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The phase had begun once again.
It was leaving Chanyeol anxious.
He did many attempts to keep his focus elsewhere—he re-constructed his planner, checked some of his students' papers (and laughed at their dumb answers), watched movies and even pulled out an old cooking book to make his first time of cooking a legendary history. Yes, Park Chanyeol did many attempts to keep his focus elsewhere and yet it always seemed to come back to his boyfriend somehow.
He groaned, pulling his hair while throwing his empty can of root beer somewhere around his living room. He missed Kyungsoo so fucking much that it hurt.
“Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo!” He whined his name over and over again, feeling an itchiness on his hand from the lack of physical contact with his beloved boyfriend.
His endless whining and screeching made the apartment next door hit the wall between them, slipping a bright smile into Chanyeol's face. Bang!
“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol exclaimed, voice louder for his neighbor of a boyfriend to hear. He supposed, looking at their situation further, the phase wasn't much of a big deal when his baby was just living at the apartment next door.
To his delight, his favorite voice spoke, “Chanyeol, I swear to God. Shut up!”
“It's been ten years, Kyungsoo! Talk to me!” The clingy boyfriend whined once more, groaning at the end of the process. He missed Kyungsoo so much.
“Chanyeol, it's only been a day.”
The taller ignored his statement and continued being annoyingly loud for the entire apartment complex. “Why can't I just hang out with you while you do what you do?”
Nobody responded to him. Chanyeol was ignored. Chanyeol was defeated. Chanyeol was sad.
He collapsed on his couch out of frustration and ripped a bag of honey-buttered chips open, taking a handful and shoving it in his mouth. Chanyeol was a pouting mess, staring at his TV screen as Running Man played.
When they first started dating and Kyungsoo had concluded that his boyfriend was insanely clingy, he made sure to warn him about his schedule seeing he was still in college while Chanyeol had already graduated. Every semester, there would be a phase that Kyungsoo vowed not to see Chanyeol for he needed firm focus on his work in order to pass with flying colors. Chanyeol agreed on the deal between them but that didn't make it less intolerable.
Really, he supported his boyfriend in any way. He prioritized his dream just like it was his. However, his overly affectionate self was in desperate need of Kyungsoo-contact.
Who was he to know that when Kyungsoo said “no seeing each other, no contact, no anything” he actually meant it and took it very seriously?
The fact that they were neighbors didn't help as well. If Chanyeol could only follow his instincts, he'd barge into the other's apartment and stick to him like a koala. Luckily, he was too in love to break the deal. He didn't want to make Kyungsoo mad. An angry Kyungsoo would make a sad Chanyeol.
At this rate, all Chanyeol could do was look ahead at the TV screen and distract himself with the show. He could handle the longingness for his boyfriend. He could handle it.
In fact, perhaps he could do something about it. If he couldn't see his boyfriend, maybe he could text him.
To: Boyfriend <3
babe i miss u
To: Boyfriend <3
but i can handle this so go study!!
To: Boyfriend <3
soo fighting!! <3
Kyungsoo's lack of reply didn't stop him from texting him some more too. He was eager for contact, so he repeatedly initiated it despite not receiving anything. He'd send hey babe, then a I'm watching this movie and this guy. . . a few minutes later and a dozen of i love you's later on. Perhaps, knowing Kyungsoo so well, he was most likely irritated as hell. But it was okay, at least he knew Chanyeol loved him.
—
On the other side of the wall, Do Kyungsoo was cooped up in his tiny desk, drowning on the amount of papers and reviewers brought by the existence created by Satan himself which was college. He was sleep deprived and stress-filled. Not to mention, he missed his boyfriend so dearly.
He was never as clingy as Chanyeol ever was. When they first started dating, he was afraid that his attachment would be so deep that he'd become at his clingiest best. And he was. He definitely was. But Chanyeol was way worse.
Kyungsoo groaned as he read a paragraph about statistics once more. His hand hurt from writing his reviewers and his eyes hurt from the lack of sleep. Hell, Kyungsoo wanted to die. Maybe he'd drown himself in black ink or suffocate himself with all these papers. He didn't know. He just wanted to say goodbye to college fast.
And what was the hardest part of all this? It was ignoring Chanyeol.
Honestly, Kyungsoo never wanted to ignore him in the first place. But with Chanyeol's affectionate self and overly good looking face that drove Kyungsoo crazy eighty percent of the time, he couldn't trust himself on staying focused while his boyfriend was around.
So, despite the longingness, the space between them was necessary. Even if it was just a thin wall, it was still necessary.
For what seemed to be the hundredth time today, Kyungsoo's phone buzzed on his desk. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't entirely ignoring Chanyeol and his completely fluffy texts. He was still reading them to keep his motivation on studying in check, he just made sure not to reply in order to prevent a long conversation that could distract him from his work.
From: husband
baby, do you know that goats have four stomachs?
Kyungsoo snorted at this but shook his head as if the other could see him. He didn't actually know that but he was taken aback by how dumb it was.
Another second came and his phone buzzed once again.
From: husband
do u know that goats discovered coffee?
From: husband
so technically it's thanks to them that we're able to procrastinate
From: husband
ol hail goat lord
This time, Kyungsoo took a moment to stare at the screen of his phone. His face was blank but the judgment was there.
To: husband
go to sleep yeol i love you
The reply was fast.
From: husband
okay i will! you sleep too after you're done with that alright? i love you more my beloved [kissy face emoji]
Kyungsoo pecked the screen of his phone and smiled. “Yeah.”
±
A week later and Kyungsoo's Busy Phase was officially done for the semester. Now that he was free from drowning on his papers and reviewers, it seemed like he was drowning on Chanyeol and Chanyeol's sweater this time.
Sat lazily on his boyfriend's couch with a can of root bear on his hand, Kyungsoo turned to the taller beside him and deadpanned, “I don't understand why I have to borrow your clothes every time I come over when I can always take mine next door.” He lifted his free hand and waved it leisurely, the excessive sleeve of the yellow sweater dancing through the air.
Chanyeol beamed at him. “Because you love me!” He exclaimed, shoving a handful of honey-buttered chips in his mouth.
Kyungsoo glared. “That doesn't even make sense.”
Swallowing his chips, Chanyeol brightened even more and flung his arms wide, dragging his smaller boyfriend between his legs and wrapped his long ass limbs around his waist. While this process went on, Kyungsoo's face was still blank.
Chanyeol rested his chin on the latter's head, tightening his arms around him. “Now you can't escape me!”
Kyungsoo snorted. “You missed me too much.”
“I did. I missed you! I feel like I'm in a long distance relationship when you're just next door! You're driving me insane.”
The younger smiled at this and leant his head back so it'd be resting on Chanyeol's chest. “Yeah. I guess I missed you too.” He perked up and gently bounced on his seat. “But don't worry! Since the semester's done and the beginning of the new one isn't really as hectic, I'm all yours for now.”
Chanyeol beamed. “Fuck yeah!”
Kyungsoo smiled softly and stared ahead at the TV. Honestly, looking at their relationship now, Kyungsoo thought that they were just being stupid.
“By the way, Yeol,” Kyungsoo suddenly remembered something, “there was never really a confirmation that goats discovered coffee. Everything was said from legends and apparently people before that time used coffee beans or whatever to keep them alive for wars and shit. So really, your fact is just as dumb as you.”
Silence floated around them for a moment, making Kyungsoo snicker in triumph. The silence went on until Chanyeol stuffed his face on the latter's shoulder, muttering, “They still have four stomachs though.”