Boss Complex

32. Homecoming silence

"This is goodbye."

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and shoulders Chanyeol's chest with a forced chuckle.

"Funny, but it's not a long flight to Korea, Mr. first class. I don't know how fair it is for you to leave your boyfriend in coach though."

Chanyeol's expression doesn't falter as he takes a deep breath.

"Intern. You're my intern, Baekhyun." He tries to correct as calmly as he can.

And standing there in the airport, black leather strap of his carry on digging into one shoulder, Baekhyun almost kept the joke going. He almost opened his mouth to make another joke of it, but then he stops.

"What?"

"You're not my boyfriend. I engaged to your sister. What we had is over now." Chanyeol says firmly.

Baekhyun's smile falls entirely away now, no more amusement to be traced on his relaxed features as he searches Chanyeol's stoney gaze for some symblance of a bad sense of humor but the rigitity doesn't falter.

"Chanyeol... stop it, seriously, it's not funny."

"Stop what?"

Baekhyun's heart trembles with a damn about to spill over. Why would he be doing this? Chanyeol isn't stupid, he's intuitive and bold. He's playing dumb and it feels wrong. It all feels so wrong.

"Stop playing around." Baekhyun spits with a little too much bite to it.

And then it happens, Chanyeol rolls his eyes and heaves in a deep breath like he was put out by Baekhyun's line of questioning like he's put out by incompetent office workers asking asenine questions during meetings. He sighs like Baekhyun is a burden, rather than the man he whispered his love to.

"I was afraid this would happen..."

It spears him, holds him frozen with sudden confusion and denial. Baekhyun's eyes start to water, there standing in the airport, his coworkers gathered around talking just a few feet away like there's not a care in the world. He turns on his heel and races away from the gate, unwilling to let them see him cry over his boss, unwilling to let his hurt show so clearly. He turns and he bolts for the closest bathroom and his boss is right on his heels.

"Baekhyun!" He demands grabbing onto his wrist and holding him back before he can duck into a stall.

He turns on him, the betrayal evident in the streams of wetness glistening in the dull light from overhead.

"Look, Baekhyun, I'm sorry, I am. I knew this would end badly. That's why I tried not to have sex, I pushed it off for so long and I'm sorry it happened. But... we'll always have Japan."

Baekhyun yanks his arm free and swats his tears and snot away on the sleeve of his jacket and shakes his head.

"Excuse me?"

"Our time in Japan. These were the best days of my life." Chanyeol says, voice almost softer now.

"That's not enough for me." Baekhyun barks, suddenly sounding stronger, or madder to be more precise.

"Tough luck, Baekhyun. You think this is what I want? To have a taste of what my life could be and then be forced to marry someone I don't give a damn about?"

And the softness is gone again, all business. He's back to being the cold man who put distance between them suddenly and it feels like a splash of cold water to the face. But Baekhyun doesn't give in so easily.

"L--Let's talk about this, Chanyeol. Come on. It's not over yet--" He reaches out as if to take his boss's hand and he physically retracts from his touch like he was avoiding contact with lepracy.