SUFFERING

Chanyeol's p.o.v.

The next morning the sky was clear except for a few stray clouds that were a wispy white. Chanyeol was groggy the next morning, and stifling a yawn he lifted himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and ranking his fingers back through his hair, causing it to stand up in a fluffy mess of curls. Chanyeol was surprised he didn't hear Baekhyun's sweet voice teasing him, or even laughing at him. Chanyeol glanced towards the bed, thinking Baekhyun was still asleep. But the bed was empty. The bathroom? Chanyeol thought. But Baekhyun wasn't there either.

Chanyeol started to get a little worried, but he managed to control it by telling himself he hadn't looked downstairs, and that maybe Baekhyun was in the kitchen getting something to eat or watching TV. Chanyeol kicked the blankets off his legs and clumsy got to his feet as he proceeded to go downstairs. Chanyeol checked the kitchen, the living room, his parents study, his sisters old room, and his parents room, but he couldn't find Baekhyun anywhere. Chanyeol quickly thought back to yesterday, going over their whole day in his head. He didn't remember anything unusually in Baekhyun's behavior; he had been bright, happy, and play— Wait, Chanyeol thought, I had said something that morning that upset Baekhyun, but then he seemed to get over it. So, what was it? Where did Baekhyun go?

Baekhyun's p.o.v.

His body hurt. He was cold, so cold.
   
Did the monster finally manage to kill him after all these years? Did Death succeed in claiming Baekhyun as his own?
   
But if either of those things had happened then why wasn't Baekhyun at peace? Why did he still experience so much pain? Baekhyun tried to sit up, but a sharp, blinding pain shoot through his side and he doubled over, gasping for breath.
   
So the monster didn't kill me, Baekhyun thought because he shouldn't be experiencing such pain if he had. But he still wants me dead, that much is clear.
   
Baekhyun weakly rolled onto his side and pushed himself to his feet. He staggered unsteadily to the door, with only one thought racing through his mind. Chanyeol. He had to see Chanyeol. Chanyeol could make the pain go away. Chanyeol could help him.
   
Baekhyun couldn't really tell were he was going, the pain was too blinding, impairing his sense of direction, but when Baekhyun tripped and fell onto that familiar yellow grass, his throat constricted in panic. Why out of all places did his feet decide to lead him here? Did he subconsciously want more pain? Is that what this was, because hadn't he gotten enough? Weren't they satisfied yet? He was broken this time, really broken, and they were still chasing after him.
   
Baekhyun clasped onto his back, his breathing ragged and rattly like he had internal bleeding. Was it going to end here, at this park on this cold morning? Was that the end of Byun Baekhyun's tragic story?
   
Baekhyun could feel his heartbeat slowing as he laid limply under the morning sunset, the light peeking through the clouds. He'd have thought it was beautiful if he wasn't in so much pain. He'd have loved to lay here, whole and intact with Chanyeol. But instead, he was alone. Instead, he was dying.
   
Baekhyun didn't know how long he laid there, staring numbly towards the heavens. He didn't know how long it was until he heard his voice call out his name as if in question, before upon realizing it was Baekhyun, that his tone became frantic. As Chanyeol skidded to a stop in front of Baekhyun, the morning sky's beauty was instantly overcast.

"C-Chanyeol," Baekhyun tried to say, but his name came out thick and broken, almost incomprehensible. "I'm sorry, I ruined the clothes," he mumbled weakly before his eyes slowly fluttered shut.

Chanyeol's p.o.v.

When Chanyeol had first drove past the park, he didn't expect to see a limp figure laying in the morning sun, but as he noticed the black messy hair and the clothing, there was no doubt in Chanyeol's mind. That little limp figure was Baekhyun.

Chanyeol instantly slammed on his brakes and put the car in park before throwing the door open and running towards him, calling his name. He skidded to a stop in front of Baekhyun, and noticed his completion was paler than usually, and that blood was smeared in places on the new outfit that Chanyeol had bought him yesterday.

"C-Chanyeol," Baekhyun weakly whispered, "I'm sorry, I ruined the clothes," before his eyes fluttered shut.

"Baek," Chanyeol whispered as he brushed back Baekhyun's hair from his forehead. "How can I possibly care about the clothes?" Then he noticed the staggering fall of Baekhyun's chest, and that each breath came slower than the last. "Oh my God, no, Baek!" Chanyeol sobbed as he carefully picked him up in his arms and moved as quickly as he could to his car without tripping in his frantic state. Baekhyun's little fist tightly, yet weakly clung onto Chanyeol's shirt as he carried him to the car, but Chanyeol was too distracted and upset to notice.

Chanyeol gently laid Baekhyun in the passenger seat before opening the back door and pulling out a blanket and throwing it over Baekhyun. Chanyeol quickly ran around the front of the car and started it before driving as quickly as he possibly could to the hospital without getting into an accident.

. . . .

Baekhyun's surgery has been going on for four hours now, Chanyeol thought in despair. And no one's even told me what's wrong, or if Baekhyun's okay. So he had to wait for each painstaking hour, minute, and second to tick by before someone finally approached him. A doctor in white hospital scrubs started to approach Chanyeol, and Chanyeol noticed a small smear of blood amongst all the white. It made him gulp, and wonder if that was Baekhyun's blood.

"Mr. Park, is it?" the doctor asked. Chanyeol nodded. "Hello, I'm doctor Wang. And you brought in the patient, Byun Baekhyun?" Another nod. "Well, I'm happy to say Mr. Byun is out of danger. He had some internal bleeding and a few fractured ribs, and quit a lot of bruises, old and new. So, Mr. Park, do you have any idea how Mr. Byun could have sustained such severe injuries?"

Chanyeol couldn't tell the truth, because then he didn't know what would happen to Baekhyun, and he also didn't want to say anything until he'd talked to Baekhyun about it all.

Chanyeol shook his head. "Sorry, I was just lucky enough to find him in the park."

God, that sounded almost cruel. Baekhyun meant so much to him, and that's all he could say?

"Well, Mr. Byun is a very lucky man to have a friend that cares so much about him," Dr. Wang said. He opened his mouth again, probably to say goodbye, but before he could, Chanyeol cut him off by saying, "He's not my friend, he's my boyfriend."

"Oh," was all Mr. Wang muttered before saying, "A nurse will be by once he's settled into his own room, and you can see him then."

"Thank you," Chanyeol said.

"Of course," Mr. Wang said before bowing and walking away.

Chanyeol could finally see him, after waiting four long hours . . .

Baekhyun's p.o.v.

Baekhyun was dreaming, actually, truly dreaming. He was sitting beneath a tree with Chanyeol, Chanyeol's arms wrapped around his waist as Baekhyun's head rested comfortably against Chanyeol's chest. The blowing breeze smelled like the sweet scent of freshly bloomed flowers, and white dandelion tuffs softly floated past them.

"Chanyeol," Baekhyun whispered.

"Yeah, Baek?"

"This is the first dream I can remember that wasn't about my past," Baekhyun mumbled, fascinated by the fact.

"You're telling me your dreams are always nightmares?" Chanyeol whispered.

"For as long as I can remember, I've never truly had a peaceful dream that didn't leave me screaming in the end."

"What do you think changed?" Chanyeol asked curiously.
   
Baekhyun looked up into Chanyeol eyes, amused that he hadn't figured it out. Baekhyun laughed softly and whispered, "You, of course. Chanyeol, you're managing to change everything. Because of you, I've found the will to live again. Because of you, I'm learning how to feel again. Because of you, I'm learning how to love again."

"Do you love me, Baek?" Chanyeol whispered.
   
Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "Of course, I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't, now would I?" Baekhyun teased.
   
Chanyeol smiled. "I guess not."

Baekhyun smiled too. "See, you're changing me, and this dream proves it."

Chanyeol's p.o.v.

"Thank you, Baekhyun," Chanyeol whispered as he kissed his forehead. "Thank you for finally telling me."

Baekhyun smiled in his sleep and whispered, "I love you, Chanyeol."

"I love you too, Baekhyun," Chanyeol whispered.

. . . .

Baekhyun's p.o.v.

After two weeks of being cooped up inside his stuffy hospital room, today was the day he was finally being released. A fact that excited Baekhyun greatly. There were so many things he was looking forward too. For instance, being able to talk to Chanyeol freely without a nurse walking into the room every five minutes, literally . . . every . . . five . . . minutes. Baekhyun suspected she had a thing for Chanyeol because she would always seem to come into the room the most when Chanyeol was there. And one day, Baekhyun just got feed up with it, so the next time she walked in Baekhyun made the point of leaning into Chanyeol and kissing him squarely on the lips for longer than he would normally have — in the hospital that is. The unexpected kiss made Chanyeol moan, and with wide eyes the nurse had quickly left the room. Baekhyun couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

Chanyeol's p.o.v.

When Chanyeol pulled into the driveway and unlocked the door, and the first thing Baekhyun said was, "Oh my God, MOVE, I gotta pee!" before shoving Chanyeol out of the way and quickly dashing up the stairs. Chanyeol just laughed at the smaller and walked into the kitchen to make them lunch. When Baekhyun came back down the stairs and into the kitchen, he wore a satisfied expression as he hopped onto the counter, kicking his feet back and forth as he said, "Okay, I feel better now." Chanyeol laughed again and kissed Baekhyun's cheek.

"Are you always this silly and adorable?" Chanyeol asked with a grin.

"Only when I'm with you," Baekhyun muttered.

Chanyeol smiled and stepped in front of Baekhyun, he lightly touched his knees as he said, "So, Baekhyun, I-I've been throwing around an idea in my head for awhile, and I want to know how you feel about it?"

Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol curiously and muttered, "What is it?"

"It may sound a bit fast and too soon, but I've been thinking about it because, well, I don't want to see you ever getting hurt like that again," Chanyeol muttered. "So, Byun Baekhyun, do you want to move in with me?"

Baekhyun instantly felt tears prickling his eyes. "C-Chanyeol, are you serious?" he murmured.

"I'm very serious, Baekhyun. I want to be able to protect you, but I can't always do that if you're still living with that man. So, Baekhyun, will you move in with me?"

Baekhyun threw his arms around Chanyeol's neck and buried his face into his chest as he whispered, "Yes, Chanyeol, I'd loved to move in with you."

Chanyeol smiled. "Thank you, Baek," he whispered near his ear.

Baekhyun's p.o.v.

Baekhyun pulled back with a smile and kissed Chanyeol deeply against his lips, inciting a moan from the latter, that made Baekhyun's cheeks flush with embarrassment as he gave Chanyeol another quick peck. Baekhyun was surprised by Chanyeol's reaction because he didn't realize he could cause such a passionate response, and the sound had Baekhyun feeling playful. Baekhyun slide off the counter and grabbed Chanyeol's hand, he gave Baekhyun a questioning look and Baekhyun just mumbled, "Wait." Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol into the living room and gently shoved him back onto the couch.

"Baek, wait. What are you doing?" Chanyeol mumbled confusedly as Baekhyun sat down on Chanyeol's lap, straddling his waist. "I want you to kiss me," Baekhyun whispered. Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun questioningly and said, "But, Baek . . ."

"I didn't say 'I want to have sex', Chanyeol," Baekhyun said in his snappy little voice. Then his voice turned gentle. "I'm not ready for that. I just want you to kiss me," Baekhyun whispered as he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Chanyeol's.

Chanyeol's p.o.v.

Always so blunt, Baek, Chanyeol thought before Baekhyun's lips locked onto his, muffling Chanyeol's next words and completely wiping them from existence when Chanyeol felt Baekhyun bit his bottom lip. Chanyeol couldn't hold back his moan of pleasure, and he was afraid it'd make Baekhyun uncomfortable, but surprisingly it seemed to have the opposite affect. Baekhyun's lips pressed more firmly against Chanyeol's and his hands tightened around Chanyeol's neck, causing Chanyeol to react in much of the same way. Chanyeol's grip tightened around Baekhyun's waist before his hands slide up Baekhyun's back and into his perpetually messy hair. Chanyeol gripped the back of Baekhyun's neck to pull him closer, and when he did Baekhyun bumped against Chanyeol. Such a cliche, but Chanyeol swore his vision went black for a moment as nothing but pure pleasure coursed through him before he pulled back, choking out a hoarse whispered, "Oh, fuck, Baek."

Baekhyun pulled away and arched his head back as he said, "Oh, shhiiit!" They both jumped away from each other as Chanyeol quickly got up and practically ran to the bathroom.

Baekhyun's p.o.v.

"Shit," Baekhyun muttered as he fell backwards onto the couch.

Okay, for sure, he'd never caused that before.

Baekhyun sighed and rolled over onto his side as his cheeks started to burn, and after a moment he started to fall asleep.

Chanyeol's p.o.v.

Chanyeol walked out of the bathroom feeling extremely embarrassed. Ugh, don't let this be awkward now, he silently prayed, but when he walked back into the living room he saw Baekhyun asleep on the couch. Oh my God, how can he sleep after that!?

Rolling his eyes and walking into the kitchen Chanyeol started to make himself a sandwich. When he went back into the living room, he noticed that Baekhyun had started to droll. He's so adorable, Chanyeol thought as he set his sandwich down onto the coffee table before gingerly taking a seat on the couch. He carefully picked up Baekhyun's legs and laid them back down on his lap before turning the TV down to a low volume.

After a while, Chanyeol was falling asleep too.

. . . .

Sometime around twelve at night Chanyeol woke up. He felt very groggy, and rubbing his eyes he glanced over at Baekhyun and saw he was still sound asleep. Chanyeol smiled and picked up Baekhyun bridal style as he carried him up the stairs and to his bedroom. Chanyeol gently placed Baekhyun on the bed and laid his head on a pillow, like he was a baby. Chanyeol grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before walking back into the bathroom to change. When he walked back into his room, he saw that Baekhyun was sprawled across the bed, his limbs thrown out in every direction. Chanyeol sighed as he walked to his dresser and pulled something out for Baekhyun to wear.

Chanyeol gently tapped Baekhyun cheek to wake him up, but he just moaned and rolled onto his stomach, huffing a muffled, "Shut up, giant," before he softly started snoring again.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and turned Baekhyun back over, he lifted him up by his shoulders and Baekhyun tried smacking him away. "Baek, you'll get to hot in that, you have to change," Chanyeol muttered.

Baekhyun groaned again and said, "But you already made me hot," as he got to his feet and started to pull down his pants, still in his half-asleep state.

"Oh my God! Woah, Baek, not in here!" Chanyeol said and started to shove Baekhyun towards the bathroom. But Baekhyun already managed to pull off his pants and he threw them at Chanyeol's face as he sleepily muttered, "Oh, you know you like it," then Baekhyun made an obscene noise that had Chanyeol's jaw dropping and shoving him into the bathroom before firmly closing the door with Baekhyun inside.

Chanyeol's cheeks flushed such a deep red as he heard Baekhyun mumbling in the bathroom and throw his shirt at the door with a muffled thump. Chanyeol just rolled his eyes as he pulled the blankets back and laid down. Chanyeol's eyes were closed and he was already half asleep when he heard the door open. Then every unexpectedly, he felt Baekhyun crawling over him before he laid down on the other side of the bed with a huff. Chanyeol just stared at him and muttered, "Such a pain."

All throughout the rest of the night, Baekhyun wouldn't lie still. He kept flinging out his arms and draping his legs over Chanyeol's, and when Chanyeol would pull his legs out from under Baekhyun's, Baekhyun would move them first and Chanyeol would put his own legs over Baekhyun's to keep Baekhyun from kicking him in the middle of the night. But for being such a midget, Baekhyun was strong. He managed to throw Chanyeol's own legs off him before quickly Baekhyun would fling his legs back over Chanyeol's. But after a while it finally stopped, and Chanyeol sighed in relief, only for Baekhyun to flip over onto his other side and push out his butt, surprising Chanyeol and knocking him off the bed. He landed with a thump, and Baekhyun sleepily lifted his head at the noise, squinting as he mumbled, "Why are you on the floor?" before he dropped his head back onto the pillow and fell asleep.

Chanyeol just glared up at the sleeping Baekhyun before getting back on the bed and shoving him against the wall. "Hmm, stop it!" Baekhyun moaned.

"You stop it," Chanyeol grumbled back.

Baekhyun turned over onto his side, facing Chanyeol as he whispered, "I love you, Chan," and threw his arm around Chanyeol's waist.

Chanyeol's heart instantly melted and the frown dropped from his face as he pulled Baekhyun closer and kissed his forehead. "I love you too, Baek," Chanyeol whispered.

———————————————————

Author's Notes

Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you're enjoying the story! And encase anyone was confused, Baekhyun had been dreaming about talking to Chanyeol and was talking in his sleep, meaning Chanyeol could hear Baekhyun and was responding like they were actually both awake and having a conversation.

Well, until next time.... 🌸🌸