Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

115

"You really think he'll come downstairs?"

"I doubt it. He barely breathes around us- what are the chances he'll eat with us-"

"Jongdae."

They turned to the cold voice and were surprised to see Luhan smiling at them with a crazy stare. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, yet they still understood what he wanted to say.

"Shut your mouth."

He shifted his attention back to Baekhyun and smiled. "Here, have a seat. I'll get you the peach cobbler." Kyungsoo's eyes widened, and he immediately reached out to grab the dessert instead. Baekhyun sat down beside him, unbothered by their racing and panicked whispers. They were trying so hard to make this dinner perfect and presentable but, their whispering was starting to get annoying. He stayed silent and allowed Luhan to get him the piece of dessert.

"Baek, we have more food if you'd like."

"It's okay. I'm not very hungry.

"..."

He looked up at the sudden silence and gave them a questionable stare. What's with all the curious and worried expressions?

"Did you eat today?"

Oh.

That's why they look so worried.

"I did. I had a light breakfast, and I ate lunch before searching the first storage. The chicken salad that came in earlier was mine."

They seemed to relax with those two statements. He grabbed his utensils and picked at the peach cobbler. He took a small bite and admired the taste against his tongue. He ignored the curling sensation inside of his stomach and continued to eat the sweet dessert. He swallowed the small piece he chewed on continuously and hoped no one was staring at him. He could barely eat his food without wanting to spit it out; having someone stare at him would only make him feel even worse. He stared down at his plate, hoping his cheeks were hidden from the curious gang at the table. He almost missed the peach in his mouth and bit his sensitive tongue with the sudden voice.

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

Baekhyun shrugged, a bit relieved to see the conversation move along another path. "I need to review a few more files before I decide. We have a lot of storage units in Busan, and I have to see which ones we should go to first. There are some places we can check at a later date, so I need to decide which units should be put to the side for now." They all seemed to nod, understanding what the smaller had said for once. Xiumin fixed his posture and faced the younger with a helpful grin. "We can help you check the files. You've been the only one working since we arrived in Busan." Baekhyun nodded at his words but declined the offer. It wasn't that he didn't want the help but, with this new alliance, Blue Blood knew nothing about these storage areas. It'd be a mess to even teach them about the separate units, and it also isn't necessary since the Royals usually deal with these issues on their own. "It's fine. It's not too much, and you guys don't know how these places usually act or their writing patterns. I'll notice the change in their notes and put them aside so we can check them first." They agreed with his plan, although they did feel a bit useless just sitting there while Baek continued to work. A few noticed his uncomfortable flinches, and Baekhyun was glad someone changed the conversation before his stomach rejected the sweet treat.

"Is the cobbler okay?"

Baekhyun looked down at his plate, not noticing he was on his last bite. With all the talking, he had forgotten entirely to count his chews and force himself to swallow. He ate the cobbler without a problem.