Words (TaoXChanyeolXreader fanfic)

Chapter 9: I've seen you together once

"You two love each other so much, I've seen you together once and even I can see it, I don't belong in that. Is there anything worse than interfering in someone else's match? I'm going to end up with my heart broken," he said in a voice as low as Tao's. His wasn't gentle. His was angry and sad and muddled.

"It's already broken," Tao said, "I can see it every time you mention Victoria. You haven't said her name once."

"And dinner will make that better? The two of you can't possibly want me around, childhood crush notwithstanding," Chanyeol asked.

Tao sat back, he dragged the piano bench over and sat down on the edge of it and dug his phone out of his pocket. He needed to arch his back and twist his hip a little to do it and though it was a thing everyone did and Chanyeol had seen a hundred times on a hundred people, his heart made another escape attempt to see it. Tao leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees. He dialed and put it on speaker.

"Hey love," she said and that American accent came through the phone and made Chanyeol 's face change. Will saw it happen but looked back down at the screen and pretended he hadn't.

"Hi. I hope that lecture wasn't too bad," he said.

"No worse than usual. I hope you actually did some laundry on your day off," she said.

"No, but I'll put a load in tonight, I swear. I called because I want to invite Chanyeol to dinner," Tao said.

"I meant it yesterday, I want to see him. It's weird, I know it's weird but it isn't a bad weird, is it?" her voice went up with the question and Chanyeol could imagine her looking worried as she said it.

"I don't think so," Tao said and then glanced up at Chanyeol, "He does."

"If he told you to fuck off Tao, listen to him, we're probably ruining his life. Between the two of us we've managed to ruin finding his soulmate twice. Maybe we should just leave him alone," she said.

Chanyeol found himself shaking his head. That was not what he wanted. That was not the slightest what he wanted. He didn't know what he wanted. He knew all the pieces of what he wanted but not how they fit together. He wanted to be there for the next duckie murder or whatever absurdity they came up with. He wanted Victoria's hair in his fingers. He wanted Tao to hug him so that he could feel him breathing when he spoke. He wanted to fit himself into the quiet places while they flung words back and forth.

"The words 'fuck off' have not been used. Until they are, I'm going to continue to attempt to bring him home," he said.

"He's not a stray cat," she laughed, "But bring food with you. I have at least 3 hours of reading to do so I am neither cooking nor eating anything you make."

"Your wish is my command," he said and then disconnected the phone and looked up at Chanyeol. He was still leaning forward over his knees. It was a casual position but Chanyeol 's attention kept snagging on the way his fingers hung and the way his hair fell into his eyes. He'd thought falling for Victoria was a disaster but falling for Tao was going to be worse. That he'd known them only a few days and was already this deep was not making it any easier.

"The point of that?" he asked.

"To prove that she wants you to come too," Tao said.

Chanyeol pushed himself up and away. Away from blue eyes and hair that fell in a twisted gorgeous tangle. Since when had he been so interested in hair and other people's hands?

There were debates on whether it was innate or just a trick of perception but nearly everyone said it was true. The attraction always hit hard. Even among people who didn't have the same intensely physical wanting that was running through Chanyeol, that fascination, that desire to be around your match was said to be universal. He hadn't expected it to be quite this strong. He stopped by the door and crossed his arms like he needed a defense. Tao didn't follow him but he watched.

"I don't want to be your friend," Chanyeol said tightening his arms and closing his eyes. If he didn't think about it, didn't examine it too closely, maybe it wouldn't hurt as much to say it.

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