Spirit of Fire

[his_angel16]

Title: Spirit of Fire (Part One)
Author: his_angel16
Parings: Chanyeol/Jongdae, Kris/Yixing, Luhan/Minseok, Sehun/Tao, Kyungsoo/Joonmyeon, Jongin/Baekhyun, slight!Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own the plot, not the people. Any actual likeness to any given person is purely coincidental.
Summary: Chanyeol is fire; fire is destructive, harmful, chaotic, nearly uncontrollable. He learns how fragile life is; what it means to love someone so much that you would die for them. With sacrifice, he learns that fire can also mean warmth, light, and a new beginning.
Warning: Character death (I'm sorry, but please, don't kill me. It's okay, I promise.)
A/N: I apologize for taking so long to update this. Crap has happened (and is continuing to happen) that I can't really avoid.



Chanyeol frowned, watching as the fire spun around his wrist. It wasn't fair. He wasn't evil, wasn't bad, but why did he have a power that could hurt everyone? Sure, Joonmyeon could drown people if he wished, but water was more of a vital part of life. Without it, you couldn't survive. Kyungsoo was capable of moving the earth, another key part of survival, and had immense strength. He frowned as the fire spiraled up his arm, never once burning him even though it grazed his skin. The only one that came close to have a destructive power was Jongdae. And even then, Jongdae's lightning didn’t seem as destructive as Chanyeol's fire. Lightning could blow things apart and kill someone instantly, but Chanyeol's would make them suffer, make them feel every pain as it charred their flesh. Suffering was an awful way to die. Dying instantaneously wasn't too bad. You would barely feel the pain.
  He sighed as he extinguished the fire, lying down on his bed. Jongdae was in Sehun and Kyungsoo's room, sleeping with them. He had the room to himself which only led to him thinking about things he would have preferred to forget. He remembered when he was little, the one time he had accidentally used his power in front of his mother. It was right after she had given him her necklace, the one he always wanted with the ruby dangling from it. He kept it hidden in his desk, tucked away safely in the box. He had taken it out only once and Baekhyun had seen it, begged for him to give it to him. He had refused, of course, since it had been in his family for generations. He groaned, rolling over as he thought of his makeshift brother. Kris practically adopted them both, so he was kind of a surrogate father to them.
  “Even Baekhyun has a power that's not destructive,” he muttered, burying his face in his pillow. “He's light.” He feigned sleep as someone entered the room. He kept perfectly still as their crept over to his bed, poking him in the arm. He looked up, seeing it was none other than Baekhyun himself. Groaning, he pushed himself up, sitting on his legs. “What?”
  Baekhyun shifted his weight from foot to foot, biting down on his lip. “Um...” he began, eyes lowered to the floor.
  Chanyeol felt annoyance bubbling up, trying to push it down as he focused on breathing evenly. “What, Baek?” He was surprised his voice was so even, so calm. He always hated when the other disturbed him while he was trying to sleep. It's partially why Kris made them use separate rooms when they moved in here. He hoped to alleviate some of the tension between them.
  “Can I sleep in here with you?” Baekhyun was already bracing himself for the younger's refusal, keeping his eyes low.
  Frowning, Chanyeol pointed to the empty bed on the other side of the room. “Use Jongdae's bed.”
  “What if he wants his bed later?”
  He went to lie back down, letting out a frustrated cry. He ran a hand over his face, patience barely there. He hated to admit it, but Baekhyun was right. What if the other wanted his bed after he managed to escape from Sehun? He squished his pillow over toward the wall, scooting over before flopping down. “Don't talk. I’m tired.” He faced the wall, pulling the covers up to his shoulders. He could feel his bed dip under Baekhyun's weight as he climbed on beside him, using his own pillow and blanket. It wasn't long before Chanyeol felt Baekhyun's back pressed up against his.
  “It's cold,” Baekhyun stated, eyes closed. His voice was quiet, but it carried in the silent room. “You're the best one to go to when it's cold.”
  Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Sleep, Baek, or I'll throw you out of my room.” He felt the other shift on his bed, rocking it under his weight. Getting fed up with it, Chanyeol threw his blanket back, rolling over to yell at Baekhyun. He snapped his mouth shut when he realized Baekhyun was merely rolling over to face him and he frowned. “Roll over.”
  Baekhyun shook his head. “I don't want to.” He closed his eyes before he dared to reach out, wrapping his right arm around Chanyeol's waist. “Lie down.”
  He flopped back down, stealing glances at Baekhyun. “You're weird.” He closed his eyes, feeling the other snuggle closer to him, trying to get warm. He rolled his eyes, wondering why he always showed up when he was cold. He could just get another blanket or something. Why bother walking into the next room just to get warm? He heard Baekhyun's soft snoring not even a minute later, looking over at him. His face was buried in his pillow as his arm tightened around Chanyeol in his sleep. “You're going to suffocate.” He gently tipped Baekhyun's head up, watching as he scrunched up his face before it smoothed back out.
  When morning came, Chanyeol opened his eyes to find Baekhyun lying half on top of him, face pressed to his chest as he continued to sleep. He poked the other in the forehead, trying to wake him up enough to make him move. Frowning, he flicked him in the nose, biting back a smile as the other yelped, waking up instantly. He sat up, hair tousled from moving around in his sleep. He looked down at Chanyeol through sleepy eyes.
  “Yeol!” he shouted, voice cracking. He cleared his throat before patting the younger on the cheek. “Morning.”
  “Get off of me,” Chanyeol replied, gritting his teeth. It was taking everything he had to keep himself from shoving his brother off of him. He glared as Baekhyun shook his head. “Why the hell not?”
  “Sleeping beauty needs a kiss to wake up.” Baekhyun stared down at him, eyelids still heavy. He waited for five minutes, the silence nearly lulling him back to sleep.
  Chanyeol groaned, reaching upward. “One kiss, you baby.” It had been a few years since Baekhyun said anything about it, but when they were still young, just fourteen year old kids being looked after by a sixteen year old Kris, Chanyeol had made it a game, waking the other up. He laughed the first time he kissed Baekhyun, calling him sleeping beauty. They had nearly given Kris a heart attack, only laughing harder when he finally calmed down. He placed his hands on either side of Baekhyun's face before he pulled him down.
  He closed his eyes as their lips met, Baekhyun's fingers curling into his shirt. It wasn't as bad as it used to be. Their first kisses were sloppy, but they soon got the hang of it. It had become a normal thing for them whenever Baekhyun had a particularly bad dream about his past. Pulling away, Chanyeol stared into Baekhyun's eyes, seeing that he was alert now, as if the kiss really stirred him from sleep.
  “Thanks,” Baekhyun whispered, not breaking eye contact. It was one of the things that helped them communicate. Luhan might have been able to read their minds, but what they had was on another level entirely. They just simply understood each other, like biological brothers would have.
  “Was it really bad?” Chanyeol could feel Baekhyun's breath on his face as he waited.
  “Not as bad as some of them, but it was pretty graphic.” Baekhyun tried to lean up, tried to break eye contact with Chanyeol, but he couldn't budge. “Yeol, I’m okay. You can let go of me now.”
  Chanyeol shook his head. “Not until you tell me about it.” He could sense the other's hesitation and it made his curiosity grow. He sat up, wrapping his arm tightly around Baekhyun's shoulders. He waited as Baekhyun squirmed against him, sighing as he finally gave up. Once he was trapped against Chanyeol, there really wasn't much use to struggling. Chanyeol was bigger than him.
  “It was about us.” Baekhyun's voice was quiet. He paused, listening to Chanyeol's heart beating next to his ear. It was soothing for him, that sound. Like many other times, Chanyeol was the one to comfort him instead of Kris. “We couldn't do anything except stand there, watching as Kihwan killed our friends. He killed Luhan first before turning to kill Minseok. Tao and Jongin were standing behind him, like in Luhan's dream. Kris was trying to fight him alone, screaming at us to run.” He shivered, Chanyeol's arm tightening around him protectively. “You pushed me aside, told me to leave. I didn’t want to leave without either of you. And then, just as Kihwan was getting ready to kill us, you woke me up.”
  Chanyeol ran his fingers through Baekhyun's hair. “It's only a dream, okay? None of us will let that happen.” He pressed a kiss to Baekhyun's temple, rubbing his back. “Wait here for a second.”
  He left Baekhyun on his bed, going to his desk. He opened the drawer to retrieve the velvet box before he returned to his bed. He sat across from Baekhyun as he lifted the lid. He watched as the other's eyes sparkled at seeing the delicate chain sitting on its plush cushion. He took the necklace from the box, unclasping the back before leaning toward Baekhyun. He could feel the surprise rolling off of him as he fastened it around his neck.
  “Chanyeol, this is...” Baekhyun left his sentence unfinished as he felt fingers on the back of his neck. The metal chain was cool against his skin and he looked up once Chanyeol pulled away. “Your mother's necklace?”
  “Hold onto it for me.” Chanyeol smiled a little at him, fingers running over the ruby hanging just below Baekhyun's collarbone. “Whenever you have a bad dream and we aren’t beside each other, just hold onto that. It'll feel like I’m always there.”
  Baekhyun nodded, hand closing around the precious stone. “Thanks.” He smiled at Chanyeol before he leaned forward. He meant to just give him a quick peck, just to convey his appreciation, but he found it difficult to pull away. He wasn't really attracted to Chanyeol, but he wouldn't deny that he liked kissing him. Eyes closing, his arms wound around Chanyeol's neck, fingers tangling into his hair. He felt his heart flutter when Chanyeol kissed him in return, tongue sliding against his. He felt Chanyeol's arms snake more securely around his waist, pulling him into his lap. When they pulled apart for air, they were both panting.
  “Baek, you know you mean a lot to me, right?” Chanyeol closed his eyes as he leaned in to nuzzle his face against the other's neck. He smelled like lavender soap and Chanyeol chuckled. “You're addicted to that scent.”
  Swallowing, Baekhyun nodded. He felt Chanyeol's lips against his neck and he shivered. “Why are we still like this when we both like other people?” His fingers were still entangled in Chanyeol's short locks, but he made no sign of withdrawing them.
  Chanyeol shrugged. “Because old habits are hard to break?” He pulled back a little, smile crooked as he stared at the elder. “Or maybe a part of us will always belong to each other, even though our hearts belong to other people.”
  Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Stop being so sappy. You and I don't belong to each other.” He gasped as Chanyeol bit down on his neck, wincing a little as a small pain shot through him. Pushing the other away, Baekhyun reached up, frowning at the tender spot on his neck. “Did you just give me a hickey?”
  Laughing, Chanyeol nodded. “Yeah. What are you going to do about it?” He ducked under Baekhyun's arm, rolling off of his bed before fleeing his room. He was laughing until he saw the look on Jongdae's face. He stopped in the hallway, frowning at the other. “Is something wrong?”
  Jongdae shook his head, offering Chanyeol a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He ignored Baekhyun running out into the hallway, face flushing when he noticed Jongdae standing there. “Nothing's wrong,” he said, but he knew it wasn't convincing.
  “Jongdae, if you have a problem with anything, Chanyeol is really good at finding a solution,” Baekhyun stated, eyeing him wearily. He turned to the side a little, not wanting Jongdae to see the hickey on his neck. That was the last thing he needed to see. A love bite on Baekhyun's neck from Chanyeol. He mentally shook himself, trying to push the though aside.
  “I'm fine, really.” Jongdae smiled again. It was better than the first, but his eyes still seemed sad. He walked away, heading for Joonmyeon's room.
  Chanyeol frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “I wonder what's bothering him.” He yelped when Baekhyun jumped on him, nails digging into his shoulders. He managed to pull the other off, but not before he scraped his nails down one arm. “What the hell was that for, Baek?”
  Baekhyun grinned. “You left your mark, I left mine.” He stuck his tongue out before darting away, laughing all the way down the stairs.
  “You little shit.” Chanyeol rubbed his arm, looking at the angry red marks. He knew they would heal before the hickey on Baekhyun's neck would and it made him smirk. “Just wait, Byun Baekhyun. I'll get you back for this.”

Jongdae sat on the floor in the middle of Joonmyeon's room. The elder had stepped out a little earlier, but he knew it was the only place where no one would pry. He felt an overwhelming urge to punch Baekhyun in the face, but he knew it wasn't a rational thing to do. They were just goofing off, right? Baekhyun couldn't really like Chanyeol like that, could he? Shaking his head, Jongdae leaned back until he was stretched out on the soft carpet. He stared at the ceiling, finding it more interesting than he normally would. He traced the intricate pattern with his eyes, taking in each and every detailed swirl. It wasn't long before he got bored with waiting, getting up to throw himself across Joonmyeon's bed. He fell asleep waiting for the elder to come back.
  When he opened his eyes again, he found that the sun had cast long shadows along the walls. Pursing his lips, he threw back the blankets covering him - who covered him up? - and headed downstairs. He found Baekhyun and Chanyeol on the couch, threatening each other with stupid punishments for whichever lost their ridiculous game first. He rolled his eyes as he went into the kitchen. Joonmyeon was finishing a sandwich, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with the napkin.
  “Hyung, can we talk?” he asked, voice quiet. He didn’t want Chanyeol hearing him or their discussion.
  “Sit down,” Joonmyeon replied, not looking up as he stared at the paper. He never seemed to miss a beat. “You like Chanyeol.”
  Jongdae stiffened, eyes darting to the doorway before he relaxed a little. It wasn't a question, but he felt it deserved an answer anyway. “Yeah, I think I do.”
  “You wouldn't come to me on mere thoughts, Jongdae.” Joonmyeon offered him a smile. “So, have you thought about telling him?”
  Lowering his eyes to the table, Jongdae nodded. “I was going to do it today, this morning, but I saw him and Baekhyun coming out of our room. He gave Baekhyun a hickey.”
  Joonmyeon pursed his lips. “What if Jongin gave Baekhyun the hickey? It's possible, right?”
  Shaking his head, Jongdae found himself fighting back a wave of tears. He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat. “Baekhyun was on Chanyeol's back, but that's not what bothered me. Chanyeol has this necklace, it's very important to him, but...”
  “But?” Joonmyeon hated to feel as if he were prying, but he also hated seeing his friends upset about anything. He tried to keep things peaceful as much as possible.
  “It's around Baekhyun's neck.” Jongdae heard his voice waver, the first tear streaking down his face. It was hot and it made him feel awful, but he was upset. He knew Joonmyeon wasn't one to judge when it came to petty things like being sad over a stupid boy. If he were being honest with himself, it was more than sad. He was jealous that Chanyeol and Baekhyun were so carefree with each other, that they were always together and laughing.
  “Chanyeol gave his necklace to Baekhyun?” Kris asked, voice making Jongdae jump. He frowned, sitting down next to Joonmyeon. “Are you sure? Chanyeol wouldn't come up off that thing no matter what.”
  “I'm positive about it!” Jongdae felt his hands trembling as he tried not to break down in front of them. His eyes burned as he tried to keep all of his tears from falling. “He gave Baekhyun his damn ruby necklace!” He got up from the table, chair tipping over to clatter harshly against the floor. He stomped away, trying to flee before anyone else saw him. It didn’t work. He ran headfirst into Jongin, glaring at the younger before moving quickly away. He could hear the younger asking Joonmyeon and Kris what was wrong with him. He tried to ignore it, making his way into the living room. He glared toward the steps before hurrying to the front door. Maybe some fresh air would do him good.
  Chanyeol and Baekhyun were perched on chairs in Baekhyun's room when they heard the door slam. They flinched, but didn’t pay much attention to it. They continued their racing game until the sun had set. Stretching, they headed for the kitchen, feeling hungry after long hours of gaming. Baekhyun hurried over to where Jongin and Sehun were sitting, pointing at the necklace around his neck as he beamed. Chanyeol looked around, reaching out to stop Yixing as he passed.
  “Where's Jongdae?” he asked, frowning as he couldn't find the other in the kitchen. They were all pretty much there. Luhan and Minseok had gone to China for family business, so Jongdae was the only one missing.
  Yixing shrugged. “Kris and Joonmyeon haven't seen him since earlier. They said he was really upset about something,” he replied. He moved away from Chanyeol, going to sit next to Kris at the table.
  “We need to talk,” Joonmyeon stated, pulling gently on Chanyeol's wrist. He tugged him out oft eh kitchen, making him sit on the couch before he faced him. “Jongdae stopped replying to my messages a couple hours ago. He was really upset.”
  Chanyeol continued to frown, blinking up at the elder as if he hadn’t really heard any of it. “What does it have to do with me?”
  Sighing, Joonmyeon sat down on the coffee table, fingertips pressed together. “He was upset about you. He was going to confess to you today, but when he saw you and Baekhyun together, it crushed him.”
  “Why would he confess to me? We're always making fun of each other. And we don't really get along unless we're picking on someone together.” Chanyeol watched as Joonmyeon's shoulders slumped a little. He could tell the elder was getting irritated, but why? Him and Jongdae? No way. Not in a million years would they be together. Sure, he liked the other, but to have Jongdae like him back? It was impossible.
  “He likes you, Chanyeol. For whatever reason, by some unknown force, Kim Jongdae likes you. All of the nitpicking he does with you, it's his way of showing you affection. He might not know any other way of showing it toward you.” Joonmyeon clapped him on the shoulder, offering him a small smile. “Try to contact him, okay?”
  Chanyeol waited as Joonmyeon disappeared through the door leading back to the kitchen. Sighing, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jongdae's number. He would deny it later if anyone found out he added cute little hearts around his name. He frowned as it went straight into voicemail. “Hey, Jongdae, it's me. Call me back. Joonmyeon hyung is having a cow since you stopped replying.” He hung up, setting his phone down on the table. He waited, minutes trickling into a few hours; hours giving way to half of the night. He kept his eyes focused on his phone, the device mocking him by being perfectly still.
  It wasn't until the first rays of the sun filtered through the curtains that he moved. He shifted his position just slightly, just to allow blood to flow back into his numb legs. He heard the others waking up, heard them starting to come downstairs. He could hear the frowns on their faces as they walked by, whispering about him and how he shouldn't have stayed up all night. He looked up with bloodshot eyes as Joonmyeon approached him.
  “Have you heard from him?” he asked, frowning. He scratched the back of his neck.
  Chanyeol shook his head. “No, he hasn't called or anything. I’m starting to worry. Has he ever stayed out all night?”
  “Only once,” Kyungsoo mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He moved to stand next to Joonmyeon, resting his head on his shoulder. “Sehun kept me up half of the night. I swear that child is going to be the death of me.” He blinked, trying to get rid of the tiredness in his eyes. “The only time Jongdae hyung has ever stayed out was right before Tao and the others found us. He was wandering the streets, looking for people to harass and someone to fight with.”
  Joonmyeon winced. “Jongdae likes to fight?”
  Kyungsoo nodded, sleep still tugging at his mind. He yawned, turning to stifle it against the elder's shoulder. “He ended up getting pretty hurt that night. Although he's improved since he was fourteen, he's never been the type to stop at one fight. He's probably unconscious somewhere.”
  Watching as Chanyeol hurried out of the front door, Joonmyeon turned to frown at Kyungsoo. “Why make him worry?”
  Smiling, Kyungsoo stared Joonmyeon in the eyes. “It made him go after him, didn’t it? Chanyeol might control fire, but you still need to light one under his ass to get him to move. He should have gone after Jongdae the moment he found out he was gone.”
  Rolling his eyes, Joonmyeon swatted at the younger. “Sometimes, I think you're older than all of us. Your logic is beyond ours.” He grabbed the younger's hand to tug him toward the kitchen.
  Chanyeol was beginning to panic. He couldn't find Jongdae anywhere. He checked all of the likely places, all of the cafes and little shops that he might have slipped into. He tried at the few hotels in the area, heart pounding painfully in his chest as he kept searching. Every place he checked, he left empty handed. He chewed on his bottom lip as he worried, tasting copper as his teeth broke the skin. There had to be a place, any one place, that he hadn’t checked yet. The sun was already high in the sky, his searching having taken up all morning as it filtered into the afternoon. He called and messaged Jongdae's phone close to a thousand times, but he didn’t get an answer. All he wanted was to know that he was okay, that he was alive and well. He collapsed onto a bench, staring at the sidewalk and his shoes with tired eyes.
  “If I wasn't so blind, I wouldn't be looking for you now,” he mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open. The lack of sleep was finally beginning to wear on him and he was finding it extremely hard to keep himself from falling asleep. He pulled out his phone, eyelids becoming overly heavy as he dialed the familiar number. “Hey, Kim Jongdae.” He licked his lips, body slowly leaning to one side as he fell over. He was staring at the store across the street, too far gone to realize it wasn't the voicemail he was speaking to. “I'm sorry about hurting your feelings. I should have realized your heart, but I was too caught up in thinking you didn’t like me. I wanted to drown out my feelings for you, but it didn’t work. I’m sorry that I’m a jerk, that I’m such an idiot.”
  A soft chuckle came over the speaker, causing a small smile to rise on Chanyeol's face. “Thanks, Chanyeol,” Jongdae replied. He stood across the street as Chanyeol finally fell asleep on the bench. He disconnected the call before dialing Joonmyeon's number. “Hyung, do you think you can send Jongin over to the bookstore? Chanyeol just passed out on a bench and I really don't feel like dragging him home. Yeah, I'll wait here.”
  He crossed the street, picking Chanyeol's phone up from the bench before putting it in his pocket. He looked over when he heard Jongin grumbling about being cold. He smiled as the younger grabbed his wrist and Chanyeol's before the street disappeared and they were standing in the living room. Chanyeol hit the floor hard, but he merely grumbled in his sleep.
  “Next time, take a wheelbarrow with you!” Jongin hissed, letting Baekhyun pull him down on the couch. He snuggled closer to the elder as he wound a soft blanket around his shoulders.
  Rolling his eyes, Jongdae looked over as Joonmyeon came from the kitchen. “Want help getting him upstairs?” he asked. Jongdae nodded, each of them taking one of Chanyeol's arms before hoisting him up. It took them a few minutes, but after he was tucked snugly into his bed, the elder turned to Jongdae. He smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “If you ever scare us like that again, I’m sending Kyungsoo and Sehun after you.”
  Nodding, Jongdae chewed on his lip as he waited for Joonmyeon to leave. Shrugging out of his hoodie, he slipped under the covers beside Chanyeol. He blinked as the other subconsciously rolled over, hugging him close. Biting back a smile, he closed his eyes. “I could have handled things better,” he whispered, his own arm snaking around the other. “I shouldn't have stormed off the way I did. But I was jealous of Baekhyun, of the relationship you two have. Do you think we'll be able to get that close?”
  Chanyeol woke a couple hours later to a dark room. He tried to roll over, eyes shooting open at feeling his body pinned down. His first instinct was to thrash around, successfully throwing the intruder off of him and onto the floor. A flame lit up his hand, illuminating the room just enough as he crouched on his bed, waiting to strike.
  “Why the hell were you in my bed?” he snapped, voice loud and threatening. Hearing the person groan, he peered over the edge of his bed, gasping as he noticed a familiar mop of dark hair. “Jongdae!”
  Looking up, Jongdae grimaced before he shielded his eyes. “It's too bright. Put it out,” he whined. Once the room was enveloped by darkness, he felt around for the edge of the bed, hoisting himself onto it. He pushed Chanyeol down, ignoring his protests and questions. He covered them back up, turning to rest his head against Chanyeol's pillow. “You're too loud. Knock it off.”
  “But why are you in my bed?” Chanyeol's eyes were wide, reflecting what little light was filtering into the room from the window.
  Jongdae cracked an eye open, staring at him. “I found you passed out on a park bench and freezing. Why else would I be in your bed if it wasn't to warm you up?”
  “You found me on a bench?” Chanyeol tried to think back, tried to remember what happened. His eyes went even wider as he stared at Jongdae. “I talked to you on the phone...” His face flushed bright red as he buried his face in his pillow. “I'm such an idiot!”
  Laughing, Jongdae poked Chanyeol in the side, making him jump. “Yes, you are an idiot.” He grinned at the glare the other shot him, reaching out to run his fingers through Chanyeol's hair. “But, if you want to be, you can be my idiot.”
  “Really?” Chanyeol watched as Jongdae nodded without hesitation. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face as he propped himself up on his arm. “Then, can I be your idiot?”
  Nodding again, Jongdae leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to Chanyeol's lips before letting himself fall back down. “I'd be honored if you were my idiot.”
  Chanyeol's smile widened and he dropped back down beside Jongdae, wrapping his arm around his waist to tug him closer. “I'm your idiot.” He buried his face in Jongdae's hair, closing his eyes. “Sorry it took me so long to realize everything.”
  “It's okay.” Jongdae smiled to himself, enjoying having Chanyeol's arm around him, holding him close. “I'm a patient person.” They fell asleep, arms wound around each other and smiles on their faces.