Cinders and Ashes [Part 4]
Title: Cinders and Ashes [Part 4: Until They Meet Again]
Rating: PG
Author: magnoliapattern
Pairing: Krisyeol
WARNING: CONTAINS STUPIDITY AND COMPLETE CHEESE ON SOME PARTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Summary: Once, there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. There begins the tale that we all know of, but really, this one doesn’t begin that way.
Cool sterile air.
Incessant beeping.
Soft sheets and pillow.
This couldn’t be my attic.
Chanyeol tries to open his eyes and go look for someone to tell him what’s going on, but his eyelids just won’t cooperate. He groans, this time out of frustration, and that’s when he hears the sound of rustling sheets from his side. A weight is suddenly lifted off from the mattress as a hand runs through is hair in a familiar and comforting manner.
“Chanyeol? You with me this time?” A voice asks and Chanyeol sighs with relief. Kris.
“Wh’r am I?” Chanyeol asks, still trying to pry open his eyes. His throat is sore and voice sounds raw, causing him to cough a little.
“Hospital. Wait a sec.” Kris says and the hand disappears. When Chanyeol finally manages to open his eyes a little, he sees Kris handing him a cup. The other brings it to his lips, and lets Chanyeol take a few sips of water before taking the cup away. Inside the room it’s dark, so Chanyeol assumes that it’s already nighttime.
“What happened?” Chanyeol asks once Kris’s facing him again.
“You got really sick. You’ve been asleep for a while, you know.” Kris says, looking like he’s about to cry.
Chanyeol tries to answer but ends up coughing instead. Kris rubs soothing circles on his chest as he waits for the other’s coughing fit to pass. “Easy there,” Kris says once Chanyeol’s regained control of his breathing, “you just got the tube out a couple of days ago so your throat must still be sore, and you got that thing in your nose, so.”
“Tube?” Chanyeol asks, feeling the nasal cannula running from his nose, and Kris nods. “How long? In here, I mean, how long?”
Kris chokes back a sob before answering. “Too long.” And then lunges forward to hug Chanyeol tightly. Chanyeol can feel Kris shaking, his tears soaking Chanyeol’s hospital gown, so he brings his hands up to return the embrace.
“I was so scared.” Kris says between sobs. “I thought we were too late. You were just, you were in my arms and then you… you stopped breathing and then your heart stopped beating and I was so scared.” Kris says, now crying openly. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“But I’m here.” Chanyeol replies, hugging the other tighter. Kris lets go a little in order to look Chanyeol in the eye, and that’s when Chanyeol sees what Kris meant by too long. The other’s hair is unkempt, with stray strands sticking out everywhere, has a few days’ worth of stubble, wearing clothing that don’t look like they’re his, and has dark circles under his eyes.
“Yeah, you’re here.” Kris replies, smiling and wiping at his tears.
“You should get some rest, you look tired.” Chanyeol says, frowning at Kris’s current appearance.
“Well, the past days had been rough.” Kris replies with a little laugh. “But I’m okay. I look worse than I feel; maybe I do need a shower.” He contemplates as he pushes Chanyeol to lie back on the bed. “You, on the other hand, probably feel as awful as you look.”
“I look awful?” Chanyeol jokingly says, a small smile gracing his features. He can already feel the pull of sleep taking over.
Kris laughs as he pulls the blanket up to Chanyeol’s shoulders. “Nah, I was just kidding. Now, go to sleep.”
“Only if you promise to go to sleep, too.” Chanyeol says before letting out a yawn.
“Promise.” Kris replies, smoothing out Chanyeol’s hair as the other closes his eyes.
“Be here when I wake up?” Chanyeol asks.
“Of course.” Kris replies. The last thing that Chanyeol feels before sleep pulls him under is the feel of Kris’s lips on his forehead.
~O~
“Kris?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you staring at me?” Chanyeol asks before turning his head away from the TV and looking to the side, and sure enough, Kris is staring at him.
“Nothing. Why do you ask?” Kris replies with a smile. Chanyeol huffs before yawning.
“You’re still sleepy.” Kris muses, still smiling at Chanyeol.
“Don’t change the subject.” Chanyeol says. “Something’s bothering you.”
Kris gets up from his seat and pulls the chair closer to Chanyeol. He sits down and stares at Chanyeol at eye level. “Nope. Nothing’s bothering me.”
“Jesus Christ!” Chanyeol exclaims, frowning at Kris before once again letting out a yawn that causes Kris to laugh at him. “Shut up. Just tell me what’s up.”
“I told you, nothing!” Kris says, and Chanyeol pouts at him. Just then, the door to the room opens, revealing Tao and Yixing.
“Oh shit!” Yixing says once seeing the two. Tao freezes up once he sees the two, but immediately gives Kris a sly smile.
“We’ll just drop by later.” Tao declares before dragging Yixing out of the room. Kris returns his attention back to Chanyeol, but finds the other already asleep. He lets out a little laugh before smiling fondly at the sleeping boy.
“Yeah, absolutely nothing.”
~O~
A cold and damp feeling against Chanyeol’s lips brings him back from the realms of sleep. There’s a weight beside him on the mattress and voices all around him; very familiar voices.
“Jesus Christ! Jinri, get down here!” A voice says, from the foot of the bed.
“But his lips are dry; they must hurt.” A voice, small and childish, from his left says. When he opens his eyes, he sees a girl smiling at him, holding a damp washcloth.
“Hi!” She says, before a slightly chubby but tall man escorts her from the bed and down to the ground. When he looks around, Chanyeol sees the rest of SHINee all smiling at him.
“Hey guys.” Chanyeol says as he tries to get up. Minho is immediately by his right; propping up his pillows and helping him lean against them. “Jonghyun, you okay?” Chanyeol asks, a small and distant memory of a brown-haired guy falling in battle suddenly assaulting him.
Jonghyun looks at him like he has two heads. “Yeah, I’m okay. You on the other hand…”
“I’m fine.” Chanyeol replies.
“Yeah right.” Minho says from his right. “By the way, that’s Kyuhyun, also known as Evil Kyu; he’s another one of us, Prof. Shim’s men. The girl is Jinri.”
“Hi.” Chanyeol says, smiling. “You were there. In the attic, I mean. I think I heard you and Jonghyun talking to each other when I was sick.”
“Yeah. I was there.” Kyuhyun replies. Then there’s a comfortable silence in which the only sound of the heart monitor can be heard.
“You guys look pretty tired.” Chanyeol comments.
“You have no idea.” Kibum says, but he’s smiling.
“It’s been a rough two weeks.” Jonghyun muses, nodding his head.
“Two weeks? No wonder you’re all tired.” Chanyeol replies.
“I wasn’t talking about us.” Jonghyun replies, looking straight at Chanyeol. “I was talking about you guys in here.”
“What?” Chanyeol asks, and then suddenly, realization dawns upon him. “I’ve been… two weeks? No way!”
“Yeah, sorry.” Minhos says, putting a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder.
“No wonder Kris’s acting weird.” Chanyeol says, his whole body trembling. Suddenly, a pair of small arms is hugging him, and soft hair touches his face.
“It’s okay.” The girl, Jinri, says. “You’re okay now and that’s all that matters.” She holds him like that until Chanyeol calms down, and then she lets go and sits beside him.
“You should rest.” Kyuhyun says, eyeing the machines around Chanyeol. “The fact that those are still hooked up to you mean you’re not a hundred percent yet.”
“Besides, we just dropped by to see how you’re doing and to thank you personally.” Kibum says.
“Thank me? For what?” Chanyeol asks, surprised.
“We’ll tell you some other time.” Minho says before motioning for Jinri to help him. “For now, you must rest so that you can ditch these noisy things.
“Does that mean that I’ll see you guys again?” Chanyeol asks as Jinri gently pushes him back to lie down.
“Trust me, you will.” Jonghyun says with a smile before looking at his brother.
“Just what is going on in the future?” Chanyeol asks, frustrated. Jinri just laughs and takes one if his hands before putting something in it and closing it.
“You’ll know soon enough. You just have to be patient.” She says. Chanyeol looks at the thing in his hand and realizes that it’s a woven bracelet with lettered beads spelling out his name.
“Wow. Thank you.” He says, as Jinri helps him tie the knot that will secure the bracelet. “But what is it for?”
“It’s a thank you gift.” She replies. “I thought it would be nice if you had it now than later, you know.”
“Thank you gift for what?” Chanyeol asks. Jinri just kisses him on the cheek before whispering, “For being the most awesome person in the world.” They just smile at each other until Jonghyun announces that they have to leave. They bid each other goodbye, SHINee members patting Chanyeol on the shoulder and Jinri kissing him on the cheek once again, before they all crowd into the bathroom. Chanyeol hears some rustling and pained cries inside before Minho counts them off and the noise disappears. He then eyes the bracelet, and for some reason, he feels a surge of pride.
~O~
“Do I really have to do this?” Chanyeol asks Kris as the other helps him get on the wheelchair.
“Yes.” Kris replies as he hands Chanyeol a sweater. “Put that on.”
“I can walk, you know.” Chanyeol replies after he puts on Kris’s sweater.
“Shut up and listen to the doctor.” Kris says, as he turns his attention to Chanyeol’s doctor, Dr. Kwon.
“Okay.” She says before looking Kris in the eyes. “Chanyeol’s stubborn, so I’ll leave it up to you to make sure he gets rest okay?” She asks and Kris nods, before looking at Chanyeol pointedly. “Now, complete bed rest.” Chanyeol groans in protest. “Shut up. Complete bed rest; make sure he gets a lot of fluids in him and no skipping meals. Don’t forget to give him his meds and make sure that his surroundings are clean. He’s still recuperating and is very vulnerable to all kinds of sickness.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he does all that.” Kris says with a nod.
“Oh, and don’t forget the monthly check-ups.” She says before turning to Chanyeol. “We have to watch that heart of yours and make sure that there aren’t any complications with your second bout of rheumatic fever. Did you really think that not telling anyone about your earlier episode of the fever when you were a kid is a justifiable action?”
“I just…” Chanyeol starts to justify himself.
“Not open for discussion.” Dr. Kwon replies.
“Okay.” Chanyeol replies, resigned.
“We better get going. Siwon’s already waiting for us downstairs.” Kris says.
“Okay. Have a safe trip, then!” Dr. Kwon says as she waves them off. Kris wheels Chanyeol off his room to the elevator, bidding goodbye to the nurses and doctors that he has come to know in the hospital along the way.
“One month, huh.” Chanyeol says when they’re already inside the elevator. He feels Kris’ grip on the handlebars of the wheelchair tighten at the statement.
“You sure took your time.” Kris replies, voice clipped.
“But what happened to Yoochun?” Chanyeol asks, voice small. He feels a comforting hand on his shoulder and sees that Kris is now kneeling beside him.
“Let’s just say that Siwon and Luhan already took care of him. He won’t bother you anymore, that’s for sure.”
“And the others in the house? Taemin and Jongin?”
“I don’t know what happened to Taemin and Jongin, though the others were given to social services.”
“They were all underage?” Chanyeol asks, thinking of Sehun and the bruises on his wrist.
“Not all of them, but the younger ones refuse to be separated from the older ones, so…”
“I always thought that the only way for me to get out of there was in a body bag.” Chanyeol muses and Kris gasps. “I’ve always wanted to get everyone out of there, especially when I see what the people outside do to them.”
“How come you never did what they did?” Kris asks.
“I did at first. But I always did fight back, and Yoochun resolved the issue by making me stay in the attic and leaving me to do all the chores in the house.”
“Just you?”
“You did say that I have an obscene amount of chores.”
“I’ve known Yoochun for quite some time. I mean, just as the guy who owns the record shop down the corner, but I never thought that he also owned a few strip clubs.” Kris says, frowning. The elevator door opens and Kris wheels Chanyeol out to the front door where the car is waiting for them. Luhan helps Kris get Chanyeol inside the car and after a while, they signal for Siwon to finally drive off.
“So, I’ve taken care of the arrangements in the house according to the doctor’s orders.” Luhan says. “Everything’s all set for Chanyeol’s arrival.”
“Kris, you don’t have to do this.” Chanyeol says, frowning at Kris.
“And I told you that I want to.” Kris replies. “And besides, you don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Baekhyun’s!”
“He’s working, Chanyeol. He won’t be able to take care of you. I’ll just end up going to his place every day to make sure you stay put.”
“Well, you have school too!”
“Chanyeol,” Kris says before pulling the boy to lean against his side, “school ended a week before you woke up.”
“Oh.” Was the only thing Chanyeol could say. “Will we be there soon?”
“Yeah.” This time, it’s Siwon who replies.
“Sleep. I’ll wake you up when we’re there.” Kris says before Chanyeol closes his eyes, the soft sound of Kris humming lulling him to sleep.
next part
Rating: PG
Author: magnoliapattern
Pairing: Krisyeol
WARNING: CONTAINS STUPIDITY AND COMPLETE CHEESE ON SOME PARTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Summary: Once, there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. There begins the tale that we all know of, but really, this one doesn’t begin that way.
Cool sterile air.
Incessant beeping.
Soft sheets and pillow.
This couldn’t be my attic.
Chanyeol tries to open his eyes and go look for someone to tell him what’s going on, but his eyelids just won’t cooperate. He groans, this time out of frustration, and that’s when he hears the sound of rustling sheets from his side. A weight is suddenly lifted off from the mattress as a hand runs through is hair in a familiar and comforting manner.
“Chanyeol? You with me this time?” A voice asks and Chanyeol sighs with relief. Kris.
“Wh’r am I?” Chanyeol asks, still trying to pry open his eyes. His throat is sore and voice sounds raw, causing him to cough a little.
“Hospital. Wait a sec.” Kris says and the hand disappears. When Chanyeol finally manages to open his eyes a little, he sees Kris handing him a cup. The other brings it to his lips, and lets Chanyeol take a few sips of water before taking the cup away. Inside the room it’s dark, so Chanyeol assumes that it’s already nighttime.
“What happened?” Chanyeol asks once Kris’s facing him again.
“You got really sick. You’ve been asleep for a while, you know.” Kris says, looking like he’s about to cry.
Chanyeol tries to answer but ends up coughing instead. Kris rubs soothing circles on his chest as he waits for the other’s coughing fit to pass. “Easy there,” Kris says once Chanyeol’s regained control of his breathing, “you just got the tube out a couple of days ago so your throat must still be sore, and you got that thing in your nose, so.”
“Tube?” Chanyeol asks, feeling the nasal cannula running from his nose, and Kris nods. “How long? In here, I mean, how long?”
Kris chokes back a sob before answering. “Too long.” And then lunges forward to hug Chanyeol tightly. Chanyeol can feel Kris shaking, his tears soaking Chanyeol’s hospital gown, so he brings his hands up to return the embrace.
“I was so scared.” Kris says between sobs. “I thought we were too late. You were just, you were in my arms and then you… you stopped breathing and then your heart stopped beating and I was so scared.” Kris says, now crying openly. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“But I’m here.” Chanyeol replies, hugging the other tighter. Kris lets go a little in order to look Chanyeol in the eye, and that’s when Chanyeol sees what Kris meant by too long. The other’s hair is unkempt, with stray strands sticking out everywhere, has a few days’ worth of stubble, wearing clothing that don’t look like they’re his, and has dark circles under his eyes.
“Yeah, you’re here.” Kris replies, smiling and wiping at his tears.
“You should get some rest, you look tired.” Chanyeol says, frowning at Kris’s current appearance.
“Well, the past days had been rough.” Kris replies with a little laugh. “But I’m okay. I look worse than I feel; maybe I do need a shower.” He contemplates as he pushes Chanyeol to lie back on the bed. “You, on the other hand, probably feel as awful as you look.”
“I look awful?” Chanyeol jokingly says, a small smile gracing his features. He can already feel the pull of sleep taking over.
Kris laughs as he pulls the blanket up to Chanyeol’s shoulders. “Nah, I was just kidding. Now, go to sleep.”
“Only if you promise to go to sleep, too.” Chanyeol says before letting out a yawn.
“Promise.” Kris replies, smoothing out Chanyeol’s hair as the other closes his eyes.
“Be here when I wake up?” Chanyeol asks.
“Of course.” Kris replies. The last thing that Chanyeol feels before sleep pulls him under is the feel of Kris’s lips on his forehead.
~O~
“Kris?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you staring at me?” Chanyeol asks before turning his head away from the TV and looking to the side, and sure enough, Kris is staring at him.
“Nothing. Why do you ask?” Kris replies with a smile. Chanyeol huffs before yawning.
“You’re still sleepy.” Kris muses, still smiling at Chanyeol.
“Don’t change the subject.” Chanyeol says. “Something’s bothering you.”
Kris gets up from his seat and pulls the chair closer to Chanyeol. He sits down and stares at Chanyeol at eye level. “Nope. Nothing’s bothering me.”
“Jesus Christ!” Chanyeol exclaims, frowning at Kris before once again letting out a yawn that causes Kris to laugh at him. “Shut up. Just tell me what’s up.”
“I told you, nothing!” Kris says, and Chanyeol pouts at him. Just then, the door to the room opens, revealing Tao and Yixing.
“Oh shit!” Yixing says once seeing the two. Tao freezes up once he sees the two, but immediately gives Kris a sly smile.
“We’ll just drop by later.” Tao declares before dragging Yixing out of the room. Kris returns his attention back to Chanyeol, but finds the other already asleep. He lets out a little laugh before smiling fondly at the sleeping boy.
“Yeah, absolutely nothing.”
~O~
A cold and damp feeling against Chanyeol’s lips brings him back from the realms of sleep. There’s a weight beside him on the mattress and voices all around him; very familiar voices.
“Jesus Christ! Jinri, get down here!” A voice says, from the foot of the bed.
“But his lips are dry; they must hurt.” A voice, small and childish, from his left says. When he opens his eyes, he sees a girl smiling at him, holding a damp washcloth.
“Hi!” She says, before a slightly chubby but tall man escorts her from the bed and down to the ground. When he looks around, Chanyeol sees the rest of SHINee all smiling at him.
“Hey guys.” Chanyeol says as he tries to get up. Minho is immediately by his right; propping up his pillows and helping him lean against them. “Jonghyun, you okay?” Chanyeol asks, a small and distant memory of a brown-haired guy falling in battle suddenly assaulting him.
Jonghyun looks at him like he has two heads. “Yeah, I’m okay. You on the other hand…”
“I’m fine.” Chanyeol replies.
“Yeah right.” Minho says from his right. “By the way, that’s Kyuhyun, also known as Evil Kyu; he’s another one of us, Prof. Shim’s men. The girl is Jinri.”
“Hi.” Chanyeol says, smiling. “You were there. In the attic, I mean. I think I heard you and Jonghyun talking to each other when I was sick.”
“Yeah. I was there.” Kyuhyun replies. Then there’s a comfortable silence in which the only sound of the heart monitor can be heard.
“You guys look pretty tired.” Chanyeol comments.
“You have no idea.” Kibum says, but he’s smiling.
“It’s been a rough two weeks.” Jonghyun muses, nodding his head.
“Two weeks? No wonder you’re all tired.” Chanyeol replies.
“I wasn’t talking about us.” Jonghyun replies, looking straight at Chanyeol. “I was talking about you guys in here.”
“What?” Chanyeol asks, and then suddenly, realization dawns upon him. “I’ve been… two weeks? No way!”
“Yeah, sorry.” Minhos says, putting a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder.
“No wonder Kris’s acting weird.” Chanyeol says, his whole body trembling. Suddenly, a pair of small arms is hugging him, and soft hair touches his face.
“It’s okay.” The girl, Jinri, says. “You’re okay now and that’s all that matters.” She holds him like that until Chanyeol calms down, and then she lets go and sits beside him.
“You should rest.” Kyuhyun says, eyeing the machines around Chanyeol. “The fact that those are still hooked up to you mean you’re not a hundred percent yet.”
“Besides, we just dropped by to see how you’re doing and to thank you personally.” Kibum says.
“Thank me? For what?” Chanyeol asks, surprised.
“We’ll tell you some other time.” Minho says before motioning for Jinri to help him. “For now, you must rest so that you can ditch these noisy things.
“Does that mean that I’ll see you guys again?” Chanyeol asks as Jinri gently pushes him back to lie down.
“Trust me, you will.” Jonghyun says with a smile before looking at his brother.
“Just what is going on in the future?” Chanyeol asks, frustrated. Jinri just laughs and takes one if his hands before putting something in it and closing it.
“You’ll know soon enough. You just have to be patient.” She says. Chanyeol looks at the thing in his hand and realizes that it’s a woven bracelet with lettered beads spelling out his name.
“Wow. Thank you.” He says, as Jinri helps him tie the knot that will secure the bracelet. “But what is it for?”
“It’s a thank you gift.” She replies. “I thought it would be nice if you had it now than later, you know.”
“Thank you gift for what?” Chanyeol asks. Jinri just kisses him on the cheek before whispering, “For being the most awesome person in the world.” They just smile at each other until Jonghyun announces that they have to leave. They bid each other goodbye, SHINee members patting Chanyeol on the shoulder and Jinri kissing him on the cheek once again, before they all crowd into the bathroom. Chanyeol hears some rustling and pained cries inside before Minho counts them off and the noise disappears. He then eyes the bracelet, and for some reason, he feels a surge of pride.
~O~
“Do I really have to do this?” Chanyeol asks Kris as the other helps him get on the wheelchair.
“Yes.” Kris replies as he hands Chanyeol a sweater. “Put that on.”
“I can walk, you know.” Chanyeol replies after he puts on Kris’s sweater.
“Shut up and listen to the doctor.” Kris says, as he turns his attention to Chanyeol’s doctor, Dr. Kwon.
“Okay.” She says before looking Kris in the eyes. “Chanyeol’s stubborn, so I’ll leave it up to you to make sure he gets rest okay?” She asks and Kris nods, before looking at Chanyeol pointedly. “Now, complete bed rest.” Chanyeol groans in protest. “Shut up. Complete bed rest; make sure he gets a lot of fluids in him and no skipping meals. Don’t forget to give him his meds and make sure that his surroundings are clean. He’s still recuperating and is very vulnerable to all kinds of sickness.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he does all that.” Kris says with a nod.
“Oh, and don’t forget the monthly check-ups.” She says before turning to Chanyeol. “We have to watch that heart of yours and make sure that there aren’t any complications with your second bout of rheumatic fever. Did you really think that not telling anyone about your earlier episode of the fever when you were a kid is a justifiable action?”
“I just…” Chanyeol starts to justify himself.
“Not open for discussion.” Dr. Kwon replies.
“Okay.” Chanyeol replies, resigned.
“We better get going. Siwon’s already waiting for us downstairs.” Kris says.
“Okay. Have a safe trip, then!” Dr. Kwon says as she waves them off. Kris wheels Chanyeol off his room to the elevator, bidding goodbye to the nurses and doctors that he has come to know in the hospital along the way.
“One month, huh.” Chanyeol says when they’re already inside the elevator. He feels Kris’ grip on the handlebars of the wheelchair tighten at the statement.
“You sure took your time.” Kris replies, voice clipped.
“But what happened to Yoochun?” Chanyeol asks, voice small. He feels a comforting hand on his shoulder and sees that Kris is now kneeling beside him.
“Let’s just say that Siwon and Luhan already took care of him. He won’t bother you anymore, that’s for sure.”
“And the others in the house? Taemin and Jongin?”
“I don’t know what happened to Taemin and Jongin, though the others were given to social services.”
“They were all underage?” Chanyeol asks, thinking of Sehun and the bruises on his wrist.
“Not all of them, but the younger ones refuse to be separated from the older ones, so…”
“I always thought that the only way for me to get out of there was in a body bag.” Chanyeol muses and Kris gasps. “I’ve always wanted to get everyone out of there, especially when I see what the people outside do to them.”
“How come you never did what they did?” Kris asks.
“I did at first. But I always did fight back, and Yoochun resolved the issue by making me stay in the attic and leaving me to do all the chores in the house.”
“Just you?”
“You did say that I have an obscene amount of chores.”
“I’ve known Yoochun for quite some time. I mean, just as the guy who owns the record shop down the corner, but I never thought that he also owned a few strip clubs.” Kris says, frowning. The elevator door opens and Kris wheels Chanyeol out to the front door where the car is waiting for them. Luhan helps Kris get Chanyeol inside the car and after a while, they signal for Siwon to finally drive off.
“So, I’ve taken care of the arrangements in the house according to the doctor’s orders.” Luhan says. “Everything’s all set for Chanyeol’s arrival.”
“Kris, you don’t have to do this.” Chanyeol says, frowning at Kris.
“And I told you that I want to.” Kris replies. “And besides, you don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Baekhyun’s!”
“He’s working, Chanyeol. He won’t be able to take care of you. I’ll just end up going to his place every day to make sure you stay put.”
“Well, you have school too!”
“Chanyeol,” Kris says before pulling the boy to lean against his side, “school ended a week before you woke up.”
“Oh.” Was the only thing Chanyeol could say. “Will we be there soon?”
“Yeah.” This time, it’s Siwon who replies.
“Sleep. I’ll wake you up when we’re there.” Kris says before Chanyeol closes his eyes, the soft sound of Kris humming lulling him to sleep.
next part