A/N: I bet y'all didn't expect this
--
The whistle blow echoed through the noise and the game started.
As always, Baekhyun was put in the back, in the middle of the court.
Chanyeol stood right behind the net, at the front middle position.
The question was why.
Why did Chanyeol decide to come? Why couldn't he let him try to forget, try to live a new life where no one knew him, to try to stop loving him?
Except for his fiery red hair, Chanyeol's appearance hasn't changed much. But something else, something in the way he looked at Baekhyun was different. There was that initial cockiness, the same attitude the taller had that night when he appeared in the gym and watched Baekhyun practice his serves on and on repeatedly.
He couldn't help his racing heart inside his chest. It was so wrong.
"Byun!" he heard someone, possibly James, and in an instant, his fingers reacted, eyes scanning the area and spotting Luke, to whom he tossed.
Luke slammed the ball against the court with a victorious shout.
"Good job, Byun." James, the team's libero, tapped his back.
The game went on, and before he knew it, Baekhyun was facing the net on the middle position. Chanyeol took the same position on the opposite side, replacing their libero who left the court.
He couldn't help it. Neither could Chanyeol.
They stared at each other's eyes for what seemed like ages, and Baekhyun tried to read what his were saying.
He definitely didn't expect his voice to be so soft and to feel like home when he spoke.
"Hi, baby."
Not Byun, Baek, nor captain.
Baby.
Just how he used to whisper.
"Promise me that. Promise me that whatever happens next, you won't give up on me."
"I promise. No matter what, you will never get rid of me."
Wherever I go, please, don't give up on me.
The promise he asked of Chanyeol rang in his ears as he looked at him, lips apart but unable to answer.
Baekhyun was the one who broke it. Not Chanyeol.
Chanyeol's lips tugged into a small smile full of regret before the whistle went off and Baekhyun turned his back to him, because the serve was coming from Boston's side.
He couldn't let Chanyeol confuse him. Not now.
Chanyeol was equally scary on the other side of the net as he was as a teammate, and it was hard for Baekhyun to look at him as a rival. To use everything he knew about the way Chanyeol played against him.
Baekhyun played seriously. He blocked Chanyeol's spikes because he knew their course, he could read every single one.
Yet again, Chanyeol didn't seem to mind. He seemed to focus more on Baekhyun than the game itself, and that's what confused Baekhyun the most.
It was the hardest game he had ever played.
Bit technically, because Boston was weaker than them. What killed him were his constant thoughts, stolen glances and racing heart.
He thought he had left everything behind, and that there was no turning back. He told Chanyeol he would always love him, thay day at the airport. He thought Chanyeol would take it as it was, and continue his life normally, find someone else after time of healing.
Baekhyun was ready to part their ways for the sake of Chanyeol's happiness, because Baekhyun couldn't give him that. Baekhyun was messed up and he knew it, with a dead brother who talked to him, unsettled life choices and heartaching love for Chanyeol that just wasn't enough. Chanyeol deserved more than just love.
He deserved someone who wouldn't go away.
When the referee marked the end of fifth set with Harvard winning convincingly, they shook hands again, and this time Baekhyun avoided Chanyeol's gaze, taking his hand and quickly letting go of it.
"That Park guy is pretty scary, even though they didn't win." Timothee, one of Baekhyun's teammates, said as they stood next to their coach who talked to few players.
"He seems to be looking at you, Byun." Luke said, nudging him.
Baekhyun lifted his gaze and caught Chanyeol indeed looking at him. He turned away quickly. It was too intense. Too hard.
"Too bad you're taken, or elseway it would've been a nice catch, huh?" Timothee smirked and Baekhyun stayed silent.
Too bad.
"Speaking of the devil, there's yours." Luke took a sip of water as he nodded towards the main entrance.
A second-year dressed in basetball uniform walked towards them, dark hair perfect as usual and a set of silver ring hoops decorating both of his ears.
Baekhyun wanted to run away.
Now he felt even more nervous, more anxious and more guilty.
"Hi, babe." Jaebum said as he wrapped his arm around Baekhyun's waist, pulling him in for a short kiss. "You played amazingly, as usual." he praised, leaving another kiss on the tip of Baekhyun's nose, to what his teammates reacted with aaawws.
Short kiss, but enough for Chanyeol to see, because when Baekhyun opened his eyes, the younger was staring at them with dilated pupils, disbelief written all over his face.
Disbelief, dissapoitment, betrayal, all at once.
Jaebum was busy talking with Baekhyun's teammates while his arm was still protectively gripping Baekhyun's waist. Baekhyun felt himself leaning against his boyfriend, because his legs were betraying him. He felt like he'd collapse any second.
That pain that he saw in Chanyeol, not only his eyes but his posture, the cockiness and attitude from the beginning of the match were completely gone, and now his ex lover now stood like a kicked puppy or like a homeless man.
He looked like someone that everything was taken away from.
Chanyeol's teammates came to him and started talking and dragging him away with them, but it took a few seconds before he completely tore his eyes away from Baekhyun, and that's what made Baekhyun almost crumble down do the floor.
"Woah, babe, you okay? You went completely limp." Jaebum asked worriedly, pulling him up.
"Yeah, just- a little... Dizzy, that's all. I didn't eat much before the game." He said, pulling away from Jaebum.
"I'll go and take a shower, we'll catch up later, okay?" Baekhyun quickly pecked his lips and hurried towards the locker room, before the other could react.
He didn't plan it to be like this. He didn't want to break Chanyeol's heart when he met Jaebum and found comfort, found oblivion in a person that was nothing like Chanyeol.
He held it in for too long, he realized that as he walked, tears collecting in his eyes. He made it look so easy, that day when he said goodbye to Chanyeol at the airport. The truth was, he cried himself to sleep almost every night for next few weeks. He pushed everyone away, and Namjoon and Hoseok were his only friends for a long time. He told no one anything about his life in Korea, anything about his brother. Now he had no one to understand his grieving, and why he was sad on a particulare date, because no one knew it was Kyungsoo's birthday. No one knew where Baekhyun was that day.
When Jaebum came, he decided it was enough. He had to let Chanyeol go, because he'd probably never see him again. He signed his resignation letter alone, it was his decision. His mistake.
You can't stop loving a person that was your whole world in six months. Baekhyun was very well aware of that.
He didn't leave the shower until all his teammates took one, too. He stood in the shower, letting the water wash the guilt away. It couldn't. It was still there.
Once he was sure everyone was gone, he stepped out, wrapping a towel around his slim waist, his again brunet hair dripping wet.
But the locker room wasn't empty.
Chanyeol was there, still in his uniform, sitting on one of the benches.
Baekhyun was out of words, staring with lips slightly parted and body heating up in embarrassment, because he only had a towel on. He waited for the other to speak.
"For how long, Baekhyun?" Chanyeol asked, and his voice didn't sound angry.
Baekhyun wished it did, because it was worse this way. It sounded empty. Emotionless. Broken.
Chanyeol stood up and with his every step towards Baekhyun the smaller moved away, until his back collided with cold wall and Chanyeol stood only few inches away, enough for Baekhyun to breathe in his cologne that he had missed so much.
But instead of comforting him, instead of breaking down his walls, Baekhyun's voice came out harsher than he planned it to.
"Why did you come, Chanyeol?"
Cold laugh that followed from the latter send an arrow through Baekhyun's chest.
"Why did I come? You're asking me that after I begged you not to go on the airport, after you told me you would love me forever? Really, Baekhyun, is six months forever to you?"
"You shouldn't have done it. I didn't ask you to follow me." Baekhyun said in a low voice. Chanyeol was now so close that he wanted to scream, torn between a desire to push him away and pull him in a suffocating hug because after six months, he was there again.
Six months isn't forever. Forever is now, he thought.
"Now I see that I shouldn't have. After I left everything I had because it was all worthless without you."
Baekhyun looked up to meet Chanyeol's gaze. He could see it. Somewhere behind the dissapoitment and sadness, he could see what Chanyeol was talking about. A spark that kept burning, begging for him to answer. Begging for him to come back and start the fire again.
"That's why I didn't tell you that I was leaving, Chanyeol." he said, not even suprised that his voice was shaky.
"I left because I didn't want you to lose all of it. To leave Yoora, your dreams, future, everything, just to come with me. You deserve better than a person that's so selfish to keep running after impossible dreams. Better than someone that wakes up every night in tears because his brother is dead, better than someone that can't be there for you when you need it the most, because he is a mess. I'm a mess, Chanyeol. You don't need me."
"But I wanted to! I wanted to leave all of that, I wanted you." Chanyeol argued, putting his hand on the wall next to Baekhyun's head. The other didn't flinch.
"I was willing to give anything- anything! But it wasn't that hard for you to replace me, huh?"
Baekhyun lowered his gaze onto his and Chanyeol's feet being only inches apart.
"I just can't- I feel like everything we had was a lie, Baekhyun." Chanyeol said, letting his hand fall down to his side but still standing in front if him. " It's hard for me to believe you loved me nearly as I love you, since you replaced me in what, two months? Three?" he asked.
It's not true, Baekhyun thought, but said nothing.
It's not true that I don't love you as much.
"Do you love him?" Chanyeol asked suddenly and Baekhyun froze, albeit he still refused to raise his head up.
"Do you love him like you seemed to love me before?" his voice turned into a soft whisper with every word. "Do you laugh when you're with him? Do you want him to hold you when you sleep, to kiss you everywhere like I did? Do you see your future with him?"
When he realized Baekhyun still wouldn't answer, Chanyeol's fingers gently raised Baekhyun's chin, making his look up.
Baekhyun's eyes were teary.
"Do you?" Chanyeol repeated, and Baekhyun bit his lip to stop himself from letting out a sob.
He wasn't even cold anymore despite being almost naked. He felt like he was suffocated because Chanyeol was so close, radiating farmiliar warmth and looking at him with eyes full of pain.
Then it happened, before Baekhyun could do anything to stop it.
Chanyeol leaned in and sealed their lips together.
Now the temperature went up insanely and Baekhyun's mind went blank.
They were still the same. Same sweet taste of his lips, same gentleness when Chanyeol's arm touched Baekhyun's waist just above the towel to pull him close.
His body reacted to Chanyeol just the same, giving in and melting into his touch, and Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol felt it. He couldn't hide it.
Just as he started to respond subconsciously, Chanyeol pulled away, letting go of his waist and almist making him fall because of loss of contact.
"Maybe this will help you figure it out." Chanyeol said and left the room, leaving Baekhyun with a crack that's existed in his heart ever since he left him dangerously open.
--
"You've been wierd the whole day. What's wrong?" Jaebum asked.
The two were laying in Jaebum's bed, the latters face burried into Baekhyun's hair, playing with it.
Baekhyun's head was on his chest, and for the whole time he couldn't stop thinking of how awfully wrong it now felt.
Now that he was reminded of Chanyeol's scent, touch and everything that he did with Jaebum was compared to Chanyeol.
He met Jaebum three months after coming to The States. He was a second year, an architecture major and a basketball player. Gym was the place that brought them together, because both of them had a habit of late night solo practices. One night melted into second, second into third, Baekhyun's trying to teach him how to serve and Jaebum teaching Baekhyun how to aim the basket, both laughing their asses off at those lousy attempts. Soon enough they found themselves making out outside the gym.
Baekhyun genuinely liked him. He was kind, funny and head over heels in love with Baekhyun.
At first he though it was good for him to forget Chanyeol, but now it was the one thing that made the guilt burn him more than anything else.
"It's nothing, I just have a lot to study these days. M'a little tired." he finished mumbling the last words into Jaebum's shirt.
"You know you can tell me if anything's bothering you."
"Everything's okay, really." Baekhyun lifted himself up, leaning in and closing the distance between them.
Jaebum kissed him differently than Chanyeol. He did it more carefully, as if he was holding something extremely fragile. But Chanyeol knew how strong Baekhyun actually was. He wasn't fragile. Chanyeol held him with just the right balance between passion and tenderness, waking up every cell in his body, alarming all his senses.
Jaebum flipped them over and the kiss became heated, Baekhyun granting him access into his mouth, tongues intertwining and Baekhyun's fingers wandering under Jaebum's shirt.
A moan escaped Baekhyun's lips when Jaebum started sucking on his neck at the same time his hand went down to palm his clothed member.
It felt good.
So good, that for a moment, Baekhyun allowed himself to defer, and to see Chanyeol kissing him instead of Jaebum...
But in that moment he came back to his senses and pushed Jaebum away, sitting back up.
"Baekhyun? What's wrong?" the dark haired male asked as he saw how lost Baekhyun looked for few seconds.
"N-nothing, I'm fine, really, I just..." Baekhyun fumbled with words, pulling his fingers through his hair.
Jaebum sighed as Baekhyun burried his face in his hands.
"Sorry for being such a shitty boyfriend." Baekhyun mumbled against his own palms, making Jaebum chuckle a little.
He scooted closer and hugged the smaller.
"You're not a shitty boyfriend, babe. You just had a rough day and you're tired, I understand that." Jaebum caressed his back soothingly.
Scooting closer in his embrance, Baekhyun closed his eyes.
He let Jaebum hold him for a few minutes, allowing himself to escape all the thoughts that bothered him and just pretend everything was okay.
Baekhyun returned to his room half an hour later.
Jackson was there, sitting on his bunk with glasses on and book in his hands. That boy had two practices a day and a bunch of classes, so Baekhyun was impressed how even after all of that he always managed to study.
"Oh, hi." Jackson said as Baekhyun dropped his bag down.
"How was the match?"
"We won."
Jackson chuckled.
"Didn't expect less."
Just as Baekhyun was about to enter the bathroom, Jackson called him again.
"You got a letter. In was actually in the middle of the room on the floor when I came in. I also have no idea who the guy is, I've never seen the name."
Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows and walked to his desk, taking a yellowish envelope and flipping it over to see the name written on it.
The moment he did, he froze.
Kyungsoo.
----
Booo I'm sending you some Halloween vibes
Okay now judge me freely, I'm a bitch for doing this plot twist and I'm sorry but it had to be done!
What do you think will happen? I feel so sorry for Jaebum he is such a sweetheart tho
Also I don't think I've ever updated twice within like 3 days