𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟑 | baekhyun

𝐒𝐈𝐗

"Safe travel" The older lady cried, hugging them tightly, ignoring the gagging noises coming from Yeonjun as he tried to break free. Chunga was the only one smiling genuinely at her. "I will miss you, not liking you leaving! Stay safe, don't do scary things. No scary things."

She waved them goodbye, sniffling as she watched them enter the train and disappear. The night train took off, heading to the city of Venice, the city of dreams like she had called it.

Baekhyun slumped down in one of the narrow seats in their cramped cabin. They would all be forced to share it for the following three days, the time it would take them to reach their destination. Not having the amount of money and as well as in regards to keeping a low profile, the four of them did not have the luxury of a cabin of their own, let alone a sleeping cabin. They stayed in a regular one, two narrow sofas, three blankets, and the darkness outside of the window keeping them company.

"I will not share a bed with that one," Yeonjun announced, pointing towards a sleepy Baekhyun leaning his head against the cold window with his suitcase in his lap. "I refuse. Do you hear? R-e-f-u-s-e."

Jaehyun sighed. "Chungha you take that one. And you–" He pointed Yeonjun in the face, the teenager scolding deeply. "You'll take the other one and I don't want to hear any more complaining coming from you, from now on."

And that is how Baekhyun and the crossword puzzle-obsessed man ended up on the cold floor, between the two narrow sofas, with one blanket to share and the screeching sound of the wheels of the train against the rails— in a languid pace.

"Keep your hands to yourself." Jaehyun hissed as they lay down in the darkness, pushing Baekhyun further away with his knee.

"It's my foot." Baekhyun explained and tried to elbow the other man in the chest. "Stop pushing—, Do not dare take more of the blanket, you selfish imbecile. I barely have a corner of it!"

"Stop whining."

"Stop taking the blanket!"

"I'm not!"

"Stop pushing your knee up my back, I'm not going to touch you, you idiot. I'm throwing up by the thought–" Making a gagging noise, Bakehyun yanked the blanket his way. "Lay still for god's sake."

"Will you stop complaining–"

"QUIET!" Chungha hissed, an angry look clouding her eyes. She glared at the two of them where she laid on the narrow sofa above the side of Jaehyun. They glanced her way, frozingly still as if a deer caught in headlights. "You'll wake the whole train and get us kicked out. Sleep! Who knows when we'll have this opportunity again? I haven't slept in days, so please leave me be and be quiet for once."

Muffled snickers could be heard from the other sofa, Yeonjun's lank body hidden under the thin blanket. Baekhyun couldn't resist and reached up to flick him in the head. "Ouch! Don't touch me with your dirty hands. They smell of smoke. Want me throwing up on you, huh?"

Chungha hissed angrily at them, Baekhyun only giving the teenager a death glare.

The four of them almost slept through the rest of the night, all while the cold winds hitting against the small window sang to them like a lullaby. Baekhyun found himself dancing in and out of sleep for several hours, angered every time he would reach enough to the surface of consciousness to feel the missing warmth of the small blanket — reaching behind him to yank it from the death grip of a sleeping Jaehyun. When he finally woke up in the mourning he was alone on the floor, the blanket nowhere to be seen.

It had wondered of with the crossword obsessed man as he had it draped over his shoulders, strolling through the train on his way to the restaurant cart. It was still too early to be graced with the encounter of any other traveler, and he was happy with that. Having a crossword puzzle gripped tightly in his hand he looked forward to his time alone, with the hope of being able to spend his breakfast without the sound of Yeonjun's obnoxious voice and Baekhyun's smoking.