When he woke up the next morning, there was a text on his phone from Baekhyun.

Hey. Do you have classes today? I'm at the library if you want to meet up.
Delivered 40 minutes ago

Hey, I just woke up.

Are you still there?

Lazy bum.

And yes, I am.

Wonderful, I'll see you in ten. x

xxx

Somewhat reluctantly, Chanyeol dragged himself out of his warm bed and into the cold air. He dressed himself in warm clothes and a sweatshirt that was slightly oversized. (How he found it, he had no clue.) He pocketed the tiny vial of lavender oil after rubbing a little bit on.

After brushing his teeth, the giant grabbed his phone and keys and walked outside. As he made his way out of the dorms, a blast of cold air hit him and he felt the hair on his arms raise up despite the multiple layers he had put on. He pulled on his hoodie, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and ran all the way to the library.

The library was only slightly warmer in an effort to deter students from falling asleep. Baekhyun seemed to be immune, showing no signs of feeling cold, even though he was wearing less than Chanyeol. When the older saw Chanyeol, he waved him over, a warm smile plastered on his face.

Chanyeol landed a small kiss on Baekhyun's cheek and Baekhyun gave him three in return.

Chanyeol stroked Baekhyun's shoulder gently as the brunet leaned into him. "How are you not cold?" the giant murmured.

"You only just woke up, everything is cold. Why do you wake up so late anyways? Get up and start the day early! What's the point in snoozing while the sun is up and shining?"

"What about on rainy days then?"

"The sun is up and shining and covered by clouds. You still get up!" There was a subtle glow in Baekhyun's eyes as he kissed Chanyeol's ear. "You only get so long to live, you should take advantage of it as much as you can!"

A loud shout interrupted their conversation.

"KIM JONGIN, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU DID THAT! YOU TRAITOR!" There was a desperate undertone to the voice. "YOU- YOU JUST WENT ALONG WITH IT!? WHAT ABOUT ALL OF US HERE!? YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE LIKE THIS! A WARNING WOULD HAVE BEEN APPRECIATED!"

"Look, Kyungsoo... I don't really have a choice. I have to go."

"It didn't sound like that! He made an offer!"

"I can't pass the opportunity up-"

"He made the offer FIVE MONTHS AGO. And twenty weeks later, I find out that you're leaving from Jongdae! When were you going to tell me? When you leave?"

"I just... didn't want to cause problems. I was over you, you were over me. I didn't want to inflame anything."

"WELL, THAT CERTAINLY BACKFIRED! Gosh damnit Kim Jongin. Who told you that I gave up on you? You gave up on us. Five months ago, when you got that stupid offer! That's when you started cutting ties, you imbecilic buffoon!" Heavy breathing. "To be honest, I'm not mad at the fact that you're leaving. Im upset that I didn't know until a week before your departure. I'm sorry Jongin. Give me some time to breathe." They heard stomping, and a frazzled Kyungsoo came into view. He saw them, walked over quickly, and sat down.

"Why are you so mad? He cares about you. He didn't say anything because he didn't want to hurt you." Baekhyun blinked, confused.

"Well, he's an idiot if he thinks that's actually going to go over well." Kyungsoo didn't even seem irritated at the fact that they were eavesdropping.

"Then he's a compassionate idiot," Baekhyun reasoned, pushing his glasses up.

"Never mind, Baek. You won't understand. I don't want to argue with you over something so pointless. You just found your happiness." he gestured at Chanyeol. "I don't want to be the one to step in and ruin that." Kyungsoo stood up. "Look, I've got to go. See you guys later." He walked towards the door.

"Wait, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol called after him.

Kyungsoo stopped. "What?"

Chanyeol looked back at Baekhyun. His head was buried in a textbook, oblivious.

"Can I just talk to you? Not as Baekhyun's protector or boyfriend or whatever. I want to talk to you as your friend."

Kyungsoo stared.

"And as your friend, I'm telling you that Baekhyun is not the problem."

"I've never yelled at him before," Kyungsoo confessed. "We've been friends for almost a year now, and I've never yelled at him. I get irritated easily, you know that. But I've never lost my cool around him. I don't want to start now."

"You can yell at me all you want. I won't mind," Chanyeol joked.

"Thanks, Chan. I appreciate it, I really do. But this is something I have to sort out with Jongin. But do me a favor. Don't let Baekhyun become too concerned, okay?"

"Alright. But you have to promise me something too."

"Shoot."

"Don't let go of Jongin."

"Chanyeol, do you really think I want to?" Kyungsoo shook his head softly. "We'll see." He waltzed out the door.

Chanyeol turned back to Baekhyun.

Ignorance is bliss.

***

He didn't know what to feel anymore. Kyungsoo was spacing out often, and Baekhyun just continued on being his innocent self. Kyungsoo was right. Baekhyun was like a little kid. And Chanyeol didn't want to admit it, but it was starting to get on his nerves.

Chanyeol needed an outlet, a place to vent. But Baekhyun wouldn't understand and Kyungsoo was never there.

So he started writing. At first, it was just bits of scrap paper that he found around his dorm. Sometimes it was post-it notes. Other times, it was old math homework or a sketch of Saturn.

He collect the little notes until he found a tiny notepad, and opted for that instead, taping his scraps in the back and starting in the front.

He found a quote one day when he was in a rush. Chanyeol grabbed a post-it note and jotted it down, rushing out of his dorm, not wanting to be late.

It is innocence when it charms us, and ignorance when it doesn't.

The was a simple question written on it when he came back.

So, do I still charm you?

Chanyeol didn't know anymore.

- § -

:l

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