WEEPING WILLOWS [sebaek | chanbaek]

HALF A GRAM OF CAFFEINE

'It's hard to cross the date on the calendar when you wasted it away, and it's even harder when you know tomorrow is going to end the same way. One step in front of the other, one step in front of the other, but I'm tired of this endless maze. Breathe in, breathe out, oh how I wish to breathe the life out of me for once and for all.'

Baekhyun kept the pen down and looked through the glass window. He was in a small cafe, choosing a corner place he was lost in his thoughts.

"Hey, Bean Sprout." he heard a familiar voice up close that got his attention, "thanks for the other day." Sehun showed up out of nowhere and offered him a cup of coffee and sat in front of him without asking.

Baekhyun didn't speak but just looked at the man intruding his peace with placid eyes.

"Are you on leave? I haven't seen you in the office since that day." leisurely sipping on his drink, Sehun asked.

"I'm free to work from anywhere." he calmly answered.

"Lucky! But I need a whole setup to work." Sehun observed that the latter wasn't accepting his drink, "Drink it, consider it as a repay." He said, "I swear I didn't mix anything in it. It's just half a gram of caffeine."

Baekhyun had no spirit to laugh so he quietly took a sip.

"What were you writing?" he leaned forward to take the book that's in front of Baekhyun but the latter didn't let that happen.

"Excuse me." Baekhyun sounded a little offended by his actions.

"Geez, is that another philosophical suicide note?" Sehun gasped in surprise, "Is that why you were looking through that window as if you just had a breakup with your step-sister?"

"What?" Baekhyun couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Is that your cup?" ignoring Baekhyun's startled expression, Sehun pointed at the empty cup on the table, "did you mix arsenic in it?" he took that used cup to smell it.

"I told you I'm still scared." Baekhyun said softly and took the cup away from Sehun's face.

"Boring." he leaned back again and carried on with his coffee. "Hey Sprout, What's your relation with Chanyeol?" Sehun asked out of the blue.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because that man just yeeted the shit out of me thinking I hurt you. And there were also some odd rumors going around the office about you two."

"What kind of rumors?" Baekhyun's poker face was making it hard for Sehun to judge his answers.

"That Chanyeol forces you for sexual pleasures." even after hearing such lewd words Baekhyun didn't seem to react.

"They are just false assumptions."

"It seems you don't mind them at all." hearing Baekhyun's pain replies, Sehun couldn't help saying it underneath his breath.

Baekhyun was able to hear the younger words, "at least I'm the victim in that story, the major outcome of those rumors is sympathy, which is good for me." He thought to himself looking at the person in front with eyes that carried no emotion.

"Why are you here by the way?" Baekhyun asked, watching how Sehun's leisure behavior showed no thoughts of leaving any time soon.

"Oh shit." hearing that question, Sehun pushed himself straight, "I totally forgot I was supposed to take coffee for the team. I have to leave." he quickly got up but before he started to move, his phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID, 'Expensive Hospital' and Baekhyun saw Sehun's face become slowly agitated, "Hello." Sehun spoke a little hesitantly, "Yeah, yeah. Tell me." Eyebrows knitted, he bit down his lips so hard that it started bleeding instantly. "I'll be there in ten minutes." Sehun walked away, not showing his face nor saying anything to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun understood that something wasn't right, but what he could do was almost equal to nothing, so he just quietly watched the young man walk down the street with his head down; one step in front of the other, one step in front of the other...