The Way Back Home
Title : The Way Back Home
Rating : G
Genre : Fluff, Friendship
Pairing : Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Length : 3424 words
Summary : Chanyeol followed him everywhere he went. And to Baekhyun's utter embarrassment - even to the restrooms.
A/N : Ok...I suck at writing summaries! D: So anyways, this is my contribution to the EXO - crack - fandom! LOL! Like seriously, EXO has a lot of crazy fans! Includin' moi. This here is a result of a painstakingly long night tbh, and I feel severely sleep deprived. Enjoy~ and yea... EXO hwaiting!
~*~
Chanyeol followed him everywhere. And by everywhere he truly, with all his heart, meant EVERYWHERE. To the market, to parks, to his friend’s house - patiently waiting outside by the porch. If it were in his ability, he’d even follow him to the restroom. Not that he didn’t anyways.
“Gah!” Baekhyun yelped - flabbergasted - when he saw Chanyeol’s head pop up around the toilet door, pulling up his pants covering however much he could in record breaking time. “Do. You. Mind?” he gave him a stern look which in Chanyeol’s terminology meant I am the boss and you listen to me. But he stayed anyways.
“I’m not drowning in the toilet Chanyeol!” Baekhyun looked almost tired. It had become an embarrassing routine and he knew he was never going to get habituated of seeing Chanyeol’s face pop up every time when he was sure his face was not supposed to pop up. Like for this instance - while carrying out his basic human activities.
When he saw him grinning he was convinced that Chanyeol had no plans of leaving him alone to perform his private chores. Many a times, on days he was his happiest and not in the mood to take orders, he’d go out just to bring his favorite toy with him and return to his position - opposite of Baekhyun in the tiny toilet - hugging the toy to his chest and watching him. On occasions he’d present the toy to Baekhyun.
“CHANYEOL!” he snapped and thought he caught the twinge of hurt on Chanyeol’s face before he unwillingly dragged himself out the door with a pout.
Baekhyun heaved a sigh of relief as he thanked heaven’s that today was not one of those days.
“Omona! Such a cute pet!” the lady who owned the chicken shop across the street chimed, petting Chanyeol’s bemused head. “Does he have a name?” she asked Baekhyun, overly animated.
Chanyeol kept grinning at the posters of grilled chicken outside the shop.
“Yeol. His name is Yeol.” Baekhyun simply replied.
Yeol - that’s what the world knew him as.
Chanyeol - that’s what Baekhyun knew him as.
Baekhyun liked to imagine Chanyeol as a human - tall and lean frame, slender but sturdy arms and legs, five digits at the end of each limb, a head full of soft, caramel curls, big eyes, plush lips and a familiar over thrilled grin.
But where the world viewed him as an endearing pet, he saw Chanyeol as an endearing friend. And possibly the closest. And the most annoying.
He had found Chanyeol three years ago in the city outskirts when he had made a trip to the dumps to search for replaceable parts for his broken, almost kaput, bicycle. He wasn’t really a miser, but he liked to scavenge through the evaded areas of the dumps. There was always something new, something interesting that’d catch his eyes.
Just when he turned a corner from the distorted green car he saw a fuzzy head of caramel curls looking at him with yearning, pathetic eyes.
He knew there was always something new, something interesting in the dumps.
Back then he thought Chanyeol looked harmless, almost pitiable, begging to be taken care of with those unimaginably big teary eyes. Begging to be taken home.
And Baekhyun, being the nice guy he is, brought him home on his wretched bicycle, which was, to his realization, nearly as pitiable as Chanyeol.
But back then Baekhyun was fourteen. He was young and naïve. He didn’t think before taking risky decisions and suffered their consequences.
He regretted bringing him home the following day.
Not only was he rebuked by his mother for bringing home a “stinky, stray pet” (that, being her exact description of Chanyeol at first sight) but it seemed as though the “stinky, stray pet” was mocking his grandiose display of kindness as well.
Chanyeol loved jumping into the leaves that Baekhyun would have meticulously raked to the side of the lawn, causing a ruckus, and then bashfully running away when Baekhyun approached him, rake in hand, ready to kill. He loved tilling the garbage bins alongside houses of neighbors. He loved teething the white fabrics that Baekhyun’s mother had hung outside to dry, ripping them in the process. But most of all, he loved destroying Baekhyun’s homework, loved shredding them to minuscule pieces, but only because Baekhyun paid more attention to it than him.
All in all, Chanyeol did everything in his effort to have Baekhyun’s mother and his neighbors at their wits’ end.
Baekhyun, however, was pleasantly surprised to have found someone who could actually irritate his mother more than him. He had found an ally.
As days passed everything gently fell back to its place. Though not forgiven, his mother and the neighbors had stopped complaining about Chanyeol.
Chanyeol was better behaved now (only a little) and listened to what Baekhyun said. He spent more time with him, sticking to his side wherever he went, and kept him company. He ate what Baekhyun served him, and sometimes ate Baekhyun’s too. He marched by his side when they went out for evening walks through the neighborhood. He listened to Baekhyun prattle about boring lectures and awful cafeteria food, dozing off to sleep with his head on Baekhyun’s schoolbag, drooling all over it. He played with him when he felt rundown. He watched him fall asleep every night, night after night, till he dozed off too, sprawled by his feet.
Baekhyun had developed a way of communicating with Chanyeol - a silent language built of unspoken words that only the two of them shared. He could hear Chanyeol speaking in his head and he interpreted these unsaid words with his heart.
Here you are, Chanyeol said, as he handed him the envelopes he had been searching for all afternoon.
“Why thank you!” he smiled brightly, as he gratefully took the envelopes from Chanyeol’s grasp, not remembering if he had mentioned he was searching for these.
Chanyeol grinned in response.
Every now and then Baekhyun mused over how well their strange relationship had developed; how Chanyeol always knew what he was looking for. How Chanyeol always knew what he was thinking exactly a second before he had even thought about thinking it. He was by now positive that Chanyeol understood him, much like how a human would. Or maybe Chanyeol understood him a bit more.
Baekhyun apprehensively approached a group of girls, craning his head over them from behind, to catch a glimpse of what exactly it was they were going crazy over.
“SO CUTE!” one of them shrieked and the others united in conformity.
Baekhyun’s tummy did a flip-flop.
“What’s it doing here?”
“Who does it belong to?”
“Can I take it?”
Baekhyun caught sight of a ball of frizzy brown hair.
“YEOL!” he shrieked impulsively, all girls turning their attention to him.
His tummy did flip-flops again, but for different reasons.
“This is school.” He continued, averting from the unwanted audience, shifting his gaze to those big pair of eyes curiously looking up at him. “You shouldn’t be here. Go back home.”
But I want to stay, Chanyeol said, giving his most appealing pout.
“No.” Baekhyun replied sternly.
But they like me.
"Go home.” Baekhyun lifted his hand, pointing towards the exit. He didn’t know how Chanyeol managed to sneak in but he had to leave.
Please?
“GO!” Baekhyun raised his voice. His eyes said Go home or no games tonight, something that only Chanyeol’s mind picked up.
Chanyeol hung his head and halfheartedly dragged his behind through the corridor back to the exit.
Baekhyun was swift enough to catch the tears glistening in his unhappy eyes.
He bought ice cream cones on his way back home. Chanyeol happily licked the sweetness, sharing a cone with Baekhyun, past events from the day forgotten in the bliss of the moment.
Baekhyun was stunned as usual, when Chanyeol plopped himself into the bathtub, grinning like a child when soap bubbles bounced off his nose.
“YAH! I’M TAKING A BATH.” Baekhyun yelled.
I’ll take one with you, Chanyeol said, the ever apparent grin plastered on his face.
“No you CAN’T!” he protested.
Why not? Chanyeol’s grin turned upside down and he looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Because I - I” Baekhyun spluttered, not being able to find the right words to finish.
And again, as if Chanyeol had read his mind, he turned away from Baekhyun and rested his head on the rim of the tub.
Better?
Baekhyun blinked. Chanyeol’s almost human like behavior never failed to amuse him. Even after all these years.
“Just shut up and stay like that.” He managed to speak out. He swore he saw a smirk form on the edges of Chanyeol’s lips.
It was ridiculous, dead hilarious, to see Chanyeol react when he ignored him and talked with other people. Especially girls. Especially girls.
They were at a friend’s place - actually Baekhyun was at a friend’s place, Chanyeol just tagged along - celebrating over the victory of their school’s win in the Interschool Baseball league. Baekhyun was seated on the couch with Chanyeol by his side sitting below. Now and again, Baekhyun would watch Chanyeol from the corner of his eyes and see him sitting with a cranky pout. Every so often he would hear him growl, voice low and pulsating, when someone dared come too near, and Baekhyun would mask his chuckle by a cough. He lightly kicked his behind each time, to which Chanyeol whimpered unhappily.
“I’m sorry. He doesn’t like crowd.” Baekhyun would explain.
“Nah, he just seems overprotective of you.” They would say.
Baekhyun had a friendly chat with the others - including the girls - while dinner, ever so conscious of Chanyeol’s eyes shooting lasers into the back of his head. He paid no mind, just for a tease.
It was when he started talking to a pretty girl that Chanyeol finally seated himself beside him - carefully positioning himself between him and the girl - his posture wordlessly declaring MINE.
Baekhyun coughed again.
When Chanyeol had had enough of Baekhyun’s banter he carefully inched closer to the girl and when both of them weren’t noticing he poked his nose into her waist.
The girl flailed at the sudden touch, food and beverage flying everywhere before landing on top of her, ruining her beautiful dress.
Chanyeol grinned triumphantly, chest swollen with pride.
“YEOL!” Baekhyun ticked off. He was furious, Chanyeol noted.
It was not long before he was dragged outside to the verandah.
“What was that?” Baekhyun yelled irately.
Nothing, Chanyeol didn’t meet his eyes. He did nothing wrong.
“You stay out here.” Baekhyun quipped snappily before adding a harsh “Alone”.
Chanyeol waited by the door, out in the winter air, feeling cold, lonely and heartbroken.
When Baekhyun finally stepped out Chanyeol didn’t greet him like he usually would. He didn’t even acknowledge he was there.
“Let’s go home.” Baekhyun said stepping in front of him, icy words nipping at Chanyeol’s tattered heart.
He didn’t move.
“Let’s go.” Baekhyun called again and this time Chanyeol looked up at him but made no move nor uttered a word.
“Come.” He said, a bit sternly this time.
Chanyeol inched away from him when Baekhyun reached out. Baekhyun’s sudden hostility seemed foreign to him, all the more reason for Chanyeol to sulk.
And just when Baekhyun had reached out completely, gentle hand lightly resting on Chanyeol’s head, he snapped.
Baekhyun retracted his hand away in an instant, blood flowing from the corner of his palm.
Chanyeol bit him. He bit him.
Chanyeol watched guiltily as Baekhyun tended to the wound. The wound that he created.
Chanyeol’s eyes were drooping with sadness, realizing that he had hurt Baekhyun. Both physically and mentally.
They were lying on the floor of his room, several painful feet apart. Baekhyun was on his back, one arm over his eyes and the other - the injured one - on his stomach. Chanyeol was across the room, watching him with tearful eyes.
He moved closer to Baekhyun and Baekhyun flinched when he felt Chanyeol’s warmth by his side. Chanyeol attempted to rest his head by Baekhyun’s hand but he moved it away just in time and Chanyeol whimpered, feeling the tears pooling in his eyes and his heart. He rested his head by his hand again, being very careful not to hurt him. Baekhyun didn’t respond.
I’m sorry, Chanyeol said weakly.
Baekhyun sighed. He realized he was very cold towards him earlier and part of his sudden temper outburst was his fault. He looked down at Chanyeol, his face marked with silver streaks of tears.
“No.” He said, resting a soothing hand on his head, gently stroking him. “I’m sorry.”
I won’t do it again.
“Neither would I.”
Baekhyun turned to his side so he was facing Chanyeol, and secured his arm around his shoulder, pressing their foreheads together.
After several minutes of comforting silence, their breaths being the lone resonance around the room, Chanyeol finally spoke.
I love you.
Baekhyun closed his eyes and bit the corner of his lip.
“I love you too.”
He said, embracing him closer. Chanyeol moved his head closer to Baekhyun’s and pressed their noses together, a familiar action. An action which Baekhyun knew was Chanyeol’s way of saying I care for you. He smiled.
They drifted into sleep lying in each other’s arms.
Baekhyun wondered how life would be different if Chanyeol weren’t always by his side. How it would be if one day he walked out of the school premises and didn’t find those familiar eyes waiting for him to walk him home. How it would be if he came home and found his room pristine clean, his homework intact and in one piece. How it would be to be in the toilet not fretting over Chanyeol’s head popping up around the corner. How it would be to sleep by himself, hearing only one set of breath in the lonesome moonlit room.
He’d grown too accustomed to having Chanyeol around and wondered, with a grieved heart, how it would be one day when Chanyeol was not by his side anymore.
Baekhyun carried him on his wretched bicycle - Chanyeol becoming too big for the poor thing now - all the way across the city to a place he knew Chanyeol probably remembered.
Chanyeol didn’t question him throughout the journey. He enjoyed spending some quality time with his favorite toy. He was mostly quiet, occasionally muttering sounds of incredulity when he saw something fascinating.
Once there, Baekhyun deserted the bicycle, and walked him farther into the place, which looked like an alien planet, dumped with broken memoirs of almost anything and everything there was in this world.
Chanyeol realized two things then. First, Baekhyun was disheartened for some reason and never looked towards him nor talked to him. Second, he’d been to this alien planet before.
They stopped after having walked for quite a long distance. Baekhyun stood, looking down at his foot, while he kicked at the earth. He remembered getting Chanyeol from here three years ago, and while he thoroughly enjoyed his company, he never considered that Chanyeol might have had a home prior to then. The thought that maybe someone somewhere was probably waiting for Chanyeol to come home never crossed his mind - the thought that someone might be longing for his friendship as well.
Although he wanted Chanyeol by side, all for himself, Baekhyun was never the selfish type. He wouldn’t take away someone’s happiness for his selfish needs. Chanyeol was the reason to his happiness, the ray of light in his dull life. Maybe someone out there was waiting for their sunshine to return to their lives. He didn’t want to keep Chanyeol for himself. All he wanted was for Chanyeol to be happy.
“Go.” He said, not looking at Chanyeol, feeling his throat constrict.
When Chanyeol made no move he looked at him and said, “Go. Go back home”, making sure that his face didn’t deceive him. But instead of moving away Chanyeol stepped closer to him, his eyes were concerned and puzzled. Baekhyun stepped back on instinct.
“Go. I’m letting you go back home. Why are you standing there looking at me as if you don’t understand me? I know you do. You always do.”
Chanyeol’s eyes were wide and his head was in a daze. He didn’t know what he had done to make Baekhyun so upset. Was he still mad about the bite?
But before he could ask, Baekhyun spoke. “I’m letting you leave. You’re free. Now go. Go back home.”
He didn’t understand what Baekhyun meant this time. What did he mean by Go back home?
As he stepped closer Baekhyun made to kick him and he flinched away, not from fright but from surprise, because Baekhyun never harmed him. Not once.
Baekhyun picked up a piece of crumbled tin, flinging it towards Chanyeol, in an attempt to cover up his pain with feign anger. Chanyeol kept dodging from the unidentified objects Baekhyun kept hurling at him, but he never left. He saw Baekhyun’s face glinted with tears, his eyes and nose were red, his heart was screaming Please stay while his actions said You have to leave.
Chanyeol knew his heart the best - so he stayed.
“Go you stupid pet!” Baekhyun said, picking up an iron rod and precariously waving it at Chanyeol. “Go before I hurt you.” But Chanyeol looked least concerned. He knew Baekhyun would never hurt him.
Chanyeol wondered why Baekhyun would ever ask him to Go back home while crying like a broken child.
“Fine.” Baekhyun said, dropping the bar as it hit the ground with a loud clang. “I’ll leave.”
With that said he turned around and made a run back to where he had stranded his bicycle. He did not dare look back. He knew that if he did so, he’d change his mind.
Chanyeol looked at his retreating figure, frozen at his spot, eyes wide and teary.
Throughout the span of these three years Chanyeol had learnt something significant.
Home is where Baekhyun is.
He had nowhere else left to go.
Baekhyun skipped dinner that night and did not answer his mother when she asked about Chanyeol.
He lay in bed all night, even though sleep did not come to him. Anything and everything reminded him of Chanyeol and he wondered how he must be keeping up. He had never spent a night alone, that too out of home. He tried counting sheep to drift away from these thoughts but ended up counting all the fond memories he had of Chanyeol.
He was not surprised, he did not even flinch, when he felt the bed compress and shift below him late that night. To say the truth, he had actually half expected it - and half hoped for it. So without even bothering to open his eyes, he just scooted away making a bit of space and adjusted the duvet so that it was now covering the both of their bodies.
He felt Chanyeol’s breath hot on his face - which tickled his nose and ruffled his eyelashes - reminding him that he was here, sending mental signals to him saying I’m back. He put an arm around him, as if to validate his presence, enjoying the warmth of his sun, his Chanyeol. He felt sorry for leaving him out in the cold.
He smiled when he felt Chanyeol press their bodies together, slender arms going up his side to rest on his shoulders, as he rested his chin on the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, cuddling his head under him.
Chanyeol always had this way, Baekhyun thought, of forgetting and forgiving. No matter how tough the day had been in the end Chanyeol would still be grinning, like none of it ever happened, like none of it mattered. He lived in the moment and did not dwell over the past - a trait that Baekhyun had come to adore.
When he had abandoned him out in the city outskirts, he knew that he’d be leaving Chanyeol alone and brokenhearted. But he also knew that Chanyeol would forgive him. He was like that - silly, but kind.
He realized that he did not have to be alone, that he would always have Chanyeol by his side.
Because he knew that by the end of the day Chanyeol would always find him, even if they were separated by a thousand miles.
He knew that by the end of the day Chanyeol would always find his way back home.
Always.
Baekhyun drifted off to sleep hearing two sets of breath in the moonlit room.
-The End-
A/N: This was born from my fantasies of having Chanyeol as a pet. OTL. idk...he's just too adobs! T^T Hope you enjoyed
Rating : G
Genre : Fluff, Friendship
Pairing : Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Length : 3424 words
Summary : Chanyeol followed him everywhere he went. And to Baekhyun's utter embarrassment - even to the restrooms.
A/N : Ok...I suck at writing summaries! D: So anyways, this is my contribution to the EXO - crack - fandom! LOL! Like seriously, EXO has a lot of crazy fans! Includin' moi. This here is a result of a painstakingly long night tbh, and I feel severely sleep deprived. Enjoy~ and yea... EXO hwaiting!
~*~
Chanyeol followed him everywhere. And by everywhere he truly, with all his heart, meant EVERYWHERE. To the market, to parks, to his friend’s house - patiently waiting outside by the porch. If it were in his ability, he’d even follow him to the restroom. Not that he didn’t anyways.
“Gah!” Baekhyun yelped - flabbergasted - when he saw Chanyeol’s head pop up around the toilet door, pulling up his pants covering however much he could in record breaking time. “Do. You. Mind?” he gave him a stern look which in Chanyeol’s terminology meant I am the boss and you listen to me. But he stayed anyways.
“I’m not drowning in the toilet Chanyeol!” Baekhyun looked almost tired. It had become an embarrassing routine and he knew he was never going to get habituated of seeing Chanyeol’s face pop up every time when he was sure his face was not supposed to pop up. Like for this instance - while carrying out his basic human activities.
When he saw him grinning he was convinced that Chanyeol had no plans of leaving him alone to perform his private chores. Many a times, on days he was his happiest and not in the mood to take orders, he’d go out just to bring his favorite toy with him and return to his position - opposite of Baekhyun in the tiny toilet - hugging the toy to his chest and watching him. On occasions he’d present the toy to Baekhyun.
“CHANYEOL!” he snapped and thought he caught the twinge of hurt on Chanyeol’s face before he unwillingly dragged himself out the door with a pout.
Baekhyun heaved a sigh of relief as he thanked heaven’s that today was not one of those days.
“Omona! Such a cute pet!” the lady who owned the chicken shop across the street chimed, petting Chanyeol’s bemused head. “Does he have a name?” she asked Baekhyun, overly animated.
Chanyeol kept grinning at the posters of grilled chicken outside the shop.
“Yeol. His name is Yeol.” Baekhyun simply replied.
Yeol - that’s what the world knew him as.
Chanyeol - that’s what Baekhyun knew him as.
Baekhyun liked to imagine Chanyeol as a human - tall and lean frame, slender but sturdy arms and legs, five digits at the end of each limb, a head full of soft, caramel curls, big eyes, plush lips and a familiar over thrilled grin.
But where the world viewed him as an endearing pet, he saw Chanyeol as an endearing friend. And possibly the closest. And the most annoying.
He had found Chanyeol three years ago in the city outskirts when he had made a trip to the dumps to search for replaceable parts for his broken, almost kaput, bicycle. He wasn’t really a miser, but he liked to scavenge through the evaded areas of the dumps. There was always something new, something interesting that’d catch his eyes.
Just when he turned a corner from the distorted green car he saw a fuzzy head of caramel curls looking at him with yearning, pathetic eyes.
He knew there was always something new, something interesting in the dumps.
Back then he thought Chanyeol looked harmless, almost pitiable, begging to be taken care of with those unimaginably big teary eyes. Begging to be taken home.
And Baekhyun, being the nice guy he is, brought him home on his wretched bicycle, which was, to his realization, nearly as pitiable as Chanyeol.
But back then Baekhyun was fourteen. He was young and naïve. He didn’t think before taking risky decisions and suffered their consequences.
He regretted bringing him home the following day.
Not only was he rebuked by his mother for bringing home a “stinky, stray pet” (that, being her exact description of Chanyeol at first sight) but it seemed as though the “stinky, stray pet” was mocking his grandiose display of kindness as well.
Chanyeol loved jumping into the leaves that Baekhyun would have meticulously raked to the side of the lawn, causing a ruckus, and then bashfully running away when Baekhyun approached him, rake in hand, ready to kill. He loved tilling the garbage bins alongside houses of neighbors. He loved teething the white fabrics that Baekhyun’s mother had hung outside to dry, ripping them in the process. But most of all, he loved destroying Baekhyun’s homework, loved shredding them to minuscule pieces, but only because Baekhyun paid more attention to it than him.
All in all, Chanyeol did everything in his effort to have Baekhyun’s mother and his neighbors at their wits’ end.
Baekhyun, however, was pleasantly surprised to have found someone who could actually irritate his mother more than him. He had found an ally.
As days passed everything gently fell back to its place. Though not forgiven, his mother and the neighbors had stopped complaining about Chanyeol.
Chanyeol was better behaved now (only a little) and listened to what Baekhyun said. He spent more time with him, sticking to his side wherever he went, and kept him company. He ate what Baekhyun served him, and sometimes ate Baekhyun’s too. He marched by his side when they went out for evening walks through the neighborhood. He listened to Baekhyun prattle about boring lectures and awful cafeteria food, dozing off to sleep with his head on Baekhyun’s schoolbag, drooling all over it. He played with him when he felt rundown. He watched him fall asleep every night, night after night, till he dozed off too, sprawled by his feet.
Baekhyun had developed a way of communicating with Chanyeol - a silent language built of unspoken words that only the two of them shared. He could hear Chanyeol speaking in his head and he interpreted these unsaid words with his heart.
Here you are, Chanyeol said, as he handed him the envelopes he had been searching for all afternoon.
“Why thank you!” he smiled brightly, as he gratefully took the envelopes from Chanyeol’s grasp, not remembering if he had mentioned he was searching for these.
Chanyeol grinned in response.
Every now and then Baekhyun mused over how well their strange relationship had developed; how Chanyeol always knew what he was looking for. How Chanyeol always knew what he was thinking exactly a second before he had even thought about thinking it. He was by now positive that Chanyeol understood him, much like how a human would. Or maybe Chanyeol understood him a bit more.
Baekhyun apprehensively approached a group of girls, craning his head over them from behind, to catch a glimpse of what exactly it was they were going crazy over.
“SO CUTE!” one of them shrieked and the others united in conformity.
Baekhyun’s tummy did a flip-flop.
“What’s it doing here?”
“Who does it belong to?”
“Can I take it?”
Baekhyun caught sight of a ball of frizzy brown hair.
“YEOL!” he shrieked impulsively, all girls turning their attention to him.
His tummy did flip-flops again, but for different reasons.
“This is school.” He continued, averting from the unwanted audience, shifting his gaze to those big pair of eyes curiously looking up at him. “You shouldn’t be here. Go back home.”
But I want to stay, Chanyeol said, giving his most appealing pout.
“No.” Baekhyun replied sternly.
But they like me.
"Go home.” Baekhyun lifted his hand, pointing towards the exit. He didn’t know how Chanyeol managed to sneak in but he had to leave.
Please?
“GO!” Baekhyun raised his voice. His eyes said Go home or no games tonight, something that only Chanyeol’s mind picked up.
Chanyeol hung his head and halfheartedly dragged his behind through the corridor back to the exit.
Baekhyun was swift enough to catch the tears glistening in his unhappy eyes.
He bought ice cream cones on his way back home. Chanyeol happily licked the sweetness, sharing a cone with Baekhyun, past events from the day forgotten in the bliss of the moment.
Baekhyun was stunned as usual, when Chanyeol plopped himself into the bathtub, grinning like a child when soap bubbles bounced off his nose.
“YAH! I’M TAKING A BATH.” Baekhyun yelled.
I’ll take one with you, Chanyeol said, the ever apparent grin plastered on his face.
“No you CAN’T!” he protested.
Why not? Chanyeol’s grin turned upside down and he looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Because I - I” Baekhyun spluttered, not being able to find the right words to finish.
And again, as if Chanyeol had read his mind, he turned away from Baekhyun and rested his head on the rim of the tub.
Better?
Baekhyun blinked. Chanyeol’s almost human like behavior never failed to amuse him. Even after all these years.
“Just shut up and stay like that.” He managed to speak out. He swore he saw a smirk form on the edges of Chanyeol’s lips.
It was ridiculous, dead hilarious, to see Chanyeol react when he ignored him and talked with other people. Especially girls. Especially girls.
They were at a friend’s place - actually Baekhyun was at a friend’s place, Chanyeol just tagged along - celebrating over the victory of their school’s win in the Interschool Baseball league. Baekhyun was seated on the couch with Chanyeol by his side sitting below. Now and again, Baekhyun would watch Chanyeol from the corner of his eyes and see him sitting with a cranky pout. Every so often he would hear him growl, voice low and pulsating, when someone dared come too near, and Baekhyun would mask his chuckle by a cough. He lightly kicked his behind each time, to which Chanyeol whimpered unhappily.
“I’m sorry. He doesn’t like crowd.” Baekhyun would explain.
“Nah, he just seems overprotective of you.” They would say.
Baekhyun had a friendly chat with the others - including the girls - while dinner, ever so conscious of Chanyeol’s eyes shooting lasers into the back of his head. He paid no mind, just for a tease.
It was when he started talking to a pretty girl that Chanyeol finally seated himself beside him - carefully positioning himself between him and the girl - his posture wordlessly declaring MINE.
Baekhyun coughed again.
When Chanyeol had had enough of Baekhyun’s banter he carefully inched closer to the girl and when both of them weren’t noticing he poked his nose into her waist.
The girl flailed at the sudden touch, food and beverage flying everywhere before landing on top of her, ruining her beautiful dress.
Chanyeol grinned triumphantly, chest swollen with pride.
“YEOL!” Baekhyun ticked off. He was furious, Chanyeol noted.
It was not long before he was dragged outside to the verandah.
“What was that?” Baekhyun yelled irately.
Nothing, Chanyeol didn’t meet his eyes. He did nothing wrong.
“You stay out here.” Baekhyun quipped snappily before adding a harsh “Alone”.
Chanyeol waited by the door, out in the winter air, feeling cold, lonely and heartbroken.
When Baekhyun finally stepped out Chanyeol didn’t greet him like he usually would. He didn’t even acknowledge he was there.
“Let’s go home.” Baekhyun said stepping in front of him, icy words nipping at Chanyeol’s tattered heart.
He didn’t move.
“Let’s go.” Baekhyun called again and this time Chanyeol looked up at him but made no move nor uttered a word.
“Come.” He said, a bit sternly this time.
Chanyeol inched away from him when Baekhyun reached out. Baekhyun’s sudden hostility seemed foreign to him, all the more reason for Chanyeol to sulk.
And just when Baekhyun had reached out completely, gentle hand lightly resting on Chanyeol’s head, he snapped.
Baekhyun retracted his hand away in an instant, blood flowing from the corner of his palm.
Chanyeol bit him. He bit him.
Chanyeol watched guiltily as Baekhyun tended to the wound. The wound that he created.
Chanyeol’s eyes were drooping with sadness, realizing that he had hurt Baekhyun. Both physically and mentally.
They were lying on the floor of his room, several painful feet apart. Baekhyun was on his back, one arm over his eyes and the other - the injured one - on his stomach. Chanyeol was across the room, watching him with tearful eyes.
He moved closer to Baekhyun and Baekhyun flinched when he felt Chanyeol’s warmth by his side. Chanyeol attempted to rest his head by Baekhyun’s hand but he moved it away just in time and Chanyeol whimpered, feeling the tears pooling in his eyes and his heart. He rested his head by his hand again, being very careful not to hurt him. Baekhyun didn’t respond.
I’m sorry, Chanyeol said weakly.
Baekhyun sighed. He realized he was very cold towards him earlier and part of his sudden temper outburst was his fault. He looked down at Chanyeol, his face marked with silver streaks of tears.
“No.” He said, resting a soothing hand on his head, gently stroking him. “I’m sorry.”
I won’t do it again.
“Neither would I.”
Baekhyun turned to his side so he was facing Chanyeol, and secured his arm around his shoulder, pressing their foreheads together.
After several minutes of comforting silence, their breaths being the lone resonance around the room, Chanyeol finally spoke.
I love you.
Baekhyun closed his eyes and bit the corner of his lip.
“I love you too.”
He said, embracing him closer. Chanyeol moved his head closer to Baekhyun’s and pressed their noses together, a familiar action. An action which Baekhyun knew was Chanyeol’s way of saying I care for you. He smiled.
They drifted into sleep lying in each other’s arms.
Baekhyun wondered how life would be different if Chanyeol weren’t always by his side. How it would be if one day he walked out of the school premises and didn’t find those familiar eyes waiting for him to walk him home. How it would be if he came home and found his room pristine clean, his homework intact and in one piece. How it would be to be in the toilet not fretting over Chanyeol’s head popping up around the corner. How it would be to sleep by himself, hearing only one set of breath in the lonesome moonlit room.
He’d grown too accustomed to having Chanyeol around and wondered, with a grieved heart, how it would be one day when Chanyeol was not by his side anymore.
Baekhyun carried him on his wretched bicycle - Chanyeol becoming too big for the poor thing now - all the way across the city to a place he knew Chanyeol probably remembered.
Chanyeol didn’t question him throughout the journey. He enjoyed spending some quality time with his favorite toy. He was mostly quiet, occasionally muttering sounds of incredulity when he saw something fascinating.
Once there, Baekhyun deserted the bicycle, and walked him farther into the place, which looked like an alien planet, dumped with broken memoirs of almost anything and everything there was in this world.
Chanyeol realized two things then. First, Baekhyun was disheartened for some reason and never looked towards him nor talked to him. Second, he’d been to this alien planet before.
They stopped after having walked for quite a long distance. Baekhyun stood, looking down at his foot, while he kicked at the earth. He remembered getting Chanyeol from here three years ago, and while he thoroughly enjoyed his company, he never considered that Chanyeol might have had a home prior to then. The thought that maybe someone somewhere was probably waiting for Chanyeol to come home never crossed his mind - the thought that someone might be longing for his friendship as well.
Although he wanted Chanyeol by side, all for himself, Baekhyun was never the selfish type. He wouldn’t take away someone’s happiness for his selfish needs. Chanyeol was the reason to his happiness, the ray of light in his dull life. Maybe someone out there was waiting for their sunshine to return to their lives. He didn’t want to keep Chanyeol for himself. All he wanted was for Chanyeol to be happy.
“Go.” He said, not looking at Chanyeol, feeling his throat constrict.
When Chanyeol made no move he looked at him and said, “Go. Go back home”, making sure that his face didn’t deceive him. But instead of moving away Chanyeol stepped closer to him, his eyes were concerned and puzzled. Baekhyun stepped back on instinct.
“Go. I’m letting you go back home. Why are you standing there looking at me as if you don’t understand me? I know you do. You always do.”
Chanyeol’s eyes were wide and his head was in a daze. He didn’t know what he had done to make Baekhyun so upset. Was he still mad about the bite?
But before he could ask, Baekhyun spoke. “I’m letting you leave. You’re free. Now go. Go back home.”
He didn’t understand what Baekhyun meant this time. What did he mean by Go back home?
As he stepped closer Baekhyun made to kick him and he flinched away, not from fright but from surprise, because Baekhyun never harmed him. Not once.
Baekhyun picked up a piece of crumbled tin, flinging it towards Chanyeol, in an attempt to cover up his pain with feign anger. Chanyeol kept dodging from the unidentified objects Baekhyun kept hurling at him, but he never left. He saw Baekhyun’s face glinted with tears, his eyes and nose were red, his heart was screaming Please stay while his actions said You have to leave.
Chanyeol knew his heart the best - so he stayed.
“Go you stupid pet!” Baekhyun said, picking up an iron rod and precariously waving it at Chanyeol. “Go before I hurt you.” But Chanyeol looked least concerned. He knew Baekhyun would never hurt him.
Chanyeol wondered why Baekhyun would ever ask him to Go back home while crying like a broken child.
“Fine.” Baekhyun said, dropping the bar as it hit the ground with a loud clang. “I’ll leave.”
With that said he turned around and made a run back to where he had stranded his bicycle. He did not dare look back. He knew that if he did so, he’d change his mind.
Chanyeol looked at his retreating figure, frozen at his spot, eyes wide and teary.
Throughout the span of these three years Chanyeol had learnt something significant.
Home is where Baekhyun is.
He had nowhere else left to go.
Baekhyun skipped dinner that night and did not answer his mother when she asked about Chanyeol.
He lay in bed all night, even though sleep did not come to him. Anything and everything reminded him of Chanyeol and he wondered how he must be keeping up. He had never spent a night alone, that too out of home. He tried counting sheep to drift away from these thoughts but ended up counting all the fond memories he had of Chanyeol.
He was not surprised, he did not even flinch, when he felt the bed compress and shift below him late that night. To say the truth, he had actually half expected it - and half hoped for it. So without even bothering to open his eyes, he just scooted away making a bit of space and adjusted the duvet so that it was now covering the both of their bodies.
He felt Chanyeol’s breath hot on his face - which tickled his nose and ruffled his eyelashes - reminding him that he was here, sending mental signals to him saying I’m back. He put an arm around him, as if to validate his presence, enjoying the warmth of his sun, his Chanyeol. He felt sorry for leaving him out in the cold.
He smiled when he felt Chanyeol press their bodies together, slender arms going up his side to rest on his shoulders, as he rested his chin on the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, cuddling his head under him.
Chanyeol always had this way, Baekhyun thought, of forgetting and forgiving. No matter how tough the day had been in the end Chanyeol would still be grinning, like none of it ever happened, like none of it mattered. He lived in the moment and did not dwell over the past - a trait that Baekhyun had come to adore.
When he had abandoned him out in the city outskirts, he knew that he’d be leaving Chanyeol alone and brokenhearted. But he also knew that Chanyeol would forgive him. He was like that - silly, but kind.
He realized that he did not have to be alone, that he would always have Chanyeol by his side.
Because he knew that by the end of the day Chanyeol would always find him, even if they were separated by a thousand miles.
He knew that by the end of the day Chanyeol would always find his way back home.
Always.
Baekhyun drifted off to sleep hearing two sets of breath in the moonlit room.
-The End-
A/N: This was born from my fantasies of having Chanyeol as a pet. OTL. idk...he's just too adobs! T^T Hope you enjoyed