8:39PM | Unknown: hey, yeol? it's baekhyun. jongdae's crying and heartbroken and he wants you so you better haul your ass to our apartment pronto.
Seen 7:44PM

⠀⠀Oh, did Chanyeol haul ass. When he had gotten the text from Baekhyun, he had thrown on a sweatshirt and sweatpants as fast as he could before sprinting to the doorway and stuffing his feet into some of his sneakers. Chanyeol then screamed at Sehun to order some takeout for dinner for the both of them ("And don't order the shitty stuff you always do!") before snatching his keys and jetting out the door.

⠀⠀Jongdae was crying? What? No, no, no, no—Jongdae wasn't allowed to cry, not on Chanyeol's watch! Jongdae was too good for this world and and an absolute angel, so who was the asshole that did this to him? Ooh, whoever it was was going to be in a big trouble with Park Chanyeol. He thought all of this as he zoomed along the streets with his bike.

⠀⠀Once he got to the complex, Chanyeol took of his helmet and ran for the apartment in a mad sprint. It wasn't his brightest idea, evident with his heavy panting and Baekhyun's eyebrow raise when he answered the door.

⠀⠀"What—damn, I haven't exercised in a while—what happened?"

⠀⠀Baekhyun grimaced before opening the door wider to allow Chanyeol entrance. "Dae said he wants to tell you himself, but it's pretty sad," he said morosely, almost like he was feeling the same pain Jongdae was feeling. Chanyeol glared at him, straightening.

⠀⠀"But what happened?!" he pressed.

⠀⠀A deep sigh. "Liyin dumped him and she's moving back to China."

⠀⠀That was all Chanyeol needed to shove by Baekhyun (mumbling an apology as he went) and run into the apartment. There was a faint noise that sounded akin to a sob, and Chanyeol ran in that direction, turning into the room that was the source of the noise. Then, his heart stattered.

⠀⠀Lit by the dim yellow glow of a bedside lamp, there was Jongdae—curled into a ball with his blanket draped around him as he cried. There was a glass of water on the nightstand and a couple of pills, and a fresh bucket of cookies and cream ice cream with two big spoons sticking out of container. None had been eaten yet. There was a bouquet of flowers that Chanyeol couldn't quite identify exactly and a small white teddy bear resting on an office chair not too far away from the bed. Chanyeol approached a hiccuping Jongdae, stepping lightly towards the bed with his brows knit together in worry.

⠀⠀"Dae? Baekhyun texted me to come. What's. . . What's going on?" Chanyeol asked softly. There was a moment of silence before Jongdae looked up at the taller. Jongdae had clearly been crying for a while now, his eyes red and puffy with dried tear trails on his cheeks. He was biting his lower lip, maybe to restrain another sob, before turning away from Chanyeol's gaze.

⠀⠀"I. . . I—"

⠀⠀"Want a hug?" Chanyeol asked suddenly with his arms spread, climbing onto the bed. He waited until Jongdae nodded feebly before enveloping him into a tight bear-hug that knocked the both of them sideways onto the bed. Jongdae began to cry again into Chanyeol's shirt and wrapped his arms around the taller's torso, and a Chanyeol decided to run his hands through Jongdae's messy black hair in an attempt to soothe him.

⠀⠀"Y-Yeol, she—Liyin—she. . . I can't speak, oh my god, I can't speak—" Jongdae was falling into hysterics, and all Chanyeol did was hug him a bit tighter and murmur some soft words into his ear.

⠀⠀"No, no, it's okay. Shh, shh, please don't cry. I'm gonna cry, I swear," Chanyeol whispered. He placed his hand on Jongdae's chest and felt how rapid the smaller's heart was going, muttering, "Calm down. Breath with me. One, two, one, two," as he took deep breaths himself. Jongdae curled into Chanyeol's chest, trying his best to mimic Chanyeol's breathing with slight difficulty.

⠀⠀They laid there with Chanyeol's chin resting on Jongdae's head that was tucked into Chanyeol's chest as they breathed together in unison, Jongdae's comforter pulled over them both. It felt strangely domestic, and the Park boy's heart would have fluttered at the thought of it weren't weighted down by the current situation. He simply continued running his fingers through Jongdae's hair, murmuring hoe everything was fine. His heart twisted as Jongdae's sobs diminished into pitiful whimpers and stray tears that ran down Jongdae's face and into Chanyeol's shirt.

⠀⠀Chanyeol wasn't sure how much time went by, but it felt like a long time until Jongdae was completely quiet. At that moment, Chanyeol lifted Jongdae into a sitting position and cradled him in his long arms, enveloping the smaller tightly.

⠀⠀"You okay?" he mumbled into Jongdae's shoulder. Though he got a nod, Chanyeol could still feel Jongdae's chest shake and he frowned. "Lie. Don't lie to me, Dae. I'm here for you, and so is Baekhyun. . ."

⠀⠀"Yeol. . ." Jongdae took a deep, shuddering breath as he remained pressed into Chanyeol's chest. He could hear the taller's rapid heartbeat. "D-Did, um, Baek tell you w-what happened?" he asked softly. Chanyeol shrugged.

⠀⠀"Kind of. He just said a sentence, but—"

⠀⠀"Liyin. She. . . She j-just stood up and l-left. Didn't tell me, her boyfriend. Told her friends. Sh-she left a note for h-her friends to show me. Tried. . . I tried to catch her at the airport. I missed her by a few seconds. I saw her walk through s-security. Yeol, I could've caught her, I could've convinced her to stay with me—"

⠀⠀Jongdae was falling back into tears. All Chanyeol did was close his arms around Jongdae a little tighter and buried his face in the crook of the smaller's neck. "Stop. You did nothing. If it's anyone's fault, it's her fault that she's leaving and that you're crying like this. Don't you even dare blame yourself, Jongdae, or I'm not gonna forgive you," he said in a protective tone. Jongdae reached up to take hold  of Chanyeol's wrist.

⠀⠀"She said she had to in the letter," Jongdae said softly, his grip on Chanyeol's wrist loose. "She was homesick, and her family needed her in Chengdu. I-I get that. . . But, she decided to just go without telling me anything—"

⠀⠀"That was a jackass move," Chanyeol sniffed in disdain. He craned his neck to stare at Jongdae for a second before questioning, "You mentioned something about a note. Can I see it?"

⠀⠀Jongdae pointed at his nightstand. Chanyeol then reached over and found a crumpled piece of paper, snatching it up before returning to their previous position. Unfolding the paper, his blood boiled. The girl had the nerve to do such an asshole thing! Chanyeol was an asshole—not that Jongdae needed to know that—but this was a line that he never crossed. Jongdae had cared for her and loved her so deeply and she just upped and left him like he meant nothing to her? And to think that he first thought she was decent enough!

⠀⠀The note read: Jongdae, I know this is sudden. By the time you'll have finished reading this, I'm sure I'll be at the airport now, but don't come after me like it's a drama, okay? Read, and don't be angry with me (though you don't even get angry all that often). My mom is pretty sick right now, and my dad is on the brink of being fired because he's been taking so many sick leaves. Because my dad had been so invested in my mom, nobody is really taking care of my siblings, and my dad is hardly taking care of himself. I really needed to get back to Chengdu now before the situation worsened further. My relatives try to help, but they need to support their families too. I'm so sorry about this, Dae. I really found out about this three days ago. Please forgive me. We also can't continue our relationship, and before you say we can do long-distance, you know that it won't work, so there's no point in trying. I couldn't have asked for a better person to have fallen for in you, but we were starting to drift apart. You deserve someone who will love you unconditionally and forever like how you loved me. Not like how I loved you to the point that I would leave on our anniversary. Jongdae, I know this will break your heart, and the guilt from that eats me up more than anything else. When my life is a little more stable, I'll try to come back to Korea and visit you. I promise this isn't the last time you'll see me. I'm sorry it had to end this way, Jongdae. I love you. From, Liyin.

⠀⠀Chanyeol crumpled the paper and tossed into some random corner of the room before burying his face in Jongdae's neck again. "Dae, I'm. . ." he began.

⠀⠀"Sorry?" Jongdae asked in a bitterly wry tone. He turned his face away from Chanyeol's chest. "Yeah. Me too. It doesn't change anything, does it?"

⠀⠀"Stop that," Baekhyun's irritated voice appeared from the doorframe. Chanyeol looked over and saw the smaller crossing his arms with his eyes narrowed. "Chanyeol and I are just trying to help. Hell, you asked for Chanyeol and you're pushing him away too? Don't be so bitter, Jongdae, and let us help." The bluntness in Baekhyun's voice clearly signified his lack of tolerance for Jongdae's current behavior. Chanyeol watched Jongdae flinch at the harshness in Baekhyun's voice.

⠀⠀"It's just—" Jongdae started, though his voice was soft.

⠀⠀"Yes, I know she was your first true love and I know she was your everything, blah blah blah," Baekhyun sighed, his tone losing its aggressive edge. "Dae, she has issues she needs to take care of. I know you're devastated—I'd be too—but at the very least, you need to let us help you cope with everything."

⠀⠀There was a silence in the room before Jongdae sighed. "You're right," he mumbled, casting a glance at Baekhyun. This elicited a snort from the latter.

⠀⠀"Of course I'm right. Who do you think I am?"

⠀⠀"Can Chanyeol stay the night, Baek?" Jongdae said suddenly. Baekhyun stared oddly at his roommate for a second, gazing at Chanyeol suspiciously briefly.

⠀⠀"I don't know, Dae. . ."

⠀⠀"Please~?"

⠀⠀"Dae, he kinda has this repu—" Baekhyun paused as he took in Jongdae's form curled in Chanyeol's arms and Chanyeol's big eyes blowing open even wider. He stayed motionless for a second before rolling his eyes and slumping against the doorway. "Ugh, fine. I'll go heat up some leftovers from Kyungsoo or something for dinner," he grumbled before walking away. Jongdae turned to Chanyeol and cracked the slightest of smiles.

⠀⠀"Yay, you're with me," he murmured, tucking his head back into Chanyeol's chest. They both laid down on Jongdae's bed in content with each other.

⠀⠀Chanyeol felt a buzz on his leg. It was his phone. He cocked a brow before fishing it out of his pocket with as little movement as possible before checking the messages.

10:17PM | Sehun: hoe where are u I have the food and u haven't come back yet
Read 10:17PM

10:18PM | Chanyeol: sorry hoe I'm staying with jongdae for the night u can invite jongin over or smth if ur lonely
Read 10:18PM

10:18PM | Sehun: I haven't met the guy yet and ur already sleeping with him what is this disrespekt???
Read 10:19PM

10:20PM | Chanyeol: no he's going through some emotional stuff rn and I'm here for moral support stoopid
Read 10:20PM

10:21 PM | Sehun: wot pcy caring for someone?? that's a first
Read 10:21PM

10:22PM | Chanyeol: only for dae. don't expect it for a piece of trash like you, hunnie.
Read 10:23PM

10:25PM | Sehun: would never. aight have fun and shit. don't complain if you see stains anywhere ok bye ily
Read 10:26PM

10:26PM | Chanyeol: DONT YOU FUCKING DARE YOU PIECE OF SHIT
Read 10:29PM

[🔥]
OKAY IM REALLY GLAD I FINISHED THIS IN TIME BEFORE I WENT TO THE AIRPORT WOW ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ANGIE I WROTE 2000+ WORDS IN TWO DAYS PN TOP OF SCHOOL PROJECTS AND TESTS YEHET (yes I'm bringing it back I know I deserve to jump into a hole)

anyway I hope the chapter is halfway decent and hope it doesn't seem too rushed?? please tell me if it is though, and if you have anything I should fix in my writing overall, please tell me!! leave comments if you enjoyed it (I really wanna read lovely comments bc we get into D.C. at 6 in the morning or 3AM my time and I'm gonna wanna kill myself so pls revitalize me with nice comments)

OKAY SHIT WE'RE PULLING INTO THE AIRPORT I GOTTA BLAST NOW OKAY ILY ALL BYE AND SORRY FOR NOT BOLDIMG EVERYTJING I DONT HAVE TIME

-Angie <3

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