Absolute Chanyeol

part..

Tao warms up to Chanyeol slowly but surely. Baekhyun doesn't want to lose his good friend so he forces Tao to come over and spend time with the two of them. He's not aiming to convert Tao's way of thinking; he just wants more company.

Lately, being alone with Chanyeol feels too stifling. Chanyeol watches him too intensely now and only smiles when Baekhyun asks him if anything's wrong.

"I just like looking at you," Chanyeol says with a little twitch. When his heart gives a little responding twitch of its own, Baekhyun questions his life choices once again.

Trying to deny his newfound attraction to Chanyeol is like trying to deny they both walk on two legs. He's sure it's obvious, especially in the moment when it seems like Chanyeol is going to kiss him and they both freeze up. Baekhyun's flush is a little darker than Chanyeol's, he's come to notice.

Chanyeol doesn't have any problems with Tao either and Baekhyun is grateful. Tao is very careful with his speech and mentions nothing of what Chanyeol is or isn't; most of their conversations revolve around, interestingly enough, Baekhyun. "You should see him when he's trying to sleep," Chanyeol says one time, eyes excited. "He makes these little noises when he's trying to sleep, they're really too cute."

"Hey, I do not!" Baekhyun interjects.

When Tao looks him over, right eyebrow raised, Baekhyun flushes unnecessarily. "What?"

"You two...sleep together?"

"Of course!" Chanyeol bounces in his seat. "I keep Baekhyunnie warm at night."

"Baekhyunnie..." Tao repeats, enunciating the name.

Chanyeol, bless his soul, doesn't sense the sudden tense air around Tao and continues to talk and talk, picking out more of Baekhyun's bad habits. In lieu of defending himself against accusations that are too true, Baekhyun tries to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Hey, uh, Tao, how's life?"

Tao shrugs, "Same old, same old. I'm thinking of getting a pet, my dorm's too big for me now."

"You should get a beetle! They're really neat!"

"Chanyeol, beetles aren't kept as pets," Baekhyun smiles. "You know that."

"Oh, I do, but I still think it would be cool to have one as a pet. They're really smart."

Tao's face shows his disagreement. He doesn't last too long under Chanyeol's exuberant probing and calls it a night not too long after. "Still hurts," is all he says when Baekhyun tries to get him to stay a few moments. Baekhyun has no response for that.

When he closes the door and turns, Chanyeol is standing there, eyes troubled. "Tao...Huang Zi Tao," he says with perfect pronunciation. "Does he...love you?"

"Love me?" Baekhyun leans against the door, "I don't think so. I think he just likes me a little more than he should, that's all."

"Do you...like him more than you should too? Are human feelings always...mutual?"

"Not always and they're not in this case either." Baekhyun steps forward, "Tao is just a good friend and neighbor. I don't see him the way I see someone I would...like. Does that make sense?"

Chanyeol hums, "A little. I feel bad for him, I think he misses Kris."

"What happens to...beings like you that are sent back? Are they resold?"

"No." With a small shake of his head, Chanyeol steps back. "They aren't. They're pulled apart and made again, into different models and 'beings', as you said. The one we knew to be Kris probably doesn't exist anymore."