nearly sending him sprawling off his chair. Paragons of grace and delicacy, Kyungsoo’s friends. “You just can’t appreciate all of this.” Jongdae gestures down at his body, which would probably be more effective if he wasn’t wearing pajama pants and a worn out sweatshirt.
“You caught me,” Kyungsoo says serenely, straightening his notes in front of him. “I must be blind.”
At their table, Baekhyun mimes throwing a baseball to Chanyeol, who swings. They both pull a face when he ‘misses’. Jongdae lobs a pen at them. “I guess we better actually study then, huh?” he says, and he grimaces. “Great.”
“That’s the spirit,” Kyungsoo says, and Jongdae sighs.
They celebrate the end of the semester with a massive party at Sehun’s place. It’s not very big, but it feels like half the campus is there, crammed in with them in his tiny living room. Chanyeol’s made some of his patented jungle juice, which is particularly disgusting tonight, but Kyungsoo knows that if he doesn’t have a glass in his hand, he’s just asking to be accosted by Baekhyun about ‘why he doesn’t like fun’.
He’s sitting on the couch, trying to have a conversation with one of the Chinese exchange students, when Baekhyun lands heavily in his lap. He smells very drunk. This should be fun. “So,” Baekhyun asks, hooking one arm around Kyungsoo’s neck in what he probably thinks is a flirtatious move. Kyungsoo only allows it because otherwise, he’s a tiny bit worried Baekhyun’s going to fall and break his neck. “What’s the final verdict?”
“On what?” Kyungsoo asks, a little annoyed. He sloshes around the drink in his cup. He’s not sure, but there may be some kind of fruit hiding in the murky alcohol. He can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. “I think that if I drink this, I will actually throw up on you.”
“No,” Chanyeol says, taking the spot on the couch next to Kyungsoo. Jongdae takes his other side, wedging himself between Kyungsoo and the bewildered looking exchange student. “On us.” He gestures vaguely around them, even though Sehun is far busier with a beefy looking upperclassman and Kyungsoo isn’t certain that Jongin even made it to the party. When Kyungsoo tries on that wide-eyed look again, Chanyeol frowns and shakes a finger. “Don’t pretend you didn’t figure it out.”
“Answer the question,” Baekhyun demands, tugging on Kyungsoo’s hair until Kyungsoo has to swat him away. “It’s me, isn’t it? I knew it.”
Kyungsoo clamps a hand over Baekhyun’s mouth and proceeds to ignore the tongue bath that Baekhyun gives him, trying to shake him off. “None of you,” Kyungsoo says firmly, and Jongdae groans, throwing his hands up in the air. “Are you serious? That was the saddest display I’ve ever seen. Please.”
Baekhyun finally manages to peel his fingers away. “It’s fine,” he says. “You couldn’t handle me anyway.” He squirms in Kyungsoo’s lap, twisting to face the Chinese exchange student and bat his eyes, but the shift in his weight has him pressing uncomfortably down on Kyungsoo’s dick. Kyungsoo is definitely not drunk enough for this. Jongdae smirks at him and digs and elbow into his side.
What Kyungsoo’s not expecting is the downtrodden look on Chanyeol’s face. Ah, Kyungsoo thinks, his stomach rolling uneasily in a way that has nothing to do with that horrifying juice. “I’m sure you’re right,” Kyungsoo says with as much condescension as he can muster, and then he hefts Baekhyun up and off his lap. He tips his head down to catch Chanyeol’s gaze, raising his eyebrows in silent question. Chanyeol just forces a smile and shrugs, and then he slips away before Kyungsoo can ask him for real. Damn.
He’s worried, about Chanyeol and about what that face had meant, but when he stands to follow him, he notices the slightly unnerved look on the Chinese exchange student’s face, and he sighs. Time to disentangle Baekhyun from his latest prey. “Leave the poor boy alone, Baekhyun,” he says firmly, reaching down to stop Baekhyun’s hands from wandering. He shoots Jongdae a pleading look, but he’s a lot more interested in giggling at the three of them and watching it all happen. How very helpful.
When he looks up again, Chanyeol’s managed to lose himself in the crowd, and Kyungsoo has to settle for feeling uneasy and alone.
He ends up having to leave alone, because he can’t find Chanyeol anywhere. When he gets home, he finds him lying facedown on the couch, feet hanging off the arm, face buried in a pillow. At least, Kyungsoo supposes, he didn’t get himself hurt. “I didn’t see you leave,” Kyungsoo says, kicking his shoes off at the door. “I didn’t know if you’d be home tonight.” The only response is a vague muffled noise from the general direction of Chanyeol’s face. Kyungsoo’s had just enough jungle juice that he can’t interpret it. “How are you feeling?”
This time, the grunt sounds a tiny bit more positive. That’s a step, at least. “I don’t know what you put in that stuff tonight, but I’m fairly certain I’m going to be hungover for a good week.” Kyungsoo isn’t particularly talkative, and he’s never had to fill the silence when it comes to Chanyeol. This feels awkward, uncomfortable. He sits down on the arm of the couch next to Chanyeol’s head, and he waits a moment, hoping for some kind of response. He’s not sure what the etiquette of this situation is.
It takes a good couple of minutes before Chanyeol lifts his head. His hair is a staticky mess from the pillow, and his eyes are watery and red. He must’ve gotten pretty drunk. “Hey,” he says.
“Good morning,” Kyungsoo says, and he offers him a smile. It’s not returned. “You look pretty rough.”
Chanyeol just nods. “I feel rough,” he says. He sits up, folding his long legs underneath himself.
The thing about being friends with Chanyeol is that no matter how much he tries to cover it up, when he’s upset, it’s a little bit heartbreaking to see. It’s like his entire body droops, and the pouty jut of his lips is equal parts sad and pathetic. Kyungsoo just can’t stand knowing that he’s the reason for it, either. “About what I said,” Kyungsoo begins, and when Chanyeol moves to interrupt, he just shakes his head and holds up a finger. “About what I said. I may not have been entirely honest.”
“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks carefully, his chin tilting up.
Kyungsoo pauses for a moment, thinking. He’s known Chanyeol for years, since even before they were in school together, and that’s not a situation he wants to mess up. He’s got to choose his words well. “There was one person who won the bet.”
Chanyeol’s brows furrow impatiently. He gestures for Kyungsoo to continue. “And that was?”
“You got me flowers,” Kyungsoo says, a smile pulling slowly at the corners of his mouth. Chanyeol’s mouth has fallen open in surprise. “I think you were the only one who meant it.”
“I did,” Chanyeol admits, laughing a little. His eyes are guarded and hopeful. “I put on the music and everything. That was a bit much, wasn’t it?”
“A tiny bit,” Kyungsoo agrees, and he settles down next to Chanyeol. “But it was very, very sweet.” He stretches out one hand, palm up, and Chanyeol tentatively laces their fingers together. The size difference never fails to astonish him.
Chanyeol’s grinning now, his smile going from careful to full watt in only a few seconds, and it’s a good look on him. “Wait,” he says after a second. “Why didn’t you say anything at the party?”
Kyungsoo smirks. “I didn’t want any of you to win,” he says cheerfully, and Chanyeol groans, dropping his head to Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “This way, I’m the winner.”
“I think I won too,” Chanyeol says, his breath warm against Kyungsoo’s skin, even through the shirt he’s wearing. He squeezes Chanyeol’s hand. He definitely can’t argue with that logic.
Author: loudestoflove
Recipient: rivenlux
Pairing/Focus: Kyungsoo/Everyone, [Spoiler (click to open)]Chanyeol/Kyungsoo
Rating: PG
Length: 5100w
Summary: Kyungsoo’s friends aren’t nearly as subtle as they think they are, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t reap the rewards of this bet.
“Coffee,” Jongdae moans, throwing himself down in the chair across from Kyungsoo. His pencils clatter across the table to bump up against Kyungsoo’s Starbucks cup, and Jongdae follows the movement hungrily, eyes lingering. “Coffee?” he says hopefully, walking his spidery fingers over Kyungsoo’s textbook towards his prey.
Kyungsoo wedges his highlighter under Jongdae’s hand and slaps him away. “Maybe, if you woke up at a decent time of day for once, you’d be able to get your own,” he says dryly, and Jongdae pouts a little, rubbing his knuckles. It has no effect on Kyungsoo, of course. He’s learned better than to cave to Jongdae’s puppy eyes. Give an inch and he’ll take a mile. “Do you have the notes?”
Luckily, Jongdae has always recovered quickly. “Here,” he says, digging them out of his bag. “As promised.” Jongdae may have a habit of arriving just under the wire, but his notes are neatly organized and clear, unlike Baekhyun’s half-hearted scribbles and Chanyeol’s, well, creative style of learning. Kyungsoo offers Jongdae a smile in thanks. “I can’t wait until this semester is over,” Jongdae says, rifling through his papers. “I don’t think I’ve slept in like a month.”
A patent lie. Kyungsoo found Jongdae facedown on his notebook this morning, drooling on his history notes. He smiles a little, turning back to his own textbook. “You’re very traumatized, I’m sure,” he says. Jongdae pouts again, kittenish bow of his mouth pursing into a frown, and Kyungsoo only feels a tiny bit bad about it. This sociology course has been absolutely killer since day one, and Jongdae’s always a little bit soft when he hasn’t had his coffee yet.
“Aw,” Chanyeol says, sliding into the seat next to Kyungsoo. Of course he’s got two drinks in his hand, one for Jongdae. “Is Kyungsoo being mean again?” He hands Jongdae a cup and offers Kyungsoo a blinding, albeit very tired grin.
“Oh, yes, I’m a terrible human being,” Kyungsoo says, and Chanyeol laughs and nudges him hard enough to nearly tip him over. It’s his exhaustion from studying that stops him from retaliating, not any fondness he might have for Chanyeol’s smile, Kyungsoo decides. Across the table, Jongdae makes happy noises while he slurps and ignores them, both hands curled around his paper cup.
Kyungsoo is lucky, really, to be taking this course with his friends. The professor is kind of legendary for being absolutely ruthless, barreling through his lectures and accepting no excuses for absences or late papers. At least with Jongdae and Chanyeol around, Kyungsoo has a chance at catching up on days he misses. Baekhyun, on the other hand… “Where is Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asks. Chanyeol shrugs, highlighter hanging from his lips, but he’s got that wide-eyed faux innocent look on. Kyungsoo recognizes it as the one he uses when Kyungsoo’s about to discover Baekhyun’s come on his pillow. He doesn’t like it. “I thought he said he was meeting us here.”
“He is,” Baekhyun says cheerfully. Kyungsoo turns to find him at his elbow, wearing what looks suspiciously like Jongdae’s sweater. One day, Baekhyun will learn to buy his own clothes and wear them. “Did you miss me?”
“Eternally,” Kyungsoo replies, with as much vitriol as he can possibly muster. Baekhyun basks in it.
He drops to one knee, and Kyungsoo feels a sense of dread settle into his gut. They’re out in the quad and there are people all around them, but of course, Baekhyun has always liked making a scene. “I knew it,” Baekhyun says, and then he reaches out to grab Kyungsoo’s hand.
His grip is sweaty and clammy, and Kyungsoo wriggles free of it, frowning. “Save your breath,” he says, sliding out of Baekhyun’s range and shifting uncomfortably. “I’m not interested in marriage.” Jongdae is grinning over his coffee and Chanyeol is stifling his giggle with a hand, and Kyungsoo eyes them both darkly. There’s no reason to encourage him.
There’s a certain charm to the way that Baekhyun smiles, Kyungsoo supposes, all blind confidence. Too bad it’s not working. “We’ll see about that,” Baekhyun tells him, and then he takes a deep breath, and begins to sing.
Baekhyun’s got a lovely voice, a fact that Kyungsoo’s been familiar with since their first year vocal classes together. That doesn’t mean he wants to sit here and listen to him belt out some horribly sappy love ballad while half the school sits and stares at them. And why is he doing this? Other than Kyungsoo’s complete humiliation, of course. “Stop, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo sighs, but Baekhyun just grabs his hand again, holding it captive against his chest while he croons. It’s mortifying and infuriating and neither Jongdae nor Chanyeol will stop laughing.
“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says in warning. Baekhyun gets louder, if that was possible, pretty fingers like steel around Kyungsoo’s wrist while he sings something silly about how deep and soulful Kyungsoo’s eyes are. He must be stopped.
Kyungsoo stands abruptly, planting one foot against Baekhyun’s gut and pushing. His serenade comes to an squawking end, Baekhyun sprawled on his back on the paving stones, and Kyungsoo takes advantage of his shock to gather up his things. “I don’t know what you’re doing,” he says, “but that was exactly the wrong way to do it.” He brushes his pants off and then tucks his books into his bags and steps neatly past Baekhyun’s prone body. “I’ll get you your notes after lunch,” he tells Jongdae, who salutes, nudging a toe into Baekhyun’s thigh. Baekhyun’s wailing about how no one respects artists anymore, but Kyungsoo has long since stopped listening.
He only pauses in his trek across the quad when Chanyeol shouts his name, long legs letting him catch up easily. “What was that about?” Kyungsoo asks him, raising an eyebrow.
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Chanyeol says, shrugging in one great big full-body movement. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes at him, and Chanyeol beams, innocent as a newborn babe. He slings his arm companionably over Kyungsoo’s narrow shoulders, steering him towards class even though he doesn’t need it. Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He’s more interested in trying to figure out what Baekhyun was doing. There’s something going on here, and Kyungsoo is going to find out what, sooner or later.
His suspicions only grow at lunch time. He unwraps his food, eyeing Baekhyun across the table, but for once in his life, he seems to have learned his lesson. He’s behaving himself, busying himself with stealing food from Chanyeol. He always does bring the best lunches, after all. Still, Kyungsoo knows better than to let his defenses down. He just never thought the next attack would come from Sehun.
“Hyung,” Sehun says with a sugar sweet voice as sweet, hooking a big hand around Kyungsoo’s elbow, and Kyungsoo is instantly on alert.
“What do you want, Sehun?” he asks, no heat to his voice, and he lets Sehun cling, folding his too long limbs in next to him and tucking his chin over his shoulder. Sehun is still young, but that doesn’t mean the childish, petulant set to his mouth fits his face anymore.
“Buy me a milk, hyung,” Sehun says, batting his eyelashes in some parody of aegyo that ends up somewhere around vaguely unsettling. “Please?” Across the table, next to Chanyeol, Jongin makes a gagging sound in the back of his throat.
Sehun’s almost entirely pressed up against Kyungsoo’s side now, which would be distracting except for the part where it’s utterly predictable. Sehun’s only ever sweet when he’s trying to wheedle something out of his hyungs, and Kyungsoo is not fooled. “Buy your own, Sehun-ah,” he says. “You’re a big boy now.” He glances across the table to Chanyeol, wide-eyed, lips pressed together in a thin line, trying to hold back his laughter. Yeah, thanks.
Sehun clicks his tongue and lets his hand fall just a hair too high on Kyungsoo’s thigh. “Please?” he says again, voice pitched breathy and nearly seductive, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. Sehun’s always been careless of an audience, but he’s fairly certain that he wouldn’t make a play for his dick in public. “Just this once?” His hand creeps higher and when Kyungsoo looks up, their entire table is watching with bated breath, like they’re cable TV.
Enough is enough. Kyungsoo catches his wrist and peels him away. “What are you doing?” he asks, brows creased in annoyance.
Sehun flushes, high up on his cheeks, and he slides away. “Whatever, fine,” he says, broad shoulders hunched forward like he’s embarrassed. Kyungsoo tips his head, trying to decipher exactly what’s happening here. “Be like that.” He snatches Chanyeol’s drink instead, ignoring his whine of complaint and doing his best to drain the whole thing in one shot. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Teenagers.
On the other side of the table, Baekhyun’s smile is smug, and Jongdae and Chanyeol are exchanging what they probably think is a discreet look. “Well,” Kyungsoo says. “Today’s been fun.” At least, he supposes, it’s a distraction from the mind-numbing studying he’s had to do for the past week. He’s not sure it’s an improvement, really, but being harassed by his friends is a change of pace.
Baekhyun sniffs. “You don’t know what you’re missing,” he says, and Kyungsoo only raises one eyebrow, slowly. Only someone as foolhardy as Baekhyun would think that a public serenade is a good opener.
“I think I’m okay with that,” Kyungsoo says easily, the corner of his mouth pulling up despite himself. “I’ll have to live my life without the eternal love of Byun Baekhyun.” Baekhyun lays a hand over his heart and makes a heartbroken face, one that absolutely nobody at the table is buying. Chanyeol catches Kyungsoo’s eye and shakes his head solemnly, and then winks. Kyungsoo isn’t sure how he managed to fall in with the most ridiculous crowd in this school, but sometimes, it’s not so bad.
He’s half-expecting someone to ambush him on the way home that night, but things are suspiciously calm for nearly three days. It’s not exactly easy to study when he feels like he’s always looking over his shoulder for the next haphazard seduction attempt, but Kyungsoo manages to pull it off, and he sails through their next history test with flying colours. He’s enjoying having a moment of downtime after class, listening idly to Chanyeol putter around in the kitchen, when Chanyeol pokes his head into the room. “Hey, uh, did you want some dinner?” He fidgets, shifting from foot to foot, clutching his hands together nervously. “I think I made too much.”
Hmm. It’s not an unusual event, but Chanyeol’s studied casual air and forced smile are making him curious. “Alright,” he says slowly, standing up and following Chanyeol to the table.
It’s… “Oh, wow,” Kyungsoo says, taking it in. Chanyeol’s set up candles. Candles! There’s flowers in a delicate little vase, there’s even wine. Kyungsoo didn’t know that Chanyeol even liked wine. “Special occasion?” he asks gently, raising an eyebrow. The pieces are definitely starting to come together now, but he has to admit, he’s kind of flattered by the effort that Chanyeol’s gone to. Each plate looks artfully arranged, pretty and delicious. He almost doesn’t want to sit down and eat.
“No,” Chanyeol says, his cheeks slowly turning red. He gestures for Kyungsoo to sit. “Just thought it’d be nice or something.”
Kyungsoo’s not about to turn down a free meal, not when Chanyeol is a pretty decent cook, and he looks a little like a dog waiting to be scolded. “Thank you,” Kyungsoo says, pulling out his chair. It does smell really good.
It takes him a moment to realize that Chanyeol is watching him, shoulders tense, hands pressed against the table. They’ve known each other for years, and still. Kyungsoo shakes his head, smiling a little, and takes a bite. “It’s good,” he says, because it is, and the tightness eases in Chanyeol’s posture.
“Oh, good,” Chanyeol says, his relief palpable, and Kyungsoo has to push down the urge to laugh. This is all so much work for something that Kyungsoo assumes is mostly trivial, but it’s still kind of sweet. “So, uh. Eat up.”
Kyungsoo raises his glass in a salute and turns to his meal. When he glances up again, Chanyeol’s got a tiny little smile on his face, and that’s kind of sweet too.
Jongin is the next to step up to the plate. Kyungsoo walks out of history two days later, Chanyeol at his heels, and he nearly walks straight into Jongin’s chest. It looks like he’s been loitering around the door, waiting for him to come out. He’s wearing an oversized sweater, and the thick knit hanging over his knuckles makes him look even younger than he is. “Isn’t your next class on the other side of the campus?” Kyungsoo asks, amused. Chanyeol shifts next to him, looming over Kyungsoo’s shoulder. At this point, Kyungsoo is mostly used to it.
“Do you want to go get coffee?” Jongin blurts out. His ears are red, and he’s got his hands balled up in the cuffs of his sleeves. It’s adorable. Not in a way that Kyungsoo wants to date, mind you, but it’s very cute. “Um. My treat.” He looks a little like he wants to throw up, and Kyungsoo can’t decide if that’s flattering or not.
“Why not?” he says, patting Jongin’s elbow. If the kid doesn’t relax, he might have a heart attack, and Kyungsoo would much rather he didn’t have that on his conscience. “That sounds very nice, Jongin-ah.”
Jongin instantly relaxes, and his face loses that pinched, I’m-trying-not-to-pass-out look, which pleases Kyungsoo. “Okay,” he says. A thought occurs to him and his entire face lights up, and Kyungsoo is reminded of just how handsome Jongin is. He forgets, sometimes, and he thinks Jongin does too. “You could meet my puppies!” Jongin says excitedly, clutching at Kyungsoo’s hand. “Won’t that be fun?”
When Kyungsoo looks up at Chanyeol, he’s a little confused when he catches a glimpse of something sullen in the set of his jaw. It vanishes after a second, though, replaced by another stiff smile. “Sounds like it to me,” Chanyeol says, and he jerks his chin in the opposite direction. “I, uh, I gotta go.”
“See you tonight,” Kyungsoo nods, and then he turns back to Jongin. “Alright,” he says. “Let’s go get that coffee.”
It doesn’t surprise him that Jongin’s drink of choice is something massive, sugary, and piled high with whipped cream. It doesn’t surprise him, either, that Jongin spills the beans within the first ten minutes of their ‘date’. “It’s a bet,” he admits, and then he claps his hands over his mouth. “Don’t tell the others I told you that.”
A bet. This past week is making much more sense now. “What was the object?” Kyungsoo asks, idly stirring his coffee. They’re sitting at a table outside the cafe on campus, and through the window, he can see Baekhyun and Jongdae, hiding their faces poorly behind a couple of menus. Really, do any of his friends have any concept of subtlety? One of Jongin’s puppies is very determinedly chewing on the laces of his shoe. He’d stop her, but there are always more shoes, and the soppy way that Jongin looks at his dogs warms his heart. “To seduce me?”
“Sort of?” The word ‘seduce’ has Jongin blushing all over again, staring down into the melty remains of his coffee and whipped cream. “It was a challenge to see who could win your heart.”
“That’s very charming,” Kyungsoo says. Baekhyun hadn’t been trying very hard if he’d decided that a public humiliation was what would get Kyungsoo’s motor going. It’s a toss-up whether or not Baekhyun actually thought that would work, or if he just wanted to get under Kyungsoo’s skin again. That kid. “Well,” Kyungsoo sighs, taking a sip of his coffee. “At least I’ve been getting something out of the deal.” Sehun’s borderline unsettling aegyo didn’t count, but this coffee was quite nice and dinner the other night, well, he’d definitely enjoyed that. Besides, there was something very pleasing about being in on the joke when nobody knew he was. “I’m having a good time now, right?”
Jongin’s smile is just the tiniest bit wobbly. “For the record, hyung, I, uh, this isn’t like, a real date.” When Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, Jongin starts backpedaling. “Not that I wouldn’t want it to be! Because, uh, hyung is very handsome and charming and he always looks after me…” Kyungsoo snorts, using his foot to pet along whichever of Jongin’s dogs is nosing at his ankles now. It takes a minute to register with Jongin that Kyungsoo isn’t mad. “It’s just. I like someone else.”
Kyungsoo thinks he might know the feeling. “It’s Naeun, right?” Kyungsoo nods. He knows the two of them share an English class, and he’s seen them come out, both of them blushing and bowing and saying goodbye at least three more times than is necessary. It’s sweet. “I wouldn’t want to steal you away from her.”
“Hyuuuuuung,” Jongin whines. He scoops up one of his dogs, Monggu, Kyungsoo thinks, and buries his face in his fur. “Stop.”
“Well, imagine that!” Baekhyun booms, and Kyungsoo rubs his temples. He supposes that this was inevitable. “You’re here, we’re here, what a coincidence!” He shoos a puppy out of the way and promptly throws himself into Kyungsoo’s lap. “I think this is fate.” Jongdae snorts, eyeing Baekhyun, and dips his finger into Jongin’s whipped cream, licking it clean. Jongin looks heartbroken.
A deft pinch to the soft part of Baekhyun’s thigh makes him shriek and stand up again, frowning. “Or, you’re stalking me,” Kyungsoo suggests. “Which is far less romantic than you think it is.”
“You wound me,” Baekhyun says, and Kyungsoo hums, drinking the last of his coffee. “Here I am, offering up my heart and soul -”
Jongdae smoothly insinuates himself between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, which Kyungsoo would appreciate if it wasn’t immediately followed up by Jongdae somehow wedging himself onto the chair with Kyungsoo. Don’t these people know there are other chairs here? “You had your shot, Baekhyun,” he says, ignoring the hand that Baekhyun flaps in his face when he shushes him. “And I’m fairly certain you don’t have a soul left by now.”
“I’m trying to enjoy my coffee, here,” Kyungsoo says, and Jongdae leans over to peer into his cup.
“You’re all done,” he points out, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. Well, so much for a nice, quiet afternoon. Jongin doesn’t look so put-out, but that might have something to do with the dog licking his chin. He’s a very easily pleased kid. “So!” Jongdae says. “You. Me. Study date. Tomorrow. Down?”
He thinks he’s being very smooth. Kyungsoo can tell by the smug smile and the way he pushes his hand through his hair, like he thinks it makes him look sexy. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Well,” he says. “I do need to go over things before the exam next week.”
“It’s a date,” Jongdae agrees, like it was his irresistible charm that made Kyungsoo agree, not the fact that Jongdae always has the best notes. He decides not to disabuse him of this idea. He might as well get something out of this silly bet. “I’ll see you later.”
He’s got a swagger in his step as they walk away, or at least, he does until Baekhyun hipchecks him, complaining about the scales being tipped against him. “Alright, Jongin-ah,” Kyungsoo says, standing. “Shall I walk you home?”
While Jongin chatters about his puppies, Kyungsoo sends a quick text off to Chanyeol. a bet, really?
it seemed like a good idea at the time!!
It makes Kyungsoo snort, because really, of course it did. Of course. He hooks his arm in Jongin’s and they let his dogs take them for a walk.
“We’re being watched,” Kyungsoo says idly, tapping his highlighter against the page. Two tables over, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are the picture of nonchalance. Chanyeol’s got his feet propped up on the tabletop, and Baekhyun is noisily working his way through a bag of chips, sucking the flavouring off his fingertips. Kyungsoo is fairly certain that if Baekhyun spent half the time on studying that he does on interfering in Kyungsoo’s life, he might actually pass some courses.
“They just can’t handle the competition,” Jongdae says, and Kyungsoo rubs his nose to cover the way that he’s starting to smile. Competition indeed. He’ll be glad when this bet is over. He really needs Baekhyun to stop trying to feel him up.
“What could you possibly be competing for?” Kyungsoo deadpans, and Jongdae squints at him for a second, distracted from where he’s been trying to scooch his chair too close to Kyungsoo’s. Kyungsoo stretches out an arm and carefully tugs Jongdae’s notes for last class over towards him. “We’re just studying, aren’t we?”
Jongdae frowns at him. “Yes, but…” Kyungsoo usually doesn’t like the natural, wide look of his eyes, but it comes in extra handy when he’s trying to look convincingly naive. “Never mind,” Jongdae grumbles.
They get to work, and Kyungsoo tries to focus on the matter at hand, but it’s hard when Jongdae is pulling out the type of cheesy seduction moves that he hasn’t seen since high school. He lays his arm across the back of Kyungsoo’s chair, leaning in far closer than has ever been necessary, practically breathing down his neck. The pen drop is a clever move, especially when Jongdae practically folds himself over Kyungsoo’s lap to reach it. Very sneaky.
He does have to draw the line when Jongdae leans far too close, lips practically brushing up against his ear when he asks Kyungsoo what he got for this answer. “Is that necessary?” Kyungsoo asks, quirking an eyebrow.
Jongdae looks offended. “Really?” he says. “This is my A-game. Nothing?”
The laugh bubbles out of Kyungsoo before he can hold it back. “I think your A-game got stuck back in the tenth grade,” he says sadly, and he pats Jongdae’s knee. “Nice try, though.”
Across the library, Baekhyun brays with laughter and slaps Chanyeol, nearly sending him sprawling off his chair. Paragons of grace and delicacy, Kyungsoo’s friends. “You just can’t appreciate all of this.” Jongdae gestures down at his body, which would probably be more effective if he wasn’t wearing pajama pants and a worn out sweatshirt.
“You caught me,” Kyungsoo says serenely, straightening his notes in front of him. “I must be blind.”
At their table, Baekhyun mimes throwing a baseball to Chanyeol, who swings. They both pull a face when he ‘misses’. Jongdae lobs a pen at them. “I guess we better actually study then, huh?” he says, and he grimaces. “Great.”
“That’s the spirit,” Kyungsoo says, and Jongdae sighs.
They celebrate the end of the semester with a massive party at Sehun’s place. It’s not very big, but it feels like half the campus is there, crammed in with them in his tiny living room. Chanyeol’s made some of his patented jungle juice, which is particularly disgusting tonight, but Kyungsoo knows that if he doesn’t have a glass in his hand, he’s just asking to be accosted by Baekhyun about ‘why he doesn’t like fun’.
He’s sitting on the couch, trying to have a conversation with one of the Chinese exchange students, when Baekhyun lands heavily in his lap. He smells very drunk. This should be fun. “So,” Baekhyun asks, hooking one arm around Kyungsoo’s neck in what he probably thinks is a flirtatious move. Kyungsoo only allows it because otherwise, he’s a tiny bit worried Baekhyun’s going to fall and break his neck. “What’s the final verdict?”
“On what?” Kyungsoo asks, a little annoyed. He sloshes around the drink in his cup. He’s not sure, but there may be some kind of fruit hiding in the murky alcohol. He can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. “I think that if I drink this, I will actually throw up on you.”
“No,” Chanyeol says, taking the spot on the couch next to Kyungsoo. Jongdae takes his other side, wedging himself between Kyungsoo and the bewildered looking exchange student. “On us.” He gestures vaguely around them, even though Sehun is far busier with a beefy looking upperclassman and Kyungsoo isn’t certain that Jongin even made it to the party. When Kyungsoo tries on that wide-eyed look again, Chanyeol frowns and shakes a finger. “Don’t pretend you didn’t figure it out.”
“Answer the question,” Baekhyun demands, tugging on Kyungsoo’s hair until Kyungsoo has to swat him away. “It’s me, isn’t it? I knew it.”
Kyungsoo clamps a hand over Baekhyun’s mouth and proceeds to ignore the tongue bath that Baekhyun gives him, trying to shake him off. “None of you,” Kyungsoo says firmly, and Jongdae groans, throwing his hands up in the air. “Are you serious? That was the saddest display I’ve ever seen. Please.”
Baekhyun finally manages to peel his fingers away. “It’s fine,” he says. “You couldn’t handle me anyway.” He squirms in Kyungsoo’s lap, twisting to face the Chinese exchange student and bat his eyes, but the shift in his weight has him pressing uncomfortably down on Kyungsoo’s dick. Kyungsoo is definitely not drunk enough for this. Jongdae smirks at him and digs and elbow into his side.
What Kyungsoo’s not expecting is the downtrodden look on Chanyeol’s face. Ah, Kyungsoo thinks, his stomach rolling uneasily in a way that has nothing to do with that horrifying juice. “I’m sure you’re right,” Kyungsoo says with as much condescension as he can muster, and then he hefts Baekhyun up and off his lap. He tips his head down to catch Chanyeol’s gaze, raising his eyebrows in silent question. Chanyeol just forces a smile and shrugs, and then he slips away before Kyungsoo can ask him for real. Damn.
He’s worried, about Chanyeol and about what that face had meant, but when he stands to follow him, he notices the slightly unnerved look on the Chinese exchange student’s face, and he sighs. Time to disentangle Baekhyun from his latest prey. “Leave the poor boy alone, Baekhyun,” he says firmly, reaching down to stop Baekhyun’s hands from wandering. He shoots Jongdae a pleading look, but he’s a lot more interested in giggling at the three of them and watching it all happen. How very helpful.
When he looks up again, Chanyeol’s managed to lose himself in the crowd, and Kyungsoo has to settle for feeling uneasy and alone.
He ends up having to leave alone, because he can’t find Chanyeol anywhere. When he gets home, he finds him lying facedown on the couch, feet hanging off the arm, face buried in a pillow. At least, Kyungsoo supposes, he didn’t get himself hurt. “I didn’t see you leave,” Kyungsoo says, kicking his shoes off at the door. “I didn’t know if you’d be home tonight.” The only response is a vague muffled noise from the general direction of Chanyeol’s face. Kyungsoo’s had just enough jungle juice that he can’t interpret it. “How are you feeling?”
This time, the grunt sounds a tiny bit more positive. That’s a step, at least. “I don’t know what you put in that stuff tonight, but I’m fairly certain I’m going to be hungover for a good week.” Kyungsoo isn’t particularly talkative, and he’s never had to fill the silence when it comes to Chanyeol. This feels awkward, uncomfortable. He sits down on the arm of the couch next to Chanyeol’s head, and he waits a moment, hoping for some kind of response. He’s not sure what the etiquette of this situation is.
It takes a good couple of minutes before Chanyeol lifts his head. His hair is a staticky mess from the pillow, and his eyes are watery and red. He must’ve gotten pretty drunk. “Hey,” he says.
“Good morning,” Kyungsoo says, and he offers him a smile. It’s not returned. “You look pretty rough.”
Chanyeol just nods. “I feel rough,” he says. He sits up, folding his long legs underneath himself.
The thing about being friends with Chanyeol is that no matter how much he tries to cover it up, when he’s upset, it’s a little bit heartbreaking to see. It’s like his entire body droops, and the pouty jut of his lips is equal parts sad and pathetic. Kyungsoo just can’t stand knowing that he’s the reason for it, either. “About what I said,” Kyungsoo begins, and when Chanyeol moves to interrupt, he just shakes his head and holds up a finger. “About what I said. I may not have been entirely honest.”
“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks carefully, his chin tilting up.
Kyungsoo pauses for a moment, thinking. He’s known Chanyeol for years, since even before they were in school together, and that’s not a situation he wants to mess up. He’s got to choose his words well. “There was one person who won the bet.”
Chanyeol’s brows furrow impatiently. He gestures for Kyungsoo to continue. “And that was?”
“You got me flowers,” Kyungsoo says, a smile pulling slowly at the corners of his mouth. Chanyeol’s mouth has fallen open in surprise. “I think you were the only one who meant it.”
“I did,” Chanyeol admits, laughing a little. His eyes are guarded and hopeful. “I put on the music and everything. That was a bit much, wasn’t it?”
“A tiny bit,” Kyungsoo agrees, and he settles down next to Chanyeol. “But it was very, very sweet.” He stretches out one hand, palm up, and Chanyeol tentatively laces their fingers together. The size difference never fails to astonish him.
Chanyeol’s grinning now, his smile going from careful to full watt in only a few seconds, and it’s a good look on him. “Wait,” he says after a second. “Why didn’t you say anything at the party?”
Kyungsoo smirks. “I didn’t want any of you to win,” he says cheerfully, and Chanyeol groans, dropping his head to Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “This way, I’m the winner.”
“I think I won too,” Chanyeol says, his breath warm against Kyungsoo’s skin, even through the shirt he’s wearing. He squeezes Chanyeol’s hand. He definitely can’t argue with that logic.