Breathless (Chensung)

13

Chenle hurriedly opened his dorm door in case Jisung had caught up to him. His tears were making it hard to see the keyhole but he still managed, rushing in and falling to the ground, taking deep breaths.

He realized he wasn't prepared to see Jisung again after all this time. Chenle had gone out of his way to avoid Jisung; if he didn't want to talk to Chenle, then Chenle wanted to make it easier on Jisung.

Jisung apologized -- Chenle wasn't prepared for that either, especially since Jisung saw him crying -- the Chenle who was always a positive source of energy, the Chenle who always braved his fears and wasn't afraid of anything.

Chenle's body was racked with sobs.

Everything he does, he does for Jisung.

Chenle didn't know whether to think of himself as in love or just pathetic.

---

Donghyuck found Chenle, tired from his crying, eyes rubbed raw.

"What are you doing on the ground, Chenle?" Donghyuck asked him softly, picking up his weak body and sitting on the couch with him.

"Jisung saw me," Chenle said, his voice feeble.

Donghyuck's hand that was rubbing Chenle's back paused for a second. "And what'd he do?"

"He-he saw me crying. And he tried to apologize, I think, but I panicked and I ran because I knew he didn't want to see me anyways." Chenle felt tears pricking at his eyes again and he curled farther into Donghyuck.

"Lele, where'd you get that from?" Donghyuck asked him softly. "I thought you didn't want to see Jisung because you were angry, not because he didn't want to see you."

"I am angry," Chenle confessed. "But I don't want him to go through more if he already doesn't want to see me."

Donghyuck sighed. "Chenle, if he tried to apologize, he's trying to fix things, okay? You're too selfless for your own good. If I was in your situation I'd have punched him back to America by now."

Chenle laughed lightly at that in the midst of his tears reforming. "Thank you Hyuck," he said, his hands curling into Donghyuck's sweatshirt.

Donghyuck murmured an acceptance, and both of them quickly fell asleep on the couch, Chenle holding onto Donghyuck tightly.

---

Chenle didn't avoid Jisung anymore -- Chenle went back to classes and stopped avoiding Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun even if they were talking to Jisung.

The only thing missing was that Chenle and Jisung didn't exchange words. Oftentimes they saw their friends looking at each other in a concerned manner but they didn't say anything.

However, Chenle couldn't stop himself from still liking Jisung.

Chenle saw Jisung staring at him sometimes, looking like he always wanted to say something but never did, and Chenle hated that it made him flustered.

Chenle knew Jisung was scared, but Chenle was more scared himself.

Chenle didn't find it surprising that Jisung was sitting with his friends when they were celebrating -- well, Chenle didn't really know -- something.

They were all situated at a table in a bar near the dorms, and by the time Chenle got there, some of his friends were already sort of drunk and tipsy.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Chenle asked, feigning disgust.

"'s not our fault you take so long," complained Jaemin, who was looking like he'd fall into his glass any time.

Mark, who didn't look drunk, made eye contact with Chenle and shrugged. "It's just those 3 weirdos that insisted on getting drunk before you came," he explained, jerking his head at Jaemin, Renjun, and Jeno.