No Limit (5/6)
Title: No Limit
Pairing: Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Genre: Romance, Drama
Word Count: 26,ooo+
Summary: Chanyeol doesn’t miss a day confessing his love to Baekhyun. Baekhyun, on the other hand, doesn’t miss a day rejecting him.
The good news came after a month.
“Perform the surgery? What?” Chanyeol repeated, looking as perplexed as Baekhyun.
“Yes! Sehun’s father said he’d take care of the bills!” Luhan announced happily. They were at the rooftop eating lunch when Luhan came running with Sehun following close behind him.
All eyes were immediately on Sehun. Sehun looked away, embarrassed. Baekhyun was confused the most. “But…why?”
Luhan smiled giddily at him. “He didn’t tell you but he asked his dad if it’s alright to shoulder the financial needs of his friend and his father approved in the condition that he do well in the exams!”
“Sehun, you…”
“Well…I wanted to do something…at least. Chanyeol and Luhan are doing their best…so I can’t just sit and watch.” Sehun explained while still refusing to look at Baekhyun seeing as he’s blushing so much. “We’re friends…right?”
“Wha! He’s blushing so much! Hahaha!” Luhan exclaimed while constantly clicking his camera.
“Shut up and stop taking pictures!”
Baekhyun stood up and bowed promptly in front of Sehun. Sehun was rather shocked with the gesture. “I can’t express my gratitude to you and your father enough so I’m forever indebted to you.”
“Ah! Stop that! It’s okay! It’s normal, right?” Baekhyun looked up at him. “Friends help each other all the time!” Sehun says with a wide grin and Baekhyun had never felt so relieved hearing those words.
They were all contributing at the least and Baekhyun felt loved rather than pitied. It felt totally different from what he was expecting. It was a good feeling. Indeed, he could never be thankful enough.
Summer had passed in a blur and autumn was around the corner. The weather was getting colder and the days longer. All of them had gotten used to anxiety, panic, even fear.
“Here.” Chanyeol said while wrapping a warm jacket around Baekhyun who had forgotten to bring his jacket again. Sometimes Chanyeol wondered if he’s doing it on purpose but even if that’s the case, for what reason?
“Thank you.” Baekhyun smiled at him.
Baekhyun suddenly turned up in front of his apartment a few minutes ago, huffing due to the coldness, and slightly shaking. Chanyeol immediately dragged him inside and turned up the heater for the boy. He was trembling as he moved.
“Feeling warm enough?”
Baekhyun nodded with a smile. They’re at the living room, sitting together at the couch. Baekhyun had his knees pulled up to his chest while holding the cup of hot cocoa on top. Chanyeol felt warm just by looking at him.
“Baekhyun, you should’ve told me you were coming.”
“But then I won’t be able to see your surprised face,” Baekhyun replied with a playful grin.
“Again?” Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing Baekhyun dote on him pushes all his concerns out of the window. Well, there’s no helping it when it comes to this guy, after all. Chanyeol leaned slowly against the back of the couch with his arm placed atop. “So, why did you come here?”
“Ah!” Baekhyun grabbed something from the paper bag beside him with his left hand and then showed it to Chanyeol. It was a Superman movie, particularly Man of Steel.
“This is…”
“I wanted to watch it with you.”
“But don’t you hate this stuff? Superhero movies in general?”
Baekhyun tilted his head and gave him a refreshing eye smile. “But I like you.” Chanyeol could feel his heart suddenly beating so fast. “You’re Superman, right?”
@pcysuperman
Chanyeol chuckled at him. “Fine, fine. But once we play this, there’s no turning back!”
“Okay!”
Chanyeol crawled towards the video player. Baekhyun dropped his feet on the floor to place the cup on the table. However, after realizing that the floor feels warmer, he decided to slide down from the couch and sit on the floor. Chanyeol was surprised seeing him sitting on the floor when he turned back around after putting the CD on the player. Baekhyun just grinned at him.
“It’s warmer.” Baekhyun said simply while Chanyeol crawled beside him.
Chanyeol spread his legs in front while Baekhyun still had his knees pulled up to his chest, looking like a little ball wrapped around with Chanyeol’s coat.
“Baekhyun, come here.” Chanyeol said while tapping the space in between his thighs. Baekhyun was confused at first, staring blankly at Chanyeol, but he complied nonetheless and moved to seat in between Chanyeol’s thighs. Chanyeol could smell his shampoo and a faint smell of vanilla. He immediately wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s shoulder while resting his chin on top of the boy’s head. Baekhyun also leaned comfortably against him. Chanyeol had always wanted to spoon Baekhyun like this given that he just looked so small he could fit him in his pocket. And this felt warmer and more comfortable. Chanyeol hoped Baekhyun feels the same way getting embraced by him like this.
Chanyeol pressed the play button and the movie started.
During the second half of the movie, Baekhyun had started to doze off. Chanyeol noticed it because the boy’s head kept nodding.
“Baekhyun, should we stop the movie?”
Baekhyun raises his head up immediately. “Ah, no! I want to watch it to the end!”
“But aren’t you sleepy?”
“I’m fine.”
“But your health-“
“I’m fine.”
Chanyeol sighed in defeat. Moreover, he didn’t want Baekhyun to get upset over something like this and proceeded to change the subject. “Do you like the actor?”
Baekhyun nodded softly. “Yeah. He’s kind of hot. His body’s nice.”
“Ohoho, you like men with that kind of body, huh?”
Baekhyun’s laugh vibrated against Chanyeol’s chest. “I like men who aren’t too bulky in general. You know, with enough muscles. Like you.”
Chanyeol held him tighter. “Really?”
“Yes, okay. That’s why I like seeing you play basketball. It stretches out your proportions. You have a really nice body as an athlete. Your chest is broad and your arms are strong. That’s why it’s really comfortable when you embrace me like this.”
Saying those kinds of things could be taken differently, especially for Chanyeol, who already had Baekhyun cornered under him as soon as the shorter was done talking. “Are you giving me a subliminal message?”
“I did say I hated Superhero movies.”
“Don’t provoke me. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Baekhyun raised his right hand and touched Chanyeol’s cheek softly. “Are you capable of hurting me?”
Agh…screw it. Chanyeol thought. “You’ve done it now.” He abruptly grabbed Baekhyun’s wrists, pinning them to his sides as he leans down for a deep kiss. Chanyeol eventually released his grip on Baekhyun’s wrists while his tongue continued to explore Baekhyun’s mouth.
The heat between their bodies kept building up. Baekhyun looked rather luscious and that made Chanyeol even more determined to ravage him-that skin so white, that body so pure, he wants it all to himself.
Once he starts he’s never going to be able to stop. So he’s definitely going all out.
The week after was Chanyeol’s basketball game. However, two days before the said day of the game, Baekhyun had an unexpected attack while walking back from the convenience store with Luhan and was forced to be bedridden and in the end, missed the game.
It was unfortunate, especially since Baekhyun had been looking forward to seeing Chanyeol play in an official match. However, none of them showed any contempt and carried on with the days dragging them.
Their winter vacation came in a flash. Chanyeol became more attentive to Baekhyun due to the cold weather and also because Baekhyun never wears his coat (Chanyeol had finally proven that Baekhyun doesn’t forget his coat, he just doesn’t want to wear them).
Today, the whole gang was on their way to Sehun’s private cottage near a hot spring, a perfect getaway for winter. Chanyeol had a hard time convincing Yixing to let Baekhyun come with them but after a while, Yixing complied realizing that he couldn’t deprive Baekhyun of such things.
During the whole ride, Baekhyun slept against Chanyeol’s chest. He was like a hibernating animal, again, wrapped around in a warm coat. He looked paler as well. Slowly and slowly, he was starting to feel like a cadaver and with that thought in the back of his mind, Chanyeol held him tighter while trying to shake away his negative thoughts.
Sehun’s cottage was simple. There were three bedrooms, an average-sized kitchen and living room and a beautiful veranda. Unquestionably, Chanyeol got to stay in one room with Baekhyun. Luhan was stuck with Jongin while Sehun got a room all by himself.
Baekhyun stirred awake when Chanyeol was placing him on the couch slowly from carrying him around on his back. Baekhyun blinked his eyes repeatedly before yawning.
“Good morning, princess.” Luhan greeted in a teasing manner.
Baekhyun suddenly widened his eyes “Ah! This is…”
“Sehun’s cottage.”
“I slept all the way! I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay.” Luhan reassured him while chuckling.
“It must’ve been a bother.”
“No, don’t worry. For once, Sehun was quiet. So we’re quite thankful.”
“Hey!” Sehun yelled from the kitchen.
“WHAT?” Luhan snapped back while walking towards him.
Chanyeol sat beside Baekhyun and brought up his arm to ruffle the shorter’s hair. “Besides, Jongin sleeps more than you do.” They both turned to the opposite couch where Jongin was still quietly in deep sleep.
Baekhyun lifted his head slightly to smile at Chanyeol. Chanyeol immediately embraced him for being too adorable and leaned in for a kiss. Luhan, who had just walked out of the kitchen, unconsciously threw his magic dildo on them, fortunately hitting Chanyeol. Chanyeol turned to him in anger. “HEY!”
“We didn’t come here for you to do that!” Luhan yelled in exasperation. “Please be more considerate to those who are single!”
Baekhyun sat up straight, blinking. “Oh, right. Jongin…”
Luhan’s eyebrow twitched. “HUH? What about me?!”
Sehun was walking out of the kitchen behind Luhan, munching an apple, when… “But don’t you have Se-“
“WHOOOOOOOOOOO!” Sehun exclaimed out of the blue, probably interrupting Baekhyun on purpose. Everyone turned to him in shock, Luhan the most. “THIS APPLE IS FREAKING AWESOME!”
Chanyeol snorted.
Luhan gave him a look. “What the hell?”
“This apple!”
“It’s just an apple.”
“No! This is a freaking awesome apple!”
Luhan shook his head and decided to ignore him. He turned back to Baekhyun. “By the way, what were you say-“
“Come on Baekhyun, let’s go check our room.” Chanyeol said with his arm on Baekhyun’s shoulder, leading the male towards their shared room.
“Hey where are you going?!” Luhan exclaimed and then sighed.
Baekhyun immediately lit up the moment they got inside the room. He ran around, checking the bathroom, the closets and then hopped on the bed. He was too adorable Chanyeol couldn’t help but remain standing by the door, watching him. His laugh was all over the room. It sounded so refreshing.
“You like the place?”
“I love it!” Baekhyun exclaimed in response, enunciating the italics, while running towards the veranda and pushing the doors open. The cold win gushes in, pushing the curtains and messing up Baekhyun’s hair. The sky was gloomy without the presence of the sun but inside, it felt nothing like gloomy.
Chanyeol walked over behind Baekhyun and wrapped his arm around the shorter’s petite body. He’s gotten thinner. “We can come here every year if you want.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the four of us travel a lot during vacations, well, mainly because we don’t usually go home and meet our parents.” So to say, Chanyeol’s hometown was far away that it’s quite difficult to return home with the blizzard. Sehun’s parents were always rather busy during winter vacation (or every vacation) so they let him travel anywhere he wants. While Luhan, as far as his story goes, didn’t have a good relationship with his family so he always leaves home. “We can make it a rule to come here every winter vacation.”
“Will that be okay with them?”
“One look at your puppy eyes and they’ll budge!”
The door suddenly opened and Luhan walked in. “Hey, the food came.”
“It’s no use. He won’t wake up.” Luhan said, sighing frustration while taking a seat beside Sehun. “Honestly, I don’t know how Jongin can sleep for 18 hours straight.”
“He’s like a sloth, isn’t he?” Sehun commented while munching a chicken.
“Shut up, you’re not that different either. You’re lazy as well.”
“Why me?!”
Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun’s plate away. “Oi Sehun you’re sprinkling saliva all over the food!”
“We’re gonna get AIDS!” Luhan exclaimed, teasingly.
“What do you think am I?!”
Luhan turned to Chanyeol and Baekhyun. “So what do you plan to do after this?”
“Don’t ignore me!”
“SHUT UP!” Luhan yelled before pushing Sehun’s chair in which Sehun ended up falling to the ground.
“Hot spring?” Baekhyun chirped while chewing rice.
“Ah, Baekhyun, it’s a little late to go to the hot spring right now. We can go tomorrow.” Chanyeol told him.
“He’s right.” Luhan nodded. “Maybe we can go to the bazaar. Didn’t we pass by that on the way here?”
“You’re right. It might be livelier during the night.”
“Alright, then! It’s decided! We’re going to the bazaar later!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”
“Tsk. Look at these two,” Luhan mumbled by the side, looking a bit pissed at Sehun and Jongin who’s been laughing out loud since they arrived a minute ago after seeing a cheap theater that imitates events and people.
“They were against this because of their laziness but now they’re laughing like a hyena.” But no one was listening.
Baekhyun was busy looking around the little lights and the overlapping music. The stalls all looked so interesting to him. He was craning his neck everywhere Chanyeol was quiet worried he’d break it. He looked like a little kid; he was too excited. And that made Chanyeol happy. Baekhyun has such a pretty smile on his face.
Baekhyun blinked at something in a distance and then pulled Chanyeol’s arm. “Let’s go over there! I saw a stall selling hair ornaments!”
“Ornaments?”
They went nonetheless. Chanyeol noticed that Baekhyun looked pretty enthusiastic. “You like these stuff, Baek?”
Baekhyun nodded without any hesitation. “When I was a kid, my parents also used to take me to bazaars like this. My mom have always wanted a girl so she would dress me up and then put these on my hair. My dad never complained though. He said it’s okay as long as it makes my mother happy.”
He really loves his family. Chanyeol thought.
Baekhyun suddenly turned to him. “How about this?” He’s wearing what looks like small balls glued together downward so that it’s hanging on Baekhyun’s sideburns on the left side. The tiny leaves were a good touch too.
Chanyeol smiled at him. “It looks pretty on you. Hey, do you think one of these would suit me?” He asked while rummaging through the displays.
Baekhyun laughed at him. “I don’t know but you have a pretty face so I think it will! Just don’t talk.”
“I can already imagine how disgusting it is.”
Luhan suddenly appeared behind them. “Oh! That looks good on you, Baekhyun!”
“Luhan you should try one as well!”
“How about this?”
“Hey, take a picture together!”
“Chanyeol, you should take a picture with Baekhyun too!”
“Whoa, you two look really good!”
“Ahahaha, they’re blushing! Huh?” Luhan turned to Jongin who thought it’s okay for anyone to just put an ornament on but-“THAT LOOKS HORRIBLE JONGIN!”
“HAHAHAHAH! JONGIN THAT’S NO GOOD! YOU NEED TO HAVE MORE EXPRESSIONS!”
“HE LOOKS COMPLETELY DEAD! IT LOOKS AWFUL!”
Baekhyun walked over to Jongin. “Ah, try smiling a little, Jongin?”
Sehun raised his camera as Jongin attempted to smile. But then-“ARE YOU GOING TO KILL THE CAMERA?!”
“HE LOOKS LIKE A SERIAL KILLER! HAHAHAHAH!”
Chanyeol raised Jongin’s arm and then modified his hand into a shape. “ROCK ON!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH YOU’RE MEAN CHANYEOL!”
“HE LOOKS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!”
“Hey, stop it already, you guys.” Baekhyun interrupted at the side, pouting.
Chanyeol then placed his arm on Jongin’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. He’s used to it.”
“He likes it when people laugh at him.” Luhan added before walking. Chanyeol followed with Sehun.
Jongin turned to Baekhyun. “It’s not funny?”
“If I laugh now I won’t be able to stop laughing until tomorrow,” Baekhyun answered. He’s probably exaggerating but really it happened a lot of times before. He would laugh endlessly every time he remembered something that made him laugh hard. So to say, he’s got a pretty low level sense of humor. “But yeah, it’s funny.”
Jongin stared at him. “You should laugh more.”
“Huh?”
“It makes that idiot happy.”
They went back once Baekhyun started complaining about the cold.
They spent rest of the night with hanging around the cottage on their own. Sehun and Jongin were loudly playing online games at the living room while Luhan decided to quietly read a book in his and Jongin’s shared room.
Chanyeol and Baekhyun were quietly lying beside each other on their shared bed. Baekhyun was already sleeping while Chanyeol just watched him, his every breath, even the rise and fall of his chest. Baekhyun’s hand was cold. His whole body was cold even when he’s all curled up under a thick blanket.
Chanyeol held his hand tightly as he pulled the shorter closer to his chest, softly tucking him under his arms. I’ll keep you warm, okay Baekhyun? You just sleep…I’ll keep you warm. So you don’t have to go anywhere. Just stay here. I’ll keep you warm.
There wasn't a day that Chanyeol didn't feel the fear of losing Baekhyun. It’s like heaven was going to take him anytime. He'll keep on holding on to him tightly, just like this, every day.
“Hey.”
Baekhyun stirred awake at the light touch on his cheek but he didn’t open his eyes. Then he heard a faint chuckle beside him. “Wake up, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol whispered softly while caressing his forehead. Baekhyun blinked his eyes, opening them slowly and then flinching at the brightness of the morning. He turned his head to the side where Chanyeol was kneeling on the floor and smiling at him. “Good morning.” Chanyeol greeted before leaning over for a kiss. Baekhyun moaned under him in surprise until Chanyeol pulled away chuckling.
“Good morning, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun greeted back while stretching under the blankets.
“Sit up. I have a song for you.”
“A song?” Baekhyun asked while sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He checked the time while Chanyeol grabbed a chair and his guitar beside the bed. “Chanyeol, you’re bed hair is cute.”
“Yeah? Wait ‘til you see yourself in the mirror.” Chanyeol teased while chuckling. “Listen, okay?”
Baekhyun had both his eyes focused completely on Chanyeol. He looked fresh in the morning. He’s wearing a wife beater (Baekhyun's slightly guilty for snatching Chanyeol’s shirt) and khaki shorts that looks horrible but was cute on him nonetheless.
Chanyeol started strumming the guitar. He looked completely absorbed in it already. Baekhyun didn’t recognize the tune but it’s wonderful. Then Chanyeol cleared his throat while looking up at him. “When I see your smile, tears run down my face. I can’t replace,” Baekhyun was instantly mesmerized by his voice. He had never heard him sing before, he imagined it would be beautiful, but this was beyond that. “I will never let you fall. I’ll stand up with you forever. I’ll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.”
Chanyeol smiled while looking at him straight in the eyes. “It’s o-okay. It’s o-okay. It’s oka-a-ay. Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I’ll be the one,” He continued to sing. The lyrics sounded like it was his thoughts. Baekhyun could feel his heart from them. “I will never let you fall. I’ll stand with you forever. I’ll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.”
“Cause you’re mine. You’re mine, my true love, my whole heart. Please don’t throw that away. Cause I’m here for you. Please don’t walk away, and please tell me you’ll stay.”
Again and again, Baekhyun would never get tired of hearing him sing this song.
A thousand, a hundred years…
I’ll be there for you through it all.
Always.
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.
Afternoon that day, they all proceeded to the hot springs. Baekhyun was overly excited about this that Luhan became a babysitter for a few minutes while Chanyeol and Sehun arranged their schedule at the counter since Baekhyun wouldn’t sit still. Luhan justified it must be because of the new environment but reconsidered when he realized Baekhyun wasn’t a little kid and was only acting like one. Anyhow, he enjoyed keeping an eye on Baekhyun. The younger had always been pretty reserved around everyone in their school and only had one expression every day that he wondered how Chanyeol couldn’t stop staring at him. So seeing him enjoying himself was sort of refreshing.
“Hey! Let’s go!” Chanyeol called from the counter. Baekhyun immediately ran towards him. Luhan followed them immediately after carrying his and Baekhyun’s bags.
The hot springs were nice. Thanks to Sehun and his money, they were able to book a private one. As soon as they got in, Sehun said that he needed to go back to the cottage to get something and thus left. Chanyeol immediately went in the water after taking off his clothes while Luhan made sure that Baekhyun was feeling fine to dip in the hot water. Baekhyun immediately told him not to worry so much since he wasn’t worried himself and that he felt completely fine being around them. Luhan then decided to let him be.
“Ahhh, this is so nice…” Luhan said while stretching in the water. “I want to stay here forever…”
“Yeah my shoulders have been tense for a while. It’s so nice being able to relax like this…”
“Especially after the exams. Man I’m never going to do last minute studying ever again! I almost fell asleep during the test!” Luhan exclaimed and Chanyeol laughed at him in response. “Oh Baekhyun, how’d you do? Or should I even be asking?”
“He does well even if he doesn’t study, you know.”
“That’s not true! I have to study too.”
“Ah, that’s right. You’re always in the top 5. I don’t think I’ve seen your name at the bottom of the ranking list. Unlike this guy over here.” Luhan snorted at Chanyeol beside him.
“Oy!”
“Did you know? He never has to look for his name in the ranking. It’s always the last number or the number before the last number.”
“I’m not that stupid!”
“Compared to us, you are,” Luhan retorted. “At least I always get to be in the top 100.”
“How about Sehun?”
“Sehun is always in the top 20.”
Chanyeol laughed at that. “He’s actually smarter than he looks.”
“Well it’s because he’s going to take over his father’s company in the future. So he has to study well and go to college. Man, if he doesn’t have us, his life would be boring!”
Baekhyun looked around after noticing something. “Um, where’s Jongin?” Chanyeol and Luhan glanced at each other, looking as clueless as Baekhyun.
“He went back to the city this morning,” They all turned around to Sehun who’s walking in with a towel on his waist. “His parents booked a last minute trip and he had to go back.”
Luhan sighed. “That’s too bad.”
“That said, he asked me to give this to you, Baekhyun,” Sehun knelt on the floor behind Baekhyun, handing him a box wrapped in a Christmas wrapper. “He was supposed to give this to you during at Christmas after we get back to the city but he won’t be able to come so…you can open it now or after we get back.”
Baekhyun took the gift. “I’ll open it now.”
“My, aren’t you excited?” Luhan teased across him.
“I want to thank him as soon as possible.” Baekhyun carefully unwrapped the gift and then gasped the moment he sees what’s inside the box.
Chanyeol moved closer to him to see. “Ah! Isn’t this…”
Sehun leaned closer from the floor. “You’re right.”
“It’s the ornament we were playing with last night!”
“Seriously?” Luhan said while slowly walking closer through the water. “Whoa, it really is! Isn’t that nice, Baekhyun? He bought it for you!”
“Sneaky Jongin.” Sehun murmured while slowly getting in to the water.
“Wear it Baekhyun!” Luhan exclaimed excitedly while playing with Baekhyun’s hair.
“It’ll get wet! Go play with your own toy, Luhan!” Chanyeol yelled while kicking Luhan away.
“Shut up! I forgot my magic dildo!”
“Is that the only toy you have?!”
“You should laugh more.” Baekhyun smiled remembering what Jongin told him last night. He felt so lucky to be surrounded by people like them. He kind of regrets not opening up his heart earlier but right now, he’s going to do everything he could to reciprocate all the good things these people showed him. He had never wanted to live more before he met them. And of course, that’s all in gratitude to Chanyeol who miraculously never gave up on him.
He’s definitely the luckiest person in the world.
The morning they go home, the sky was gloomy and Baekhyun didn’t like it. He woke up to a dark room because the sun didn’t come out. However, seeing Chanyeol’s face and hearing his voice greet him was enough to brighten up the rest of the day for him.
The time was 11:00 AM and the sky wasn’t getting any brighter. Baekhyun was helping Luhan clean up in the kitchen after their late breakfast while Chanyeol and Sehun carried their bags to the van.
“Did you have fun?” Luhan asked while washing the plates.
Baekhyun paused from wiping the table to look up at him. “I did.”
“Oh, that’s right! Chanyeol told me you wanted to come here every year?” Suddenly, Baekhyun felt the embarrassment and Luhan laughed at his flustered face. “It’s okay, Baekhyun. We’d love to come here every year. Actually, it’s better to have that kind of agreement between friends right?”
“R-really?”
“Yes, and besides, that way we won’t have to keep choosing where to go every year. Man, most of the times we end up in a dead-end because we can’t decide where to go. So it’s all good!” Luhan said enthusiastically. “Wah, I’m getting all excited. Hahaha. After your surgery, we’ll be able to do lots of things!”
In that moment Baekhyun realized that the reason these people were so close to his heart even when he hadn’t known them that long was because they all emit positive energies that being with them made Baekhyun feel like nothing is wrong, that nothing would ever go wrong.
Chanyeol peeked from the doorway. “Are you two good to go?”
“Yes, just a few more!”
“Man, I can’t tell if it’s going to rain or if it’s going to snow,” was what Sehun said the minute he got on the driver’s seat.
Luhan put on his seatbelt before glancing up the sky. “The weather doesn’t look good. You gotta drive fast Sehun.” Then he turned around to Baekhyun and Chanyeol who were already looking comfy. “You all set?” Chanyeol nodded. Luhan noticed that Baekhyun was slowly falling asleep. Looks like he’ll be sleeping on the drive back as well.
Sehun started the engine and checked the headlights before driving away from the cottage, slowly at first because of the thick snow but after getting to the main road he changed gears and drove a little faster.
The first few hours of the drive were rather quiet. It’s understandable because they’re tired but probably because the air was a little gloomy that there’s no point in trying to be cheerful. Besides, they’re already going home. All the energy has died down.
“Tsk. That Jongin,” Luhan grunted while looking at his phone angrily. “He went to Japan!”
“Really?!” Sehun exclaimed while still keeping his eye on the road.
“And he said he doesn’t like traveling overseas. What a liar.”
“We can go to Japan next year.”
“We’re doing the same thing next year, remember?”
“Ah, that’s right.” Sehun said immediately, glancing at Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s reflection in the mirror. Chanyeol gave him a quick smile. “Summer then?”
“What do you mean summer? Why the hell would we go to Japan in summer? Are you stupid?”
“I’m still smarter than you!”
“There’s a difference between being smart and getting good grades, Sehun.”
Chanyeol laughed from the back seat. “Your remarks are getting sharper, huh, Luhan.”
“Please. I always own his ass.” Luhan said boastfully.
“I still pay for everything!”
“If it weren’t for us, you’d be rotting in your big house so shut up!”
“Chanyeol!” Sehun called, pouting.
Chanyeol chuckled at the weird look he had. “Don’t look at me. You gang up on me too.”
“That’s different! That’s out of love! He clearly despises me!” Sehun whined even more.
Chanyeol raised his eyebrow. “How sure are you that he’s not doing that out of love?”
Both Sehun and Luhan were obviously caught off-guard with the question.
Sehun was fidgeting shyly at his seat while forcing himself to look like he’s extremely focused on the road. “That…”
“Fog?” Luhan suddenly said.
Chanyeol looked outside the window after hearing Luhan point it out. “I almost couldn’t see anything. This is cool!”
“It’s not cool. I can’t see the road at all.” Sehun retorted, his voice slightly wavering from panic.
“Use the GPS.”
“I am!”
Luhan’s gasp suddenly surfaces around the van. “Sehun look out!”
Maybe it was a tree or a post, they weren’t sure.
But the impact was definitely too strong for the van to take that it was immediately thrown off.
Luhan’s body felt painful, owing to the bruises he got after being thrown out forcefully by Sehun-Sehun. He felt a sudden stabbing pain in his heart. It all happened so fast. The van crashed into something and the next thing he remembered was Sehun pushing him out of the van. His body was worn out but standing, frozen in his spot, in front of Sehun’s van upside down, he felt rather numb. There were debris everywhere, scattered around the area. He immediately ran towards the passenger seat where Chanyeol who’s supporting Baekhyun in his chest were lying unconsciously. The first thing he did was grab Baekhyun’s wrist. His tears were falling and only felt relief after confirming Baekhyun’s pulse. Then he grabbed Chanyeol’s shoulders to pull him out gently. He only managed to pull half of his body. He didn’t wipe his tears.
Why is this happening? He dropped on the ground. I don’t know what to do…
He crawled towards the driver’s seat where Sehun’s head and arm were sticking out. He grabbed hold of the younger’s hand and squeezes it gently. It’s cold. “Sehun…Sehun I don’t know what to do…” There’s no use crying for help. They’re in the middle of the road. His body was worn out that he couldn’t walk far to call for help. His phone and all their gadgets were broken by the impact. “Sehun, don’t leave me alone…I don’t know what to do…” He cried again, squeezing Sehun’s hands tighter.
Somebody…somebody please help my friends!
“EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! MAKE WAY EVERYONE! CLEAR THE HALLWAYS! CALL ALL THE AVAILABLE SURGEONS!”
Yixing dropped his coffee. Right there, where he was standing, when two four-wheeled stretchers passed by him, and on one of them, with zero uncertainty, was, “Baekhyun?!” He immediately ran towards the busy nurses to confirm, blending in with the crowd. “Oh my God…Baekhyun!” He scurried beside the boy and held his face. His face was full of cuts. His body was covered with blood. Shit, shit, shit, shit.
He was forced to let go of the boy when they finally reached operating room. Only two of them were brought to the operating room and it broke his heart knowing that one of them was Baekhyun and the other one…was Chanyeol.
“Yixing! What are you doing standing there?!”
His superior yelled in panic and Yixing immediately scurried to the emergency room, where the other two, expectedly Sehun and Luhan were brought.
When he arrived, Luhan was crying. He wasn’t lying on the stretcher; he was sitting, curled up, and trembling, like a scared child. He was spared with less damage. It’s understandable. And it’s not like Yixing wasn’t used to seeing people with that kind of reaction. However, it felt different when it’s someone you know.
Sehun looked horrible. He couldn’t even recognize his face. And then it dawned to him, while looking down at Sehun’s damaged body, if Baekhyun can survive this injury.
“Sir, can I…can you please give me permission to help in the surgery?!” Yixing pleaded while clutching the hem of his uniform.
“Ha? This isn’t the time to be saying nonsense Yixing! We have a patient here!”
“PLEASE!”
“If you’re not of any use here, go out! You’re going to have to report to the Head after this!”
Yixing had stopped listening and was already running out of the emergency room.
“Tsk. Useless nurse. Hey! We need more bandages here!”
Yixing could see the door. Please, was what’s running in his mind right now, please don’t let him die. Not like this.
He arrived in front of the door, panting. He was grabbing the knob when the door suddenly opened from the other side. He almost gasped at the sight of the surgeon. “Um, I came to help-“ What is this feeling? More importantly, where is the surgeon going…in the middle of the operation? Don’t tell me-
“Actually,” The surgeon said. “I was going to look for you as well.”
No… “What? Why? Did something happen?”
“Yixing, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”
>>
Pairing: Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Genre: Romance, Drama
Word Count: 26,ooo+
Summary: Chanyeol doesn’t miss a day confessing his love to Baekhyun. Baekhyun, on the other hand, doesn’t miss a day rejecting him.
The good news came after a month.
“Perform the surgery? What?” Chanyeol repeated, looking as perplexed as Baekhyun.
“Yes! Sehun’s father said he’d take care of the bills!” Luhan announced happily. They were at the rooftop eating lunch when Luhan came running with Sehun following close behind him.
All eyes were immediately on Sehun. Sehun looked away, embarrassed. Baekhyun was confused the most. “But…why?”
Luhan smiled giddily at him. “He didn’t tell you but he asked his dad if it’s alright to shoulder the financial needs of his friend and his father approved in the condition that he do well in the exams!”
“Sehun, you…”
“Well…I wanted to do something…at least. Chanyeol and Luhan are doing their best…so I can’t just sit and watch.” Sehun explained while still refusing to look at Baekhyun seeing as he’s blushing so much. “We’re friends…right?”
“Wha! He’s blushing so much! Hahaha!” Luhan exclaimed while constantly clicking his camera.
“Shut up and stop taking pictures!”
Baekhyun stood up and bowed promptly in front of Sehun. Sehun was rather shocked with the gesture. “I can’t express my gratitude to you and your father enough so I’m forever indebted to you.”
“Ah! Stop that! It’s okay! It’s normal, right?” Baekhyun looked up at him. “Friends help each other all the time!” Sehun says with a wide grin and Baekhyun had never felt so relieved hearing those words.
They were all contributing at the least and Baekhyun felt loved rather than pitied. It felt totally different from what he was expecting. It was a good feeling. Indeed, he could never be thankful enough.
Summer had passed in a blur and autumn was around the corner. The weather was getting colder and the days longer. All of them had gotten used to anxiety, panic, even fear.
“Here.” Chanyeol said while wrapping a warm jacket around Baekhyun who had forgotten to bring his jacket again. Sometimes Chanyeol wondered if he’s doing it on purpose but even if that’s the case, for what reason?
“Thank you.” Baekhyun smiled at him.
Baekhyun suddenly turned up in front of his apartment a few minutes ago, huffing due to the coldness, and slightly shaking. Chanyeol immediately dragged him inside and turned up the heater for the boy. He was trembling as he moved.
“Feeling warm enough?”
Baekhyun nodded with a smile. They’re at the living room, sitting together at the couch. Baekhyun had his knees pulled up to his chest while holding the cup of hot cocoa on top. Chanyeol felt warm just by looking at him.
“Baekhyun, you should’ve told me you were coming.”
“But then I won’t be able to see your surprised face,” Baekhyun replied with a playful grin.
“Again?” Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing Baekhyun dote on him pushes all his concerns out of the window. Well, there’s no helping it when it comes to this guy, after all. Chanyeol leaned slowly against the back of the couch with his arm placed atop. “So, why did you come here?”
“Ah!” Baekhyun grabbed something from the paper bag beside him with his left hand and then showed it to Chanyeol. It was a Superman movie, particularly Man of Steel.
“This is…”
“I wanted to watch it with you.”
“But don’t you hate this stuff? Superhero movies in general?”
Baekhyun tilted his head and gave him a refreshing eye smile. “But I like you.” Chanyeol could feel his heart suddenly beating so fast. “You’re Superman, right?”
@pcysuperman
Chanyeol chuckled at him. “Fine, fine. But once we play this, there’s no turning back!”
“Okay!”
Chanyeol crawled towards the video player. Baekhyun dropped his feet on the floor to place the cup on the table. However, after realizing that the floor feels warmer, he decided to slide down from the couch and sit on the floor. Chanyeol was surprised seeing him sitting on the floor when he turned back around after putting the CD on the player. Baekhyun just grinned at him.
“It’s warmer.” Baekhyun said simply while Chanyeol crawled beside him.
Chanyeol spread his legs in front while Baekhyun still had his knees pulled up to his chest, looking like a little ball wrapped around with Chanyeol’s coat.
“Baekhyun, come here.” Chanyeol said while tapping the space in between his thighs. Baekhyun was confused at first, staring blankly at Chanyeol, but he complied nonetheless and moved to seat in between Chanyeol’s thighs. Chanyeol could smell his shampoo and a faint smell of vanilla. He immediately wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s shoulder while resting his chin on top of the boy’s head. Baekhyun also leaned comfortably against him. Chanyeol had always wanted to spoon Baekhyun like this given that he just looked so small he could fit him in his pocket. And this felt warmer and more comfortable. Chanyeol hoped Baekhyun feels the same way getting embraced by him like this.
Chanyeol pressed the play button and the movie started.
During the second half of the movie, Baekhyun had started to doze off. Chanyeol noticed it because the boy’s head kept nodding.
“Baekhyun, should we stop the movie?”
Baekhyun raises his head up immediately. “Ah, no! I want to watch it to the end!”
“But aren’t you sleepy?”
“I’m fine.”
“But your health-“
“I’m fine.”
Chanyeol sighed in defeat. Moreover, he didn’t want Baekhyun to get upset over something like this and proceeded to change the subject. “Do you like the actor?”
Baekhyun nodded softly. “Yeah. He’s kind of hot. His body’s nice.”
“Ohoho, you like men with that kind of body, huh?”
Baekhyun’s laugh vibrated against Chanyeol’s chest. “I like men who aren’t too bulky in general. You know, with enough muscles. Like you.”
Chanyeol held him tighter. “Really?”
“Yes, okay. That’s why I like seeing you play basketball. It stretches out your proportions. You have a really nice body as an athlete. Your chest is broad and your arms are strong. That’s why it’s really comfortable when you embrace me like this.”
Saying those kinds of things could be taken differently, especially for Chanyeol, who already had Baekhyun cornered under him as soon as the shorter was done talking. “Are you giving me a subliminal message?”
“I did say I hated Superhero movies.”
“Don’t provoke me. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Baekhyun raised his right hand and touched Chanyeol’s cheek softly. “Are you capable of hurting me?”
Agh…screw it. Chanyeol thought. “You’ve done it now.” He abruptly grabbed Baekhyun’s wrists, pinning them to his sides as he leans down for a deep kiss. Chanyeol eventually released his grip on Baekhyun’s wrists while his tongue continued to explore Baekhyun’s mouth.
The heat between their bodies kept building up. Baekhyun looked rather luscious and that made Chanyeol even more determined to ravage him-that skin so white, that body so pure, he wants it all to himself.
Once he starts he’s never going to be able to stop. So he’s definitely going all out.
The week after was Chanyeol’s basketball game. However, two days before the said day of the game, Baekhyun had an unexpected attack while walking back from the convenience store with Luhan and was forced to be bedridden and in the end, missed the game.
It was unfortunate, especially since Baekhyun had been looking forward to seeing Chanyeol play in an official match. However, none of them showed any contempt and carried on with the days dragging them.
Their winter vacation came in a flash. Chanyeol became more attentive to Baekhyun due to the cold weather and also because Baekhyun never wears his coat (Chanyeol had finally proven that Baekhyun doesn’t forget his coat, he just doesn’t want to wear them).
Today, the whole gang was on their way to Sehun’s private cottage near a hot spring, a perfect getaway for winter. Chanyeol had a hard time convincing Yixing to let Baekhyun come with them but after a while, Yixing complied realizing that he couldn’t deprive Baekhyun of such things.
During the whole ride, Baekhyun slept against Chanyeol’s chest. He was like a hibernating animal, again, wrapped around in a warm coat. He looked paler as well. Slowly and slowly, he was starting to feel like a cadaver and with that thought in the back of his mind, Chanyeol held him tighter while trying to shake away his negative thoughts.
Sehun’s cottage was simple. There were three bedrooms, an average-sized kitchen and living room and a beautiful veranda. Unquestionably, Chanyeol got to stay in one room with Baekhyun. Luhan was stuck with Jongin while Sehun got a room all by himself.
Baekhyun stirred awake when Chanyeol was placing him on the couch slowly from carrying him around on his back. Baekhyun blinked his eyes repeatedly before yawning.
“Good morning, princess.” Luhan greeted in a teasing manner.
Baekhyun suddenly widened his eyes “Ah! This is…”
“Sehun’s cottage.”
“I slept all the way! I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay.” Luhan reassured him while chuckling.
“It must’ve been a bother.”
“No, don’t worry. For once, Sehun was quiet. So we’re quite thankful.”
“Hey!” Sehun yelled from the kitchen.
“WHAT?” Luhan snapped back while walking towards him.
Chanyeol sat beside Baekhyun and brought up his arm to ruffle the shorter’s hair. “Besides, Jongin sleeps more than you do.” They both turned to the opposite couch where Jongin was still quietly in deep sleep.
Baekhyun lifted his head slightly to smile at Chanyeol. Chanyeol immediately embraced him for being too adorable and leaned in for a kiss. Luhan, who had just walked out of the kitchen, unconsciously threw his magic dildo on them, fortunately hitting Chanyeol. Chanyeol turned to him in anger. “HEY!”
“We didn’t come here for you to do that!” Luhan yelled in exasperation. “Please be more considerate to those who are single!”
Baekhyun sat up straight, blinking. “Oh, right. Jongin…”
Luhan’s eyebrow twitched. “HUH? What about me?!”
Sehun was walking out of the kitchen behind Luhan, munching an apple, when… “But don’t you have Se-“
“WHOOOOOOOOOOO!” Sehun exclaimed out of the blue, probably interrupting Baekhyun on purpose. Everyone turned to him in shock, Luhan the most. “THIS APPLE IS FREAKING AWESOME!”
Chanyeol snorted.
Luhan gave him a look. “What the hell?”
“This apple!”
“It’s just an apple.”
“No! This is a freaking awesome apple!”
Luhan shook his head and decided to ignore him. He turned back to Baekhyun. “By the way, what were you say-“
“Come on Baekhyun, let’s go check our room.” Chanyeol said with his arm on Baekhyun’s shoulder, leading the male towards their shared room.
“Hey where are you going?!” Luhan exclaimed and then sighed.
Baekhyun immediately lit up the moment they got inside the room. He ran around, checking the bathroom, the closets and then hopped on the bed. He was too adorable Chanyeol couldn’t help but remain standing by the door, watching him. His laugh was all over the room. It sounded so refreshing.
“You like the place?”
“I love it!” Baekhyun exclaimed in response, enunciating the italics, while running towards the veranda and pushing the doors open. The cold win gushes in, pushing the curtains and messing up Baekhyun’s hair. The sky was gloomy without the presence of the sun but inside, it felt nothing like gloomy.
Chanyeol walked over behind Baekhyun and wrapped his arm around the shorter’s petite body. He’s gotten thinner. “We can come here every year if you want.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the four of us travel a lot during vacations, well, mainly because we don’t usually go home and meet our parents.” So to say, Chanyeol’s hometown was far away that it’s quite difficult to return home with the blizzard. Sehun’s parents were always rather busy during winter vacation (or every vacation) so they let him travel anywhere he wants. While Luhan, as far as his story goes, didn’t have a good relationship with his family so he always leaves home. “We can make it a rule to come here every winter vacation.”
“Will that be okay with them?”
“One look at your puppy eyes and they’ll budge!”
The door suddenly opened and Luhan walked in. “Hey, the food came.”
“It’s no use. He won’t wake up.” Luhan said, sighing frustration while taking a seat beside Sehun. “Honestly, I don’t know how Jongin can sleep for 18 hours straight.”
“He’s like a sloth, isn’t he?” Sehun commented while munching a chicken.
“Shut up, you’re not that different either. You’re lazy as well.”
“Why me?!”
Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun’s plate away. “Oi Sehun you’re sprinkling saliva all over the food!”
“We’re gonna get AIDS!” Luhan exclaimed, teasingly.
“What do you think am I?!”
Luhan turned to Chanyeol and Baekhyun. “So what do you plan to do after this?”
“Don’t ignore me!”
“SHUT UP!” Luhan yelled before pushing Sehun’s chair in which Sehun ended up falling to the ground.
“Hot spring?” Baekhyun chirped while chewing rice.
“Ah, Baekhyun, it’s a little late to go to the hot spring right now. We can go tomorrow.” Chanyeol told him.
“He’s right.” Luhan nodded. “Maybe we can go to the bazaar. Didn’t we pass by that on the way here?”
“You’re right. It might be livelier during the night.”
“Alright, then! It’s decided! We’re going to the bazaar later!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”
“Tsk. Look at these two,” Luhan mumbled by the side, looking a bit pissed at Sehun and Jongin who’s been laughing out loud since they arrived a minute ago after seeing a cheap theater that imitates events and people.
“They were against this because of their laziness but now they’re laughing like a hyena.” But no one was listening.
Baekhyun was busy looking around the little lights and the overlapping music. The stalls all looked so interesting to him. He was craning his neck everywhere Chanyeol was quiet worried he’d break it. He looked like a little kid; he was too excited. And that made Chanyeol happy. Baekhyun has such a pretty smile on his face.
Baekhyun blinked at something in a distance and then pulled Chanyeol’s arm. “Let’s go over there! I saw a stall selling hair ornaments!”
“Ornaments?”
They went nonetheless. Chanyeol noticed that Baekhyun looked pretty enthusiastic. “You like these stuff, Baek?”
Baekhyun nodded without any hesitation. “When I was a kid, my parents also used to take me to bazaars like this. My mom have always wanted a girl so she would dress me up and then put these on my hair. My dad never complained though. He said it’s okay as long as it makes my mother happy.”
He really loves his family. Chanyeol thought.
Baekhyun suddenly turned to him. “How about this?” He’s wearing what looks like small balls glued together downward so that it’s hanging on Baekhyun’s sideburns on the left side. The tiny leaves were a good touch too.
Chanyeol smiled at him. “It looks pretty on you. Hey, do you think one of these would suit me?” He asked while rummaging through the displays.
Baekhyun laughed at him. “I don’t know but you have a pretty face so I think it will! Just don’t talk.”
“I can already imagine how disgusting it is.”
Luhan suddenly appeared behind them. “Oh! That looks good on you, Baekhyun!”
“Luhan you should try one as well!”
“How about this?”
“Hey, take a picture together!”
“Chanyeol, you should take a picture with Baekhyun too!”
“Whoa, you two look really good!”
“Ahahaha, they’re blushing! Huh?” Luhan turned to Jongin who thought it’s okay for anyone to just put an ornament on but-“THAT LOOKS HORRIBLE JONGIN!”
“HAHAHAHAH! JONGIN THAT’S NO GOOD! YOU NEED TO HAVE MORE EXPRESSIONS!”
“HE LOOKS COMPLETELY DEAD! IT LOOKS AWFUL!”
Baekhyun walked over to Jongin. “Ah, try smiling a little, Jongin?”
Sehun raised his camera as Jongin attempted to smile. But then-“ARE YOU GOING TO KILL THE CAMERA?!”
“HE LOOKS LIKE A SERIAL KILLER! HAHAHAHAH!”
Chanyeol raised Jongin’s arm and then modified his hand into a shape. “ROCK ON!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH YOU’RE MEAN CHANYEOL!”
“HE LOOKS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!”
“Hey, stop it already, you guys.” Baekhyun interrupted at the side, pouting.
Chanyeol then placed his arm on Jongin’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. He’s used to it.”
“He likes it when people laugh at him.” Luhan added before walking. Chanyeol followed with Sehun.
Jongin turned to Baekhyun. “It’s not funny?”
“If I laugh now I won’t be able to stop laughing until tomorrow,” Baekhyun answered. He’s probably exaggerating but really it happened a lot of times before. He would laugh endlessly every time he remembered something that made him laugh hard. So to say, he’s got a pretty low level sense of humor. “But yeah, it’s funny.”
Jongin stared at him. “You should laugh more.”
“Huh?”
“It makes that idiot happy.”
They went back once Baekhyun started complaining about the cold.
They spent rest of the night with hanging around the cottage on their own. Sehun and Jongin were loudly playing online games at the living room while Luhan decided to quietly read a book in his and Jongin’s shared room.
Chanyeol and Baekhyun were quietly lying beside each other on their shared bed. Baekhyun was already sleeping while Chanyeol just watched him, his every breath, even the rise and fall of his chest. Baekhyun’s hand was cold. His whole body was cold even when he’s all curled up under a thick blanket.
Chanyeol held his hand tightly as he pulled the shorter closer to his chest, softly tucking him under his arms. I’ll keep you warm, okay Baekhyun? You just sleep…I’ll keep you warm. So you don’t have to go anywhere. Just stay here. I’ll keep you warm.
There wasn't a day that Chanyeol didn't feel the fear of losing Baekhyun. It’s like heaven was going to take him anytime. He'll keep on holding on to him tightly, just like this, every day.
“Hey.”
Baekhyun stirred awake at the light touch on his cheek but he didn’t open his eyes. Then he heard a faint chuckle beside him. “Wake up, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol whispered softly while caressing his forehead. Baekhyun blinked his eyes, opening them slowly and then flinching at the brightness of the morning. He turned his head to the side where Chanyeol was kneeling on the floor and smiling at him. “Good morning.” Chanyeol greeted before leaning over for a kiss. Baekhyun moaned under him in surprise until Chanyeol pulled away chuckling.
“Good morning, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun greeted back while stretching under the blankets.
“Sit up. I have a song for you.”
“A song?” Baekhyun asked while sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He checked the time while Chanyeol grabbed a chair and his guitar beside the bed. “Chanyeol, you’re bed hair is cute.”
“Yeah? Wait ‘til you see yourself in the mirror.” Chanyeol teased while chuckling. “Listen, okay?”
Baekhyun had both his eyes focused completely on Chanyeol. He looked fresh in the morning. He’s wearing a wife beater (Baekhyun's slightly guilty for snatching Chanyeol’s shirt) and khaki shorts that looks horrible but was cute on him nonetheless.
Chanyeol started strumming the guitar. He looked completely absorbed in it already. Baekhyun didn’t recognize the tune but it’s wonderful. Then Chanyeol cleared his throat while looking up at him. “When I see your smile, tears run down my face. I can’t replace,” Baekhyun was instantly mesmerized by his voice. He had never heard him sing before, he imagined it would be beautiful, but this was beyond that. “I will never let you fall. I’ll stand up with you forever. I’ll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.”
Chanyeol smiled while looking at him straight in the eyes. “It’s o-okay. It’s o-okay. It’s oka-a-ay. Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I’ll be the one,” He continued to sing. The lyrics sounded like it was his thoughts. Baekhyun could feel his heart from them. “I will never let you fall. I’ll stand with you forever. I’ll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven.”
“Cause you’re mine. You’re mine, my true love, my whole heart. Please don’t throw that away. Cause I’m here for you. Please don’t walk away, and please tell me you’ll stay.”
Again and again, Baekhyun would never get tired of hearing him sing this song.
A thousand, a hundred years…
I’ll be there for you through it all.
Always.
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.
Afternoon that day, they all proceeded to the hot springs. Baekhyun was overly excited about this that Luhan became a babysitter for a few minutes while Chanyeol and Sehun arranged their schedule at the counter since Baekhyun wouldn’t sit still. Luhan justified it must be because of the new environment but reconsidered when he realized Baekhyun wasn’t a little kid and was only acting like one. Anyhow, he enjoyed keeping an eye on Baekhyun. The younger had always been pretty reserved around everyone in their school and only had one expression every day that he wondered how Chanyeol couldn’t stop staring at him. So seeing him enjoying himself was sort of refreshing.
“Hey! Let’s go!” Chanyeol called from the counter. Baekhyun immediately ran towards him. Luhan followed them immediately after carrying his and Baekhyun’s bags.
The hot springs were nice. Thanks to Sehun and his money, they were able to book a private one. As soon as they got in, Sehun said that he needed to go back to the cottage to get something and thus left. Chanyeol immediately went in the water after taking off his clothes while Luhan made sure that Baekhyun was feeling fine to dip in the hot water. Baekhyun immediately told him not to worry so much since he wasn’t worried himself and that he felt completely fine being around them. Luhan then decided to let him be.
“Ahhh, this is so nice…” Luhan said while stretching in the water. “I want to stay here forever…”
“Yeah my shoulders have been tense for a while. It’s so nice being able to relax like this…”
“Especially after the exams. Man I’m never going to do last minute studying ever again! I almost fell asleep during the test!” Luhan exclaimed and Chanyeol laughed at him in response. “Oh Baekhyun, how’d you do? Or should I even be asking?”
“He does well even if he doesn’t study, you know.”
“That’s not true! I have to study too.”
“Ah, that’s right. You’re always in the top 5. I don’t think I’ve seen your name at the bottom of the ranking list. Unlike this guy over here.” Luhan snorted at Chanyeol beside him.
“Oy!”
“Did you know? He never has to look for his name in the ranking. It’s always the last number or the number before the last number.”
“I’m not that stupid!”
“Compared to us, you are,” Luhan retorted. “At least I always get to be in the top 100.”
“How about Sehun?”
“Sehun is always in the top 20.”
Chanyeol laughed at that. “He’s actually smarter than he looks.”
“Well it’s because he’s going to take over his father’s company in the future. So he has to study well and go to college. Man, if he doesn’t have us, his life would be boring!”
Baekhyun looked around after noticing something. “Um, where’s Jongin?” Chanyeol and Luhan glanced at each other, looking as clueless as Baekhyun.
“He went back to the city this morning,” They all turned around to Sehun who’s walking in with a towel on his waist. “His parents booked a last minute trip and he had to go back.”
Luhan sighed. “That’s too bad.”
“That said, he asked me to give this to you, Baekhyun,” Sehun knelt on the floor behind Baekhyun, handing him a box wrapped in a Christmas wrapper. “He was supposed to give this to you during at Christmas after we get back to the city but he won’t be able to come so…you can open it now or after we get back.”
Baekhyun took the gift. “I’ll open it now.”
“My, aren’t you excited?” Luhan teased across him.
“I want to thank him as soon as possible.” Baekhyun carefully unwrapped the gift and then gasped the moment he sees what’s inside the box.
Chanyeol moved closer to him to see. “Ah! Isn’t this…”
Sehun leaned closer from the floor. “You’re right.”
“It’s the ornament we were playing with last night!”
“Seriously?” Luhan said while slowly walking closer through the water. “Whoa, it really is! Isn’t that nice, Baekhyun? He bought it for you!”
“Sneaky Jongin.” Sehun murmured while slowly getting in to the water.
“Wear it Baekhyun!” Luhan exclaimed excitedly while playing with Baekhyun’s hair.
“It’ll get wet! Go play with your own toy, Luhan!” Chanyeol yelled while kicking Luhan away.
“Shut up! I forgot my magic dildo!”
“Is that the only toy you have?!”
“You should laugh more.” Baekhyun smiled remembering what Jongin told him last night. He felt so lucky to be surrounded by people like them. He kind of regrets not opening up his heart earlier but right now, he’s going to do everything he could to reciprocate all the good things these people showed him. He had never wanted to live more before he met them. And of course, that’s all in gratitude to Chanyeol who miraculously never gave up on him.
He’s definitely the luckiest person in the world.
The morning they go home, the sky was gloomy and Baekhyun didn’t like it. He woke up to a dark room because the sun didn’t come out. However, seeing Chanyeol’s face and hearing his voice greet him was enough to brighten up the rest of the day for him.
The time was 11:00 AM and the sky wasn’t getting any brighter. Baekhyun was helping Luhan clean up in the kitchen after their late breakfast while Chanyeol and Sehun carried their bags to the van.
“Did you have fun?” Luhan asked while washing the plates.
Baekhyun paused from wiping the table to look up at him. “I did.”
“Oh, that’s right! Chanyeol told me you wanted to come here every year?” Suddenly, Baekhyun felt the embarrassment and Luhan laughed at his flustered face. “It’s okay, Baekhyun. We’d love to come here every year. Actually, it’s better to have that kind of agreement between friends right?”
“R-really?”
“Yes, and besides, that way we won’t have to keep choosing where to go every year. Man, most of the times we end up in a dead-end because we can’t decide where to go. So it’s all good!” Luhan said enthusiastically. “Wah, I’m getting all excited. Hahaha. After your surgery, we’ll be able to do lots of things!”
In that moment Baekhyun realized that the reason these people were so close to his heart even when he hadn’t known them that long was because they all emit positive energies that being with them made Baekhyun feel like nothing is wrong, that nothing would ever go wrong.
Chanyeol peeked from the doorway. “Are you two good to go?”
“Yes, just a few more!”
“Man, I can’t tell if it’s going to rain or if it’s going to snow,” was what Sehun said the minute he got on the driver’s seat.
Luhan put on his seatbelt before glancing up the sky. “The weather doesn’t look good. You gotta drive fast Sehun.” Then he turned around to Baekhyun and Chanyeol who were already looking comfy. “You all set?” Chanyeol nodded. Luhan noticed that Baekhyun was slowly falling asleep. Looks like he’ll be sleeping on the drive back as well.
Sehun started the engine and checked the headlights before driving away from the cottage, slowly at first because of the thick snow but after getting to the main road he changed gears and drove a little faster.
The first few hours of the drive were rather quiet. It’s understandable because they’re tired but probably because the air was a little gloomy that there’s no point in trying to be cheerful. Besides, they’re already going home. All the energy has died down.
“Tsk. That Jongin,” Luhan grunted while looking at his phone angrily. “He went to Japan!”
“Really?!” Sehun exclaimed while still keeping his eye on the road.
“And he said he doesn’t like traveling overseas. What a liar.”
“We can go to Japan next year.”
“We’re doing the same thing next year, remember?”
“Ah, that’s right.” Sehun said immediately, glancing at Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s reflection in the mirror. Chanyeol gave him a quick smile. “Summer then?”
“What do you mean summer? Why the hell would we go to Japan in summer? Are you stupid?”
“I’m still smarter than you!”
“There’s a difference between being smart and getting good grades, Sehun.”
Chanyeol laughed from the back seat. “Your remarks are getting sharper, huh, Luhan.”
“Please. I always own his ass.” Luhan said boastfully.
“I still pay for everything!”
“If it weren’t for us, you’d be rotting in your big house so shut up!”
“Chanyeol!” Sehun called, pouting.
Chanyeol chuckled at the weird look he had. “Don’t look at me. You gang up on me too.”
“That’s different! That’s out of love! He clearly despises me!” Sehun whined even more.
Chanyeol raised his eyebrow. “How sure are you that he’s not doing that out of love?”
Both Sehun and Luhan were obviously caught off-guard with the question.
Sehun was fidgeting shyly at his seat while forcing himself to look like he’s extremely focused on the road. “That…”
“Fog?” Luhan suddenly said.
Chanyeol looked outside the window after hearing Luhan point it out. “I almost couldn’t see anything. This is cool!”
“It’s not cool. I can’t see the road at all.” Sehun retorted, his voice slightly wavering from panic.
“Use the GPS.”
“I am!”
Luhan’s gasp suddenly surfaces around the van. “Sehun look out!”
Maybe it was a tree or a post, they weren’t sure.
But the impact was definitely too strong for the van to take that it was immediately thrown off.
Luhan’s body felt painful, owing to the bruises he got after being thrown out forcefully by Sehun-Sehun. He felt a sudden stabbing pain in his heart. It all happened so fast. The van crashed into something and the next thing he remembered was Sehun pushing him out of the van. His body was worn out but standing, frozen in his spot, in front of Sehun’s van upside down, he felt rather numb. There were debris everywhere, scattered around the area. He immediately ran towards the passenger seat where Chanyeol who’s supporting Baekhyun in his chest were lying unconsciously. The first thing he did was grab Baekhyun’s wrist. His tears were falling and only felt relief after confirming Baekhyun’s pulse. Then he grabbed Chanyeol’s shoulders to pull him out gently. He only managed to pull half of his body. He didn’t wipe his tears.
Why is this happening? He dropped on the ground. I don’t know what to do…
He crawled towards the driver’s seat where Sehun’s head and arm were sticking out. He grabbed hold of the younger’s hand and squeezes it gently. It’s cold. “Sehun…Sehun I don’t know what to do…” There’s no use crying for help. They’re in the middle of the road. His body was worn out that he couldn’t walk far to call for help. His phone and all their gadgets were broken by the impact. “Sehun, don’t leave me alone…I don’t know what to do…” He cried again, squeezing Sehun’s hands tighter.
Somebody…somebody please help my friends!
“EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! MAKE WAY EVERYONE! CLEAR THE HALLWAYS! CALL ALL THE AVAILABLE SURGEONS!”
Yixing dropped his coffee. Right there, where he was standing, when two four-wheeled stretchers passed by him, and on one of them, with zero uncertainty, was, “Baekhyun?!” He immediately ran towards the busy nurses to confirm, blending in with the crowd. “Oh my God…Baekhyun!” He scurried beside the boy and held his face. His face was full of cuts. His body was covered with blood. Shit, shit, shit, shit.
He was forced to let go of the boy when they finally reached operating room. Only two of them were brought to the operating room and it broke his heart knowing that one of them was Baekhyun and the other one…was Chanyeol.
“Yixing! What are you doing standing there?!”
His superior yelled in panic and Yixing immediately scurried to the emergency room, where the other two, expectedly Sehun and Luhan were brought.
When he arrived, Luhan was crying. He wasn’t lying on the stretcher; he was sitting, curled up, and trembling, like a scared child. He was spared with less damage. It’s understandable. And it’s not like Yixing wasn’t used to seeing people with that kind of reaction. However, it felt different when it’s someone you know.
Sehun looked horrible. He couldn’t even recognize his face. And then it dawned to him, while looking down at Sehun’s damaged body, if Baekhyun can survive this injury.
“Sir, can I…can you please give me permission to help in the surgery?!” Yixing pleaded while clutching the hem of his uniform.
“Ha? This isn’t the time to be saying nonsense Yixing! We have a patient here!”
“PLEASE!”
“If you’re not of any use here, go out! You’re going to have to report to the Head after this!”
Yixing had stopped listening and was already running out of the emergency room.
“Tsk. Useless nurse. Hey! We need more bandages here!”
Yixing could see the door. Please, was what’s running in his mind right now, please don’t let him die. Not like this.
He arrived in front of the door, panting. He was grabbing the knob when the door suddenly opened from the other side. He almost gasped at the sight of the surgeon. “Um, I came to help-“ What is this feeling? More importantly, where is the surgeon going…in the middle of the operation? Don’t tell me-
“Actually,” The surgeon said. “I was going to look for you as well.”
No… “What? Why? Did something happen?”
“Yixing, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”
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