10080 | chanbaek

다섯

When Chanyeol's mind was finally in full clarity, he re-evaluated Baekhyun's proposal the night before. He admitted his fault in not allowing Baekhyun the chance to present his case, but ultimately blamed the lack of sleep for causing his sour and disagreeable mood that night. Finally willing to hear out his husband, Chanyeol knocked on Baekhyun's closed and locked office door.

"Baek, I know you're in there. Open up." As a minute passed by, Chanyeol knocked again. "Baekhyun, open the door. We need to talk and you letting me just stand out here is wasting time."

It wasn't long until Chanyeol heard Baekhyun unlock the door. Letting himself in, Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun turned his back to him to sit back down at his desk. Chanyeol wasn't amused at Baekhyun's decision to give him the cold shoulder, but he rationed that he probably deserved it. Neither of them spoke for the longest time until Chanyeol set his hands on the back of Baekhyun's chair, leaning over him.

"Baek..." he said, softly. "You know I don't like it when you ignore me..."

Turning his head around, Baekhyun gave the giant a sad, but angry look. "But when I actually care, I'm overdramatic, right?"

In that moment, Chanyeol regretted not biting down his tongue the night before. He knew that they were different. Baekhyun liked to voice himself out whether that meant moving his hands or straining his voice, whereas he liked to keep things settled. But sometimes he'd forget that Baekhyun's habits made Baekhyun himself, insult those intricate details, and ultimately hurting his spouse.

With a solemn look on his face, Chanyeol swiveled Baekhyun's chair around and pulled him up. When Baekhyun resisted, Chanyeol tugged a little bit stronger until Baekhyun reluctantly stood up. Engulfing him in his arms, Chanyeol nestled his face against the top of Baekhyun's head.

"I didn't mean that." Slightly rocking their bodies from side to side, Chanyeol continued. "I'm sorry, Baek."

It seemed like forever before Baekhyun finally moved his arms, slowly touching Chanyeol's chest with the tip of his fingertips before wrapping his arms around his waist. "You've been really moody lately, Yeol..."

Chanyeol pursed his lips. He knew his mood was in the gutters lately—in fact, for weeks. Lack of sleep and overtime did its damage. It was clear to him, though, that the damage was not only done to himself and his body, but his relationship with his husband as well. "I know. I'm sorry."

To Chanyeol, there wasn't much he could do other than say he apologies. He couldn't make promises. He couldn't make promises to get home more early, to cut work, or to get more sleep. Promises like those were impractical because he didn't know if he could even uphold them. It was better to give no promises at all rather than to give a hallow one.

If he hadn't been listening or if the room hadn't been as quiet as it was, Chanyeol would never have heard Baekhyun's sniffle. When he tried to look at his face, Baekhyun only hugged tighter, pressing his face harder against Chanyeol's chest, restricting him from seeing. Chanyeol stood still for a while and only moved to place a soft kiss on top of Baekhyun's head.

"I shouldn't have shut you down," Chanyeol admitted. "You were just trying to help."

A silent moment passed before Baekhyun lifted his head up. "I'm worried about you. You know that, right?" Chanyeol nodded. "Sometimes I think that getting this house all the way over here was a mistake. I feel so guilty at night, Yeol," he cried with a breaking voice. "You did all this for me and now you're like this. I—"

Chanyeol cut him off with a sharp look in his eyes. "Stop it. You have no right feeling guilty about anything. I love you. I did this for you. Why I'm like this has nothing to do with you, though. It's because of work, so don't go blaming yourself for my lows."