Before We Go Up in Flames [4/7]

[winterdynasty]

Let | Me | Love |

- YOU -

Three:

Baekhyun lay on the couch, lazily plucking his fingers through the still, morning air, refracting the light of the sunrise from the tips of his fingers and sending rainbows of light parading throughout the room, glistening as they danced on the walls or glided across the floor in kaleidoscopes of color, like the world was an ice rink with no boundaries, sparkles of gold and silver forming patterns on the walls and the ceiling as light bounced off the glass chandelier and the stones of his wedding ring.

His body gave off a soft glow as he tapped his foot on the wall and hummed a soft melody, moving his fingers through the air as if playing a piano or harp, using the thin strings of light as his instrument to create a visual harmony.

It was if Chanyeol was in a daze: his steps were slow as he approached him, like his heart was on a string and he was being tugged over to him ever so suspensefully, mesmerized by his sight and the beauty of his display, until he paused by his side. He carefully placed one hand on his cheek as if he was admiring a prized marble statue, every smooth curve formed by the hand of a master sculptor, his thumb brushing across the apples of his cheeks as he took Baekhyun’s face into his hands, startling the blonde from his stupor, the soft bubbles of light bursting and messing up his rhythm as Baekhyun looked up to him.

His voice was no less beautiful than the confusion in his sparkling, wide eyes. “Chanyeol, what are you-”

Leaning down, Chanyeol softly captured the blonde’s slightly parted lips between his own and threw his leg over his small body, straddling him as he kissed the breath from his lungs.

Baekhyun tensed, initially startled by the intrusion, before loosening up and curling his arms behind Chanyeol’s neck, tugging him down to him as he fit his lips between his husband’s, filling the gaps between his lips, the blank space in his mind, the cracks in his heart. Chanyeol let himself relax on top of him as time slowed to a crawl, and the golden light of the morning settled upon the two lovebirds melting together in each other’s arms.

Please let me take all of your worries away while I still can.

“What’s the possibility of me changing the end of this week?”

Yixing sounded more than exasperated on the other side of the line, his voice barely audible above the busy hustle and bustle of clattering pans and dishes.

“Why are you asking me this, Chanyeol, how many times do I have to repeat it for you?”

“I want to be sure,” Chanyeol responded softly. He glanced over his shoulder to his husband lying asleep on the couch. The lights and the passion had calmed into a slow, soft rhythm of Baekhyun’s breathing, and Chanyeol focused on the soft rise and fall of his chest like it was his only comfort. Perhaps he’d bring a blanket out for him soon.

There was another irritated sigh before Yixing quickly muttered back, “I’ve already told you it’s pretty much impossible; he’s already dead, and-”

“Pretty much impossible?”

Everything on Yixing’s side of the line seemed to halt. “I-It’s incredibly low, Chanyeol, it’s most likely impossible. We don’t even assume it can be done. There’s no record of fully retrieving anything from the clutches of Death. No one’s done it before; it’s not even worth trying-”

“Why? Why shouldn’t I try if I have a chance?”

Yixing’s voice softened. “Chanyeol, the risk is-”

“I have a chance to change this - I have a chance to get my husband back, Xing! Why shouldn’t I try?!”

The line was silent.

“I have a chance, Yixing.”

A disgruntled shout was lost in the cacophony of metal pots clashing against the floor, glasses and ceramics shattering. “What am I supposed to do, huh?” Yixing’s voice rose, hanging on the border of distress. “I know what you’re trying to do, and if you somehow make the impossible possible - which isn't going to happen - what am I supposed to do? Do you want him to suffer the same agony you’ve been going through for weeks?”

Chanyeol froze. Yixing didn't give him time to speak.

“How am I supposed to watch him suffer? What if he comes to me asking me to do the same thing I'm doing for you right now, huh? How am I supposed to tell him that I can't let him because you already fucking did it to save him instead?!”

Yixing’s voice got softer as though he was retreating from the speaker as he ranted in words and syllables Chanyeol didn’t understand, much too quickly for him to piece the accented sounds together. Yixing stopped and took a deep breath, his voice still tinged with anger as he approached the speaker and spoke again.

“Trading your soul for his isn’t guaranteed to work. You’re not thinking, Park; this is a one-time thing. You can’t keep making rash decisions and hoping everything will work out in your favor in the end.”

Chanyeol sat down and spoke calmly into the phone. “I still have two days to work out all the kinks, but Yixing please...”

Yixing’s voice softened until it was almost a whisper. “If you hold on too tightly to him, you’ll both get pulled in, and I won’t be able to save you this time.”

Chanyeol’s voice was soft as he spoke up, finally thinking of something to say. “I just hate… thinking about having to live without him.”

Yixing sounded like he was holding his tongue, and a few pots shuffled on the ground as he let go with a long sigh. “Don’t do something stupid and get both of you killed, Chanyeol. I am advising you against this for a reason.”

“I want him to live.”

“You can’t promise he’ll live if you die.”

“I'm going to save him.”

“You're not saving him like this - you're not making anything better! Don't run off blindly and get yourself killed, Park, don't do anything reckless-”

Chanyeol cut the line.

He set the phone down and held his head in his hands as he took a few breaths. He would do anything for Baekhyun. He was going to do anything for Baekhyun. He could save him…

...Right?

He looked up from his hands and over to his husband, still sleeping, blissfully unaware of what would happen in the next two days.

He walked over to him and affectionately ran his fingers through his blonde hair before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead as he lay down on the couch next to him, drawing him into his arms and falling asleep with him. Baekhyun shuffled in his arms and slowly opened his eyes.

---------------

Two:

To Kim Jongin: ‘Can you check out the fairgrounds for anything suspicious? Make sure no one’s up to anything.’

As an afterthought: ‘Take Sehun. I don’t want you in any trouble on your own.’

“Who are you texting with such an ugly frown on your face?” Baekhyun asked, waltzing into the room with a large bowl of popcorn cradled in his arms. He took a handful of popcorn and shoved it gracelessly into his mouth.

“Jongin,” Chanyeol responded simply, not sparing his husband a glance as he continued to stare at his phone, waiting for a response.

“Ah,” Baekhyun mumbled around the popcorn in his mouth, bending over to flick through the stack of dvds, running his thumb down the spine of each. "What for?" he asked with a bored frown as he set down the bowl to put a dvd into the disc player, and Chanyeol's phone vibrated in his hands.

From Kim Jongin: ‘Why? What’s crawling up that sleeve of yours?’

Chanyeol glanced over to his husband and back to his phone.

To Kim Jongin: ‘Paranoia. Just do it.’

“Nothing important.”

Baekhyun returned to his husband, plopping himself down between Chanyeol's legs. He leaned back against his chest with a loud sigh, dimming the lights with a wave of his buttery fingers. “Nothing’s going on today, Yeol,” he grumbled, messily shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth, “don’t worry about it.”

“Is this my sweater?” Chanyeol asked, attempting to change the subject as he tugged at the loose brown cotton sliding down Baekhyun’s shoulders. “It’s much too big for you.”

“I dunno,” Baekhyun responded, shifting to get comfortable.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Didn’t I buy this like three months ago? I haven’t seen it since.” Baekhyun gave a nonchalant shrug in response, reaching for another large handful of popcorn to shove into his mouth.

“Don’t do that,” Chanyeol mumbled, wiping the butter and salt from the corner of Baekhyun's lips, resisting the pup struggling in his arms until Baekhyun turned around and kissed him, butter and salt mixing with the already pleasant taste of Baekhyun’s lips.

Chanyeol merely scrunched his nose down to him as Baekhyun gave him back a cute, innocent smile, teasingly licking the butter from his fingers, before turning back around in his arms, settling between them as their movie began to play.

The loss of Baekhyun’s attention indicated that the conversation was over, and Chanyeol was more than glad, relaxing against the soft cushions of the beige sofa and taking a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl, feeding one to Baekhyun and popping one into his own mouth until he set the rest down with a sigh due to his lack of appetite.

As the movie droned on, Chanyeol’s mind drifted from the images flashing on the screen to the small pup falling asleep in his arms, eyelids drooping as he leaned back against Chanyeol, clutching his husband’s arm lightly.

As the credits began to roll, Chanyeol watched his small husband doze off, and knowing that tomorrow was their last day together and they’d be up late with Kyungsoo and Jongdae, he’d prefer that they were well-rested and prepared.

“It’s late,” Chanyeol mumbled, scratching lightly under Baekhyun’s chin, met by the sleepy nod of his husband’s head. “Come on, let’s head to bed, little one,” but Baekhyun just rolled over in his arms, snuggling his nose against his chest as he adjusted his position and closed his eyes again.

Chanyeol frowned, unwilling to leave Baekhyun to sleep alone on the couch. “Come on,” he muttered, pulling Baekhyun back into his arms as he stood, holding Baekhyun in his arms like a princess. Baekhyun mumbled something softly against his chest, but Chanyeol only yawned, turning off the television and the lights before heading out of the room and carrying his sleepy spouse to their bedroom. He carefully placed Baekhyun underneath the sheets, and climbed into the other side of the bed.

Drawing Baekhyun toward him, Chanyeol wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, giving a final kiss to the back of his head.

Baekhyun sighed, snuggling back against Chanyeol as he curled into a ball with a yawn.

With a small smile, Chanyeol leaned forward to kiss Baekhyun’s shoulder, exposed where his large sweater had slipped down, and Baekhyun’s body slowly awoke to the touch of Chanyeol’s lips against his smooth skin, groaning at the sensation of the prickles of light scattering across his skin in the soft glow of his skin awakening. Amused by his small husband’s reaction, Chanyeol let his lips graze his shoulder in another kiss.

“Yeol,” Baekhyun sighed, turning over in his arms and burying his face in his chest.

Chanyeol’s chuckle vibrated in his chest, and he brought a hand up to softly pet Baekhyun’s head. “Yes, my love?” he whispered back, threading his fingers through the thin strands of hair, scratching lightly behind Baekhyun’s ears.

Baekhyun shuffled under the sheets with a small whine as he cuddled closer to his husband and whispered something unintelligible against his chest. The soft glow of his skin brightened at Chanyeol’s touch, akin to a bright pink blush of embarrassment or arousal that would spread across the apples of his cheeks whenever Chanyeol lightly held his hand and softly kissed his knuckles or called him his precious Prince.

Chanyeol smiled, drawing the sheets away from Baekhyun’s face to get a better look of his blushing husband, trying to lift his face as he scratched softly under his chin. “Babe, you’re glowing,” he whispered with a smile, adoring the radiant beauty of his tired husband. He loved the way Baekhyun glowed, so full of life, light, and love, like a thousand fireflies at his fingertips, glowing brighter with each touch of Chanyeol’s hands on his skin; he loved being able to make Baekhyun shine so involuntarily at his touch. He was beautiful, angelic even, and this soft golden glow if his always highlighted the gorgeous parts of him that he loved.

Baekhyun curled in on himself, always embarrassed whenever Chanyeol pointed it out, which only made him shine brighter. “Stop it,” he muttered, his little fingers clenching around the tops of the sheets as he pulled his head below them to hide, but his light still shone through the thin, white sheets.

“I like it,” Chanyeol whispered, pressing his lips to the crown of his head, where soft tufts of blonde hair stuck out from underneath the sheets, and the glow of Baekhyun’s body burned brighter than before. “Why are you hiding Baekhyunnie~” Chanyeol sang, teasing fingers dancing down Baekhyun's sides and then lifting Baekhyun’s sweater to snake up his back, splaying his warm fingers against his soft skin.

With a muffled sound that resembled pleasant satisfaction, Baekhyun slowly lowered the sheets to his nose, glaring up to Chanyeol with a pout and a beautiful highlight to his eyes. A smile tugged on the corners of Chanyeol’s lips as he lifted a hand from the sheets, and with a single snap, a flame lit the few candles on the nightstand behind him. He leaned down enough for his lips to brush Baekhyun’s ears as he whispered, “To set the mood.” Baekhyun laughed, slapping Chanyeol’s arm with a whine before Chanyeol silenced him with a kiss.

Chanyeol drew closer before pulling away to smile at his husband, who blushed as Chanyeol’s fingers traced his curves down to his hips, sliding underneath his large sweater to expose his belly button. Chanyeol slowly leaned down to kiss the soft, exposed skin, and Baekhyun let out a soft moan as Chanyeol lifted the sweater further, chuckling as Baekhyun helped him slide it over his head.

“You were tired just a second ago,” Chanyeol said as he looked up from his bellybutton, leaning forward to draw his thumb across Baekhyun’s bottom lip.

Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest and glanced away in embarrassment as Chanyeol admired his husband and every bit of him that he was trying to hide. The glow of his skin from his neck and down, although just as beautiful as the rest of him, was softer than the burn in his cheeks and the ridges where his nose scrunched. “And then you made me excited, and I lit up like a firework.”

Chanyeol merely smiled back, brushing a strand of hair from Baekhyun’s face as he leaned down to give another soft, sweet kiss to his lips. Baekhyun didn’t protest, his lips easily melding against Chanyeol's in chaste harmony, his arms slowly wrapping around Chanyeol’s broad torso. It didn’t progress beyond the simple touch of their lips, yet it was enough to ignite a spark in their chests, mutually kindled by the other.

Chanyeol slowly pulled away from Baekhyun first, smiling remorsefully as he curled a strand of hair behind Baekhyun’s ear, taking in all the beauty of the man in his arms with a heavy heart.

Why… of all things... did you have to want to be a superhero...

He tightened his arms around Baekhyun, drawing him closer for another long kiss, their legs tangling beneath the sheets as Chanyeol sat up and pulled the smaller boy into his lap, and his warm fingers drew up Baekhyun’s thin back, holding him tightly against him as Baekhyun shuffled in his arms, wrapping his legs around his waist.

“I love you,” Chanyeol whispered between a kiss, his lips soft against Baekhyun’s, hot air fanning across them as he spoke. “I love you.”

Baekhyun took in a short breath to whisper the words back, but Chanyeol pressed their lips back together and only pulled away to breathe out another “I love you.”

He pressed a kiss to Baekhyun’s cheek. “I love you.”

One to his jaw. “I love you.”

A few down his neck. “I love you.”

Baekhyun took in a deep breath, his back arching under Chanyeol’s influence, his nails drawing soft, jagged lines down Chanyeol’s back and clawing at his thin shirt. Chanyeol welcomed the sensation, he welcomed the pain, and his chest tightened as he longed to feel him more, to breathe him in.

Chanyeol paused to let Baekhyun slip his shirt over his head, and then Baekhyun’s hands were quickly reattached to Chanyeol’s face, his lips pushing back against his.

Chanyeol lay back against the headboard, his fingers lightly teasing Baekhyun’s sides as Baekhyun leaned in toward him, kissing the breath from his lungs with a newfound hunger. Chanyeol gave in to him easily, wanting nothing more than to let him glow like this forever and to experience every single second of it.

As Baekhyun pulled away, he looked down to him with swollen lips, panting before he caught his bottom lip between his teeth with a seductive smile, his eyes twinkling with something that Chanyeol couldn’t place. Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun toward him again, trailing soft kisses across every inch of his skin, not wanting to let go or surrender to the fear of darkness consuming his light.

His kisses continued, and so did the ‘I love you’s, each shadowed by an ‘I’m sorry,’ corrupting this beautiful act of love and turning it into an act of guilt.

A kiss to his shoulder. “I love you.” I’m sorry.

Another to his collarbone. “I love you.” I let you go, and I’m sorry.

A soft kiss to the dip between his collarbones as Baekhyun extended his neck to let him in. “I love you.” I wasn’t there when you needed me, and I’m so… so sorry.

“...Yeol?”

Chanyeol stopped at the sound of Baekhyun’s worried voice, but he didn’t move, his lips pressed to Baekhyun’s soft skin, quivering.

Baekhyun’s small fingers slowly trailed down Chanyeol’s spine, and he held him against his chest, his hand on the back of his head to slowly play with his hair and offer comfort, leaning down to kiss his temple.

“Are you okay?”

Chanyeol felt like he couldn't breathe, appalled by the taste of regret and sorrow masking Baekhyun’s sweet flavor. He looked up, forced a smile, and captured Baekhyun’s lower lip between his again.

Each kiss was a spark between their lips, each touch, a trail of embers burning underneath his skin. Let me bruise you. Let me mark you. Let me love you. Let me make you mine.

Baekhyun let out a gasp as Chanyeol’s fingers splayed across his skin, heat pulsing through his veins in a familiar burn that Baekhyun was used to by now, the same burn of lusty desire that Chanyeol had learned to control so well, but it felt different today, frantic and desperate as ignited in sharp, sudden bursts underneath his skin. Chanyeol’s fingers clenched around his thighs, his lips still peppering his skin with kisses, and Baekhyun was caught somewhere between pleasure and pain as it burned, yet Chanyeol wouldn't let go.

Baekhyun gave a soft yelp, fingers trembling as they clutched at Chanyeol’s shoulders in agony, his voice quiet, but shaking. “You’re burning me, Yeol, stop, you’re…”

Chanyeol let go.

He looked down to his husband in a daze, slowly organizing all of his crumbling emotions that were screaming in discord, letting Baekhyun sink back into his arms, panting against his chest as he realized what he had done.

You unintentionally burn the things you love.

Chanyeol let himself calm, not trusting himself to touch the beautiful, glowing angel curled so delicately in his arms. Fear clouded his voice as he spoke.

“Are you okay?”

Baekhyun’s fingers trembled against his forearms, holding onto the monster that had burned him, as though the pain Chanyeol caused him was the only thing that made him feel alive. He gave a soft nod against Chanyeol's chest.

Chanyeol’s hands hesitantly returned to Baekhyun’s sides, rubbing soft circles against the skin as he whispered a breathless, “I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun clutched at Chanyeol’s shoulders with a hiss, his nails digging into his skin and slowly releasing. “I know you didn’t mean it,” he whispered and looked up to him with a small tilt of his head, “but… there’s something bothering you, and I’m afraid I can’t fix it.”

Chanyeol’s fingers paused, and he looked down to his husband, his eyes clouded with guilt and sadness. He wondered what had happened between now and then, what it was that had caused them to go from just friends to soulmates. He wondered when Baekhyun had learned to read his eyes so well, when they used to lock everyone out from his soul. He wondered what made them so different from just a few years ago, when Chanyeol would often lay by his husband’s side with a small smile, thinking about the same things as he admired Baekhyun’s sleeping figure after sex, drawing soft ‘I love you’s onto his back with a small, silk flame at his fingertip, and Baekhyun would chuckle tiredly and mumble into his pillow, “I love you too.” Chanyeol would draw his finger away in embarrassment and blush as he turned away and whispered “Goodnight,” into the air, followed by Baekhyun's tired laughter and the curl of his arms around Chanyeol’s back as he'd whisper a ‘goodnight’ back against his neck. Chanyeol was so lucky to have him, and all he ever did was burn Baekhyun in return.

Baekhyun’s fingers slowly lost their grip on Chanyeol as he gave him a pained smile. “It’s not the first time you’ve burned me, love; I know when something’s wrong.”

It wasn’t the first time; in fact, it wasn't the second either. He wanted to laugh. After all this time of being too scared to hurt him, he was still the cause of the pain he was trying to protect him from. He had even burned him in bed once before: the first time they slept together after marriage, euphoria and power surged through him, released in a spark of fire shooting up Baekhyun’s spine. He hated thinking about it, because it always reminded him of the monster he was and how selfish he was for holding Baekhyun too close, always wishing to forget yet always reminded by the dark patch of skin at the base of his spine like the wings of a phoenix claiming his property with a cruel branding.

Chanyeol’s hands dropped from the blonde’s sides, and he turned his head away from him.

“What’s wrong, love?” Baekhyun asked, leaning forward to wipe underneath Chanyeol’s eyes with his thumb. “What’s causing you this burden?”

When Chanyeol didn't respond, Baekhyun let his hand drop from his face to trail down his chest. “Your heart feels heavy. And I want to help lighten it.”

A ‘You can’t’ sat at the edge of Chanyeol's tongue, but he refused to let it out, biting his lip to keep it from spilling all of his secrets. He whispered out “I’m sorry,” instead.

Baekhyun tilted his head and leaned closer, and Chanyeol just wanted to escape from that innocent gaze, full of forgiveness, love and ignorance. “For what? Burning me? It doesn’t hurt much, I’m used to-”

“No,” Chanyeol interrupted, but he said nothing else.

Baekhyun shifted to see Chanyeol’s face better and gave him a smile that burned like alcohol through his veins, catching fire with every small spark. Baekhyun spoke softly, drawing a thumb down Chanyeol’s face. “There’s nothing you need to apologize for, love.” Chanyeol tried his hardest not to believe it. “Not in the past. Not in the future.”

Chanyeol still didn’t allow his eyes to meet Baekhyun’s, yet his fingers remained clutching his sides for fear of losing him, for fear of letting the darkness consume them, yet he could feel himself corrupting him further with every second he held on.

There was regret in his heart. Shame. Fear. Cowardice. And Baekhyun allowed it all in and let it slowly ruin him if it let him keep Chanyeol close. Chanyeol could singlehandedly destroy him, and Baekhyun would thank him for the experience.

Chanyeol was the darkness, but he couldn’t let go.

But he knew that couldn’t be what would ultimately break them, and he knew that his love for him was stronger than that. Chanyeol would gladly light himself on fire to keep Baekhyun warm through the winter. And sometimes Baekhyun could shine so brightly until Chanyeol was blinded by his brilliance, but he could never look away. And they were in this endless loop of pain, hurting each other because it was inevitable - with love, power, and loss, it was always inevitable - but it was this exchange of power, knowing that either of them held all the power in the universe and could hurt, wreck, betray the other at any moment, yet wouldn’t, that kept them so balanced. One was so in love with the other that they would do anything to keep from losing them.

“You don’t have to be strong for me all the time, Yeol.”

Chanyeol was an unexpected hurricane; Baekhyun was the lighthouse. Always wreaking havoc and then relying on Baekhyun to help keep order in the darkness.

“Just keep your eyes on me. Everything will be okay, yeah?”

Chanyeol looked up to his husband, unable to speak. He was torn. Torn by reality and the desperate want to save him, to protect him, to be his lighthouse and be the flame that keeps him warm and guides him into safe arms for once… just once… if he could be given a chance, a single chance to make things right with him, if he could be Baekhyun’s reason to live the same way that Baekhyun is, was, and always be his...

Chanyeol swallowed all of the emotions as he figured that there was no point brooding over things in the past, and he would rather enjoy this gift of their last night together in the present instead of worrying about the future. He had spent all of his time looking ahead and had forgotten to look right in front of him, where his beautiful husband was sitting, and his smile alone was enough to take all the pain and unease away. He had forgotten that this was supposed to be a week spent with Baekhyun, not a week spent worrying about what had been done and what will happen.

Willing the storm within him to calm down, Chanyeol slowly raised a hand to Baekhyun’s face, curling a finger around the curve of his ear to softly massage the skin behind his ear as Baekhyun leaned into his touch with a soft, delighted hum.

Chanyeol finally let a small smile grace his lips as he watched Baekhyun’s eyes close, and he opened his lips to say it once more with no regrets. “I love you.”

It felt like a breath of fresh air, quickly tangled up in Baekhyun’s laughter. “I love you too, Chanyeol. I love you.”

Chanyeol’s other hand slid down his side, fingertips lightly brushing across the sensitive spots of Baekhyun’s skin as the laughter faded into a hum of approval. The smile spread across Chanyeol’s lips as he slowly helped Baekhyun unravel, like the anticipation of unwrapping a present, starting with the fancy bow, slow and careful as to not tear the paper. He bit his lip as Baekhyun leaned forward, resting against his chest, kissing the base of Chanyeol’s neck.

“Yeol…” he mumbled softly, his glow brightening as he shifted his hips, but Chanyeol’s slow fingers merely begged him to be patient.

Chanyeol couldn’t say it enough. “I love you.” The words were sweet on his lips as he pulled Baekhyun away from him to kiss his glowing skin. The blonde leaned back to take more of him in, thighs clenching around his waist as Chanyeol nipped softly at his skin.

Baekhyun hated going too slow, as he had made clear many times before, his fingers impatiently clutching at his husband’s shoulders in agony. “Chanyeol,” he growled out, receiving only a soft chuckle against his skin and another kiss to his shoulder. He leaned down to take one of the hard buds on Baekhyun’s chest between his lips as his tongue slowly teased it, prompting Baekhyun’s nails to dig into Chanyeol’s skin as he moaned in impatience.

Although Baekhyun preferred the messy speed, the desperate need to be closer, the sparks, and the inability to catch his breath, Chanyeol always loved to be slow and meticulous, appreciating every small piece of him, from the flutter of his eyelashes to the long, breathy gasps of air, the tremble of his sparkling fingers, the sensual moans of his name. Baekhyun, although impatient, always rewarded him nicely, letting him take his sweet time as he massaged and kissed each inch his skin, proclaiming his love in sweet, affectionate caresses.

Chanyeol pressed his lips to Baekhyun’s neck and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s waist as he rolled them over, trapping the blonde beneath him while continuing to pepper his neck with kisses. In surprise, Baekhyun let out a squeak, his legs extending in the air as Chanyeol fit himself between them.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun gasped softly, neck extended as Chanyeol’s lips worked their way down his glowing body, unable to resist the expanse of his torso and the allure of his milky thighs, and as Baekhyun’s legs tightened again around Chanyeol’s waist, Chanyeol pulled away slightly to admire his appearance, soft light drawing patterns like swirling lace designs down the curve of his body, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but notice that he was holding the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his arms, his sweat glistening as it trailed down his neck and sat in beads on his forehead, like jewels on the crown of a king.

And as Chanyeol kissed him, and those soft lips pressed back against his, he wanted nothing more than to hold him there forever, as they finally found their balance in this broken world, here, where they belonged, in each other’s arms.

Chanyeol’s fingers played at the base of Baekhyun’s spine, dipping lower to curl circles around his entrance, and Baekhyun whimpered as Chanyeol stretched him with one finger, then two, and Chanyeol watched, delighted by Baekhyun’s response, the light of his body glowing brighter in silvers and golds and filling the room, the hunger clouding in his eyes, the quivers of his lips.

Chanyeol hummed, the smile of adoration on his lips only growing as he leaned over his beautiful husband’s body to whisper against his lips, “I love you, Baekhyun,” and he kissed him slowly, sweetly, as he gently guided himself into him. They moaned into each other’s mouth, sparks jumping between their lips, pleasant tingles of electricity and heat surging through their systems.

As their two bodies melted together to become one, Chanyeol repeated the words, “I love you, I love you,” lost underneath grunts and moans. Baekhyun’s bare skin was warm underneath his fingertips, soft sparks of light skittering across the sheets in excess energy as he begged him to go faster. The soft whimpers from his lips mixed with the pleads for more, moans of his name, gasps of “I love you,” each sound mingling in the air with Chanyeol’s own.

Chanyeol let everything - his mistakes, his stress, his worries about what tomorrow would bring - be drowned out by the soft gasps and sounds Baekhyun made, his thick legs curled around Chanyeol’s waist, nails digging into Chanyeol’s back, the bed rocking to their rhythm. Chanyeol kissed each inch of his skin, from the dip of his neck to the brown nubs his chest, before focusing on an exposed spot of his neck and sucking on the skin, enticing Baekhyun to writhe underneath him, and Chanyeol released the skin with a tired chuckle to capture Baekhyun’s lips, kissing him deeply and thrusting even deeper.

Chanyeol loved the noise, the lusty chaos, the need. He loved the thrill, their sounds and the bed creaking, the hormones and adrenaline rushing through his system. He loved the man moaning beneath him, the delicious arch of his back, the glistening of his skin, the sweet taste of his pink lips, the soft cry of his name from his mouth, the friction, the speed, the tight clench of his thighs, and the loud moans that came along with release.

Then everything faded out to the slow buzz of white noise, their heavy breaths escaping swollen lips in warm pants of air as their sweaty bodies remained pressed against each other, the tired smile on Baekhyun’s face reflected on Chanyeol’s lips. Chanyeol lowered his head down to Baekhyun’s as the blonde’s eyes closed, to touch his lips to the tip of his nose, and he rubbed his nose against his with a tired chuckle in an slow Eskimo kiss that had Baekhyun giggling underneath him until he let their foreheads touch. They let their breaths slow as Baekhyun’s glow began to dim, and the room settled down to the silence and rain slowly tapping along their windows. And in this perfect bliss, neither of them noticed the slow drop of another petal from the lily on the nightstand, leaving behind a single, withering petal.

One.

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