Baekhyun was given the task of carrying all the equipment to fix the fencing, which meant he trudged along with a large roll of wire and a heavy rusty box full of tools. Chanyeol led the way carrying nothing but a wooden post which he had said that they'd use to replace the old one.

Though the air between them had calmed, Baekhyun hadn't taken the chance to apologize just yet. He felt awkward just thinking about it, unable to imagine how the words would even come out of his mouth. Silently, he watched Chanyeol from behind as they went about their business.

"So, uh." Baekhyun stopped himself before stumbling on his words. "What do you, um, want me to do?"

No answer came and Baekhyun didn't push it. He had already pissed the man off just hours before, but in his defense, it had happened hours before. Chanyeol, in Baekhyun's mind, should've gotten over it. In fact, he was beginning to second guess whether or not he should apologize in the first place when the man in front of him was continuing to act like an ass.

When they arrived at the spot, Baekhyun caught a glimpse of the work ahead of them. It didn't seem too bad, which was a blessing. A four ft five post had fallen back, pulling with it the wires that were attached to it and its two neighboring posts. The barb wiring needed to be cut and the post needed to be pulled out. All of these were things that Chanyeol already knew.

He set the new post that he had carried on the ground, but Baekhyun kept his own things in arms, afraid the man would bark at him if he wasn't supposed to set the wiring and box on the ground as well. Walking over to the fallen post, Chanyeol bent over and tested it, pulling it up to see if he could easily carry the thing out of the earth—and he could.

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol used his strength to yank the old thing out of the ground, tossing it aside as though it was no issue at all. The day had become hot and the brunette could see the beads of sweat beginning to form on Chanyeol's forehead, but the latter refused to do anything about it. For a moment, Baekhyun wondered if he should've brought a water bottle or something for the giant, but he shook his head to himself. It was a silly concern anyhow.

"Hand me the pliers," Chanyeol said without sparing a glance at Baekhyun. He inspected the wiring, making the decision as to where to cut it.

Fumbling for a second, Baekhyun dropped the loop of wire and opened the tool box. What the hell do pliers look like? He thought he knew being that he grew up with all these things all his life, but he had simply forgotten. However, he couldn't let Chanyeol know, so he used his common sense and picked out three tools that looked like they could cut something hard. Standing up, he walked over to Chanyeol who was waiting for him with a discerning eye.

"Here."

It only took a glance for Chanyeol to roll his eyes to the side. "None of those are pliers. Maybe you don't know what it looks like?"

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip. "I was pretty sure that one of these was..."

His voice drifted off as Chanyeol walked past him and rummaged around the box for what he really needed. When he found it, he walked up to Baekhyun, showing him the tool up front. "This is a pliers. Now watch."

Embarrassment gave Baekhyun a rosy blush as he trudged along behind his ex. When they reached one of the neighboring posts of the fallen one, Chanyeol handed him the pliers. "Cut it but leave just enough for me to twist the loose ends so it won't mess with the sturdiness of the rest around it."

Nodding, Baekhyun cut it at the perfect length. Chanyeol said nothing, which meant he was probably satisfied or he thought he could roll with what Baekhyun had given him. Whatever it was, Baekhyun didn't get a lecture, so he must've done something right.

Chanyeol had him repeat the process until the old post was free of its neighbors. He placed the new post in the spot of the old one and used a large hammer to embed it into the ground until it was sturdy. Baekhyun put thick nails into the posts near it. He was confident with his hammer until he accidentally slammed it straight on his thumb. He bit his tongue in an effort to keep himself from yelling out. However, he did wince. When he looked back, he saw that Chanyeol was looking his way, so he made an effort to smile through the pain his throbbing thumb gave him and turned his back again.

The majority of the work was done by Chanyeol, but mostly because of the fact that he was stronger and that he knew what to do. Baekhyun did the side work, but he had to admit Chanyeol's leading efforts.

As they walked back to the truck, Baekhyun broke the silence. "Thanks..."

"For what."

"For taking on this job..." There was caution in his voice. "I know you didn't have to and you knew that you'd be working with me, so it was bound to get awkward as hell."

"You don't need to thank me for anything," Chanyeol replied, unsparingly keeping his back to the brunette behind him. "Like I told you, I'm doing this for your father. Not you."

Baekhyun pursed his lips, nodding to himself, because what did he expect? Far too much to be hoped for.

-

-

They ate lunch separately. Though they both entered Baekhyun's house, Chanyeol took to eating outside on the back porch. He had been nice about it, but Baekhyun's mother was smart enough to see the discomfort between the two, muttering to herself as she made herself busy within the house about how she knew that the entire thing was a bad idea. Baekhyun hadn't heard her. He ate by himself in the kitchen and spoke to no one.

From where he sat, he could see Chanyeol's broad back sitting out just beyond the open back door. At first, Baekhyun's sandwich was gripped. His fingers dug into his food as he replayed the words thrown back and forth in spite. After a while, a feeling of guilt began to surface. But before he could make amends, Chanyeol finished, stood up, and walked back into the house, meeting Baekhyun's eyes at the dinner table as he walked in front of him to put his plate in the sink.

When Baekhyun gulped the rest of his sandwich down, he gulped down his courage as well. He expected Chanyeol to speak, to tell him what to do after eating, but nothing came out of the man's mouth. Without sparing the brunette another glance, Chanyeol walked back outside.