WITHOUT YOU, I'M STILL WITH YOU
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Baekhyun went back to his house after leaving the hospital. It was dark and cold when he opened the door, nothing like Chanyeol's house that oozed warmth and comfort. Numbly Baekhyun walked down the hallway to his bedroom and pushed the door open, and with tears flowing down his cheeks he collapsed onto the bed. He wanted the darkness to visit him; he wanted to be distracted from his pain, and he had to remind himself it was for the best.
Monday morning when Baekhyun woke alone, he was instantly filled with emptiness. How could he go to school and see him? How could he sit next to him and pretend nothing was wrong? How could he sit next to him and force himself not to look at him? How could he force himself to resist the urge of throwing his arms around his neck and kissing him? How long would he have to stay away from him? How long would he have to go without saying he loved him?
. . . .
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
Chanyeol didn't care how he looked as he got ready for school that Monday morning. He didn't care if he looked like he hadn't slept. He didn't care how broken and lost he looked. He just wanted him . . .
In their first hour class together they were forced to sit together. Baekhyun didn't acknowledge Chanyeol's presence, and with a sickening ache it reminded Chanyeol of the days before when Baekhyun kept pushing him away — and now he was doing it again . . .
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Baekhyun couldn't sit next to Chanyeol without feeling the urge to look at him; to touch him; to kiss him. With the scrapping of his chair against the floor, Baekhyun walked out of class and went to the bathroom. He locked the door behind him and went to the sink as he said, "You've gone eighteen years without knowing him, Baekhyun. So you can go a few weeks without talking to him. You want him safe, and that's what you're doing. You're leaving him alone so he can be safe." Baekhyun looked at himself in the mirror as he watched himself whisper, "But why does it have to be so hard . . .?"
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
Chanyeol couldn't help but look at Baekhyun as he sat in the bleachers with his head in his arms. He so badly wanted to go to him and wrap him in a hug and never let him go, but Baekhyun needed time because he was afraid of seeing Chanyeol get hurt.
"Yah. Chanyeol," Kyungsoo's voice broke through to Chanyeol's subconsciousness. Chanyeol unwillingly tore his eyes from Baekhyun as Kyungsoo continued to say, "Why is Baekhyun sitting on the bleachers? Is he sick?" Chanyeol shook his head. "Then why is he over there?" Kyungsoo pressed. "I can't talk about it," Chanyeol muttered as he went to sit on the bleachers too, staying four rows away from Baekhyun.
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Baekhyun watched from the crack between his arms as Chanyeol approached the bleachers and sat down with his back to him. Biting his lip Baekhyun turned his head to the side, imaging himself talking to Chanyeol as he quietly whispered, "I'm sorry for doing this. I'm sorry that I'm hurting you. But Chanyeol, I can't have you getting hurt. I don't know if you understand that, but I know you hate it, and so do I . . . I have to do it though. I have to stay away from you until Yixing is caught because I can't have him coming after me and hurting you too. I love you, Chanyeol. Please, just wait a little longer."
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
Chanyeol thought he heard Baekhyun's voice whispering to him, but he shook it off as a trick of his subconscious because he just missed him so much. Chanyeol really wanted Baekhyun to come back to him. Maybe if Chanyeol explained that the danger never really went away, maybe then Baekhyun would realize staying away from him wasn't going to solve anything? Maybe even Chanyeol would be able to hold him in his arms again and feel his lips brush against his. Maybe Chanyeol should say something now . . .
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Baekhyun saw Chanyeol approaching him from the corner of his eye, and sucking in a raged breath Baekhyun said, "Chanyeol, I don't want to talk to you right now." Baekhyun internally cursed himself for sounding so harsh, and instantly regretted it when he saw Chanyeol's face fell even more. "Baekhyun, I only wanted to say that the danger never goes away, so staying away from each other is pointless."
Baekhyun furrowed his brow as he said, "But what about last night, when you said everything had justice and order? Chanyeol the danger has to stop, for seven years my life has been hell, so is my life really going to continue that way, or is everything going to even out for me?"
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
Chanyeol felt pained. He didn't know what to say to convince Baekhyun, but then he decided just to say, "Baekhyun, I love you so much. I vow to protect you with my life. I will make you happy when you're feeling sad. I will make you laugh when you're feeling down. So Baekhyun," Chanyeol pulled out the ring and said, "please, say you'll marry me again?"
"Chanyeol . . ." Baekhyun whispered.
"Please, Baekhyun, I know we've only been apart for less than twenty-four hours, but it's felt like forever. I know you feel it too, Baekhyun, because I know you. I trust you, so can you trust me to protect you? I won't even let you out of my sight for a second if that'll make you feel better."
"But Chanyeol, I wouldn't be able to bare it if you got hurt or worse," Baekhyun said. Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun's hand and said, "Neither can I, when Yixing had stabbed you and I didn't know if you would make it, I just kept thinking about what I would do without you. Baekhyun, we've become my life now, so how can you expect me to be able stay away?"
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Baekhyun felt his resolve breaking, but then again it had been weak to begin with. Baekhyun just couldn't bring himself to deny him. He didn't want to . . .
"Chanyeol . . ." Baekhyun whispered again.
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
"Baekhyun . . ." Chanyeol whispered too as he lightly cupped Baekhyun's cheek and kissed his forehead, his nose, his cheeks, the corners of his mouth. Chanyeol hovered above Baekhyun's lips, brushed them as he whispered, "Marry me, Baekhyun," before gently pressing his lips against Baekhyun's.
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Like every other time, Baekhyun couldn't help but wrap his arms around Chanyeol's neck as he pulled himself closer. Chanyeol nipped Baekhyun's bottom lip with his teeth, and Baekhyun sighed and moaned into Chanyeol's mouth as his tongue also touched Baekhyun's bottom lip. Baekhyun groaned and kissed Chanyeol more deeply, tangling his fingers into Chanyeol's hair as he pulled him closer.
Baekhyun loved the taste of Chanyeol's mouth against his. He loved the why his lips fit so perfectly with his own. Baekhyun would miss it. Baekhyun would miss Chanyeol's touch; his beautiful smile; his deep tenor and what it did to him; he would miss running his fingers through threw his wavy brunette hair; his would miss his cheesy sentiments; he would miss his scent; he would miss his kisses — but most of all Baekhyun would miss Chanyeol.
When their lips finally parted, Baekhyun touched Chanyeol's cheek as he whispered, "Chanyeol, I'll marry you" — Chanyeol smiled, and Baekhyun hated himself for what he was going to say next — "but only when I knew it's safe for you." Chanyeol's smile faltered and he opened his mouth to say something but Baekhyun beat him to it. "I'll try to make it safe of you as soon as I can because I hate that I have to stay away from you. But Chanyeol, we can't be together again until it's safe." Then with that, still with his hand against Chanyeol's cheek, he kissed him, prolonging the kiss and making it as sweet and gentle as he could before pulling away and leaving.
I love you, Chanyeol, and I want to marry you, Baekhyun thought, but your safety comes first.
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
Chanyeol was left staring after Baekhyun, with the ring still clutched in his hand as he felt himself breaking and shattering across the bleachers beneath him. Heaving a raged breath Chanyeol slipped the ring back into his pocket and put his head into his hands. He felt like screaming.
Baekhyun's p.o.v.
Baekhyun stumbled his way out of gym rooms side doors, and when he felt the blazing sunlight kiss his skin, he felt himself shattering. Covering his mouth with his hand and clutching the other one over his stomach, he tried containing in the sobs, but it was futile — they burst out of him so violently they knocked him to his knees and he pressed one palm against the pavement as the sobs raked over his body.
When Baekhyun was finally more or less able to compose himself, he pushed to his feet and started to walk. He didn't know where his subconscious was leading him until he felt a chill settle over his body, and his surroundings started to darken with a thick fog that clung to his body.
Baekhyun tried fighting against the numbing chill that seized and incapacitated his body and dropped him to his knees. Baekhyun saw the black, fluttering figure from the corner of his eyes before suddenly it was impossibly in front of him, and grasping him beneath the chin and lifting his face up to meet his decayed, knife-like grin. When Death opened his mouth, his poisonous breath blew into Baekhyun's face, and he felt himself starting to seize.
Baekhyun collapsed onto his back onto the cold hard ground as the fog started to clear, and Death's sickly grin was replaced with another.
Yixing stood above Baekhyun, holding an empty syringe in his hand. He glanced from the syringe to Baekhyun with a malicious grin and said, "If you hadn't been so lost in your own head and blindly stumbling around, this never would of worked. So Baekkie, where's that boyfriend of yours, I have a gift for him as well . . ." Yixing pulled out a gun from his pocket and muttered, "Well, not actually a gift, more like revenge. But since he's not here, I guess you'll do for now. I can always go to his house and get him later. Well, up you go." Yixing picked up Baekhyun and slung his limp body over his shoulder and started to walk, and whatever Yixing had injected into Baekhyun's system started to take affect. Baekhyun was unconscious just seconds later.
Chanyeol's p.o.v.
When Chanyeol got home after school that day he headed upstairs to his room and threw his backpack into the corner before collapsing onto his bed. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Groaning, he threw an arm over his eyes and bit his bottom lip, and as he laid there refusing to move and do the things he knew he couldn't put off any longer, he heard creaking on the stairs. With another groan, Chanyeol glanced at his clock.
"What the hell? Yoora's not suppose to be here yet, and mom and dad don't get home until later tonight," Chanyeol muttered as he got to his feet. God, what would he tell everyone? he thought as he turned the doorknob, then immediately slammed it shut as he shouted, "SHIT!" Chanyeol locked his door and secured a chair beneath the doorknob as he grabbed his phone from his desk and ran into the bathroom, locking that door too.
He dialed nine-one-one as he heard the first gunshot.
"Hello, what is your emergency?" the operator asked.
"My name is Park Chanyeol and the man, Zhang Yixing, just broke into my house and he has a gun. He probably has Byun Baekhyun," Chanyeol said in a rush.
"Park Chanyeol!?" the operator said in recognition. "Okay, sir, I'm sending the police over right now."
"It's too late," Chanyeol whispered as he quickly ended the call and opened the back of his phone, and pulled something out and sliding it into his pocket. He was snapping the phone's backing back on when suddenly the door was kicked open, revealing Yixing and his maniac smile.
"Hello, Chanyeol," Yixing said as he raised the gun. Then, "Good night, Chanyeol," he said in his coldest, hardest tone before shooting Chanyeol. A sharp pain stabbed his chest near his left shoulder, then he was collapsing to the floor. Yixing approached Chanyeol's limps body as he whispered, "And that makes two."
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Author's Notes
Hi, everyone!
*pauses to release a heavily exasperated groan*
So that happened, and just an FYI, then next chapter is fully of angst as well. *nervously laughs* Enjoy!
Anyway, until next time.... 🌸🌸
Love from,
BunnyBaekkiee ❤️