Hello, beautiful people!~ I couldn't sleep, so here I am updating today.:) I'm hoping that I get the advertisement for this one.:) But, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!~:D And if you like the story, please upvote it!~:3
Baekhyun stood in the doorway of Chanyeol's luxury apartment- seemingly in awe- except his face remained expressionless, and the slight twinkle in his eye that showed he was amazed by the size. Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun as he looked around, and turned away from him- rolling his eyes. "My god, could you quit admiring what you can't afford, and step inside," he asked, annoyed. Baekhyun would have hurriedly moved, but his feet would not allow him to move that quick as he trudged inside.
Chanyeol waved an annoyed hand in front of Baekhyun's body, gesturing at him. "And why do you walk like that? Can't you walk normally," he asked, rolling his eyes again. Baekhyun remained silent as he stared up at him, his neck craning slightly. Dick… Baekhyun thought, looking away, and slowly trudging to the center of the room- where Chanyeol stood. Instead of following Chanyeol to the spare room, he took a seat on the floor.
Chanyeol had stopped short, noticing the smaller male had sat in the middle of his floor. Chanyeol sighed heavily. "Do you just like being an inconvenience? I mean, people have to walk there. Don't tell me that's where you plan on sleeping either, I have more than enough spare space," he stated, storming back over to Baekhyun. With very little patience, he yanked Baekhyun to his feet by his arm, and dragged him to the spare room- Baekhyun tripping over his own feet. Baekhyun couldn't keep up with Chanyeol's long stride unless he sped walked, and that certainly wasn't the pace Baekhyun moved at.
Chanyeol opened the door to reveal a beautifully decorated room of lush colors and elaborate furnishings- dark red oak armoire, dresser, bed frame, book shelf, and picture frames that lined the walls. Beautiful pictures of oceans and country-sides filled the picture frames- beautifully blended colors stared out into the gold and purple velvet room. Four lilac walls stood out against the golden linings and trimmings of the silky violet and gold comforter on the bed. The bed and couch both looked plush and comfortable to sleep on- both elevated on a small platform to show a higher status. The room hosting its own on-suite bathroom- Baekhyun loved that part most, and bay windows that had a balcony he could walk out onto.
Baekhyun stood, admiring the finesse of the room- which was claimed to be a spare and empty room- trying to figure out why the room was so lavish for being unused. Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun into the room, and swiftly closed the door behind him. "Dinner will be ready soon," he stated, through the door-seemingly annoyed.
After placing the plates of beautifully prepared food on the table, Chanyeol walked over to Baekhyun's room and knocked loudly. "Hey! Dinner is ready, you know," he called, hoping Baekhyun had heard him. He could hear small shuffling sounds, and the door opened enough to reveal Baekhyun's small face. He slowly opened his door enough for him to walk out as Chanyeol led him to the dining table. For being the only person that used to eat here, it seemed so lonely having a table big enough to set twenty. It still seemed lonely with two people eating at the large table because Baekhyun was back to being unsociable.
Baekhyun stared at the food that looked so eloquent and beautifully prepared. It must have taken the chef a long, long time to prepare this meal for them. But as Baekhyun looked around he noticed there was no chef- there was no maids- it was just him and Chanyeol. "I made it myself," Chanyeol answered, reading Baekhyun's expression before taking another bite.
Baekhyun stared at him, the slight emotion of dumb-founded flashing in his eyes for a brief second as he stared at Chanyeol. Baekhyun took a small bite, and instantly his taste-buds were sent on a journey of exquisite tastes and spices. But Chanyeol was no longer paying attention to Baekhyun as he ate. Where did you learn to cook?! This is absolutely amazing! his mind screamed out, but Chanyeol was far too busy to even know he asked a question.
After a couple more bites, Baekhyun pushed his plate away from him- Chanyeol looking up at the almost untouched plate, somewhat offended. "What? Did you not like it," he asked, highly offended. But Baekhyun shook his head as he looked at the plate that was still full. It was way too much for me… I feel so full. But thank you for the meal, his mind answered, and Chanyeol narrowed his eyes. "No. You will answer me verbally, now. I don't appreciate the fact that you're being rude and then not answering me," he stated, heatedly.
Baekhyun stared at him, blankly- a look of shock glinting in his soft eyes as he stood, and grabbed up the plates. I'm sorry if I seem rude… I'll get the dishes to show my appreciation then. But Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun's frail arm, roughly- right at the stitches on Baekhyun's arms from his trip to the hospital. "Ah," Baekhyun finally cried out as he stared at Chanyeol.
Surprised, Chanyeol loosened his grip on Baekhyun's arm, blood caking his hand as he withdrew. "Did I re-open your stitches," he asked, concerned. But Baekhyun shuffled off to do the dishes- not paying any mind to the blood he was dripping onto Chanyeol's floor. Chanyeol followed after him, trying to stop Baekhyun- who continued to move about- trying to get the dishes clean. But Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun's arm again as they both stared at each other intently. "Let me at least fix this for you," Chanyeol offered, going to grab his first aid kit. A sudden knock at the door frustrated Chanyeol as he placed the first aid kit down, and headed to answer the door.
But Baekhyun had already answered the door, and Chanyeol knew it was a bad idea as his friend's voice rang out. "Fuck! I knew Chanyeol was looking for help, but I didn't think he'd be desperate enough to hire you," came Kris's loud voice as Chanyeol stalked up to them. Chanyeol opened the door further to allow Kris inside. "Dude, why'd you hire the freak—" he was cut off by Chanyeol slapping a hand roughly over his mouth.
Chanyeol laughed nervously as he dragged Kris off to his room. "Excuse me, he's just a little stupid," he stated. "I'll help you with your cut later, okay," he called from down the hall just before slamming his door.
Baekhyun stared at the floor as he shut the door, and made his way back to the kitchen to finish up the dishes. The name had stung a little bit, but Baekhyun was used to it by now- his parents calling him that name quite often.
Chanyeol stared at Kris, angrily. "Was it really necessary to say that out loud," he asked, annoyed. But Kris only laughed. "I don't know why you're so worried about him. He looked fine to me as we were heading to your room," he stated, nonchalantly as Chanyeol's blood began to boil. But Kris changed the subject quickly, feeling the shift in his friend's mood. "So, Sehun, and Chen want to do something tonight. And I was thinking about inviting Kai and Suho along as well. What would you want to do though," he asked, staring at the carpet.
Chanyeol scratched his head. "I don't know if I want to go out tonight. I'm looking after Baekhyun right now. And I don't think it'd be a good idea leaving him alone in my house right now. I don't know him well enough just yet, and I don't want him stealing my shit," he stated, harshly. "Why don't we do something here then," Kris suggested, sitting on Chanyeol's bed. But Chanyeol shrugged as he walked over and sat down next to Kris. "I guess we could," he stated. "But I have to help Baekhyun first. I opened his stitches back up and he's already bleeding pretty bad from it."
After patching Baekhyun's arm back up, Baekhyun retreated to the room assigned to him as Chanyeol's friends began to show up one-by-one. Baekhyun sat in the room- plush comforter engulfing his small legs as they dangled from the bed. He felt nothing as he stared at the hard wood floor of his room as the music outside his door boomed louder. At one point, he thought he might have wanted to join in on the party, but it was just a passing thought.
He slid from the bed, mindlessly- not in control of his actions- as he made his way to the bay windows, pushing them open. He stepped out onto the balcony, walking ever so slowly to the rail. He stared out at the moon and stars just before looking over the edge- his mind racing, and without a second thought, he dipped over the rail- plummeting to the ground below him.
Baekhyun jumped a little as he stared at the rail, finally aware of what he'd been thinking of doing, and took several steps back- terrified of his own mind as he fell backwards onto the wooden floor. He pulled his knees to his chest as he stared out toward the balcony windows, which still remained open.
When Baekhyun finally woke up, he was still sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest and his balcony windows open- the cool winter air blowing into his room. He stood on unsteady legs, shuffling his way to the door- where he was met by an unsightly mess.
Couches had been toppled over, a ceiling fan kicked off of the ceiling; alcohol bottles littered the place- just as human bodies littered the ground. Baekhyun slowly and carefully shuffled around the people on the floor as he made his way to the kitchen- where one of Chanyeol's friends was making breakfast. "Oh, hey! I don't remember seeing you at the party, but I can make you some breakfast too," he offered, politely.
Baekhyun stared at the handsome man- who had dark chestnut brown hair and dewy chocolate brown eyes. "I'm Suho," he offered, kindly. "What's your name?"
Baekhyun, he answered just as politely. But silence filled the air as Suho stared at Baekhyun uncomfortably. "Well then, I guess you're not much of a talker this early in the morning," he offered, trying to be polite when a voice cut across his. "No, that's just that one freak Chanyeol was talking about from his school," Sehun's voice answered from the table, waiting to be fed.
Kris trudged into the kitchen to see Baekhyun staring at Suho, and shuttered. "Hey, do you think you could stop staring at Suho as if he's a meal," he asked, shuffling toward the table. Baekhyun felt ganged-up upon, but he didn't respond. It wasn't near as bad as the bullying problem at school. Those people not only called him names, but they beat him up in the bathroom- where the teachers didn't care to check. It wasn't their jurisdiction; it wasn't their problem. And so, they didn't care.
Finally, Kai, Chen, and Chanyeol all trudged up to the table- knowing Suho was the only one sober enough to make a good breakfast. Chanyeol offered Baekhyun a seat next to him, but Baekhyun just stared at it- his heart aching for some reason. He felt as if he had to cry, but his body was just physically incapable of producing tears at this very moment. Everyone seemed off-put by Baekhyun's weird behavior as they tried their best to enjoy their breakfast and sober up before school.
Baekhyun and Chanyeol sat in their Chemistry class, learning about the elemental table and atomic masses- when the teacher put them in a group project together. They had to create their own element with a correct electron, neutron, and atomic mass with its own creative name. They would have to choose whether it was an alkaline metal, a metal, a gas, or a non-metal, and then create a visual of the element. And they only had three weeks to do this project. Baekhyun stared at the paper as Chanyeol spouted off ideas, trying his best to make a good grade- because Lord only knows what his father would do to him if he made a failing grade in any of his classes. The hells would have no fury compared to his father when he brought home even average grades. It always had to be no less than a B, and if it was- Lord forbid- the shit storm that would rain down on Chanyeol would drown him.
But Baekhyun didn't care about the project much at all as he stood, and wondered off toward the book shelf- where he stood for several minutes- trying to figure out what he wanted to read. He did want a good grade- he was searching the shelves for books on elements, but to Chanyeol, it seemed as if Baekhyun was goofing off, and it was pissing Chanyeol off.
After Chemistry, Baekhyun was slowly trudging down the hall to his next class as a group of unkemped males approached Baekhyun. "Hey dickweed," one greeted as he shoved Baekhyun harshly into the wall as Baekhyun stared up at the seven men who tormented him so much. Another one grabbed his shirt roughly by the collar and sleeve as he shoved Baekhyun up against the wall even more- Baekhyun's feet lifting off the ground. Still, Baekhyun's expression was unresponsive to the impending abuse as he stared into the boy's eyes- almost as if he was trying to plead his way out of this beating in his own way.
But the boy's all snickered as two of them grabbed Baekhyun's arms and carried him off to their usual place to beat him. The others following behind with loud laughs and snickers as they watched Baekhyun not react. "Why does he never fight back," one asked, laughing loudly. But the other only studied Baekhyun. "I couldn't tell you, but it's fun having a punching bag," the other answered, not realizing they were being followed.
Inside the bathroom, the boys that had carried Baekhyun into the bathroom shoved him against the wall, harshly, hitting Baekhyun's head hard as they snickered. They let Baekhyun slide down the wall to where his feet were now touching the floor, when the biggest guy approached him with a devious smile. Baekhyun slowly looked up from the floor to the terrifying guy in front of him as the guy shoved his fist into Baekhyun's stomach, hard and with so much force that it lifted Baekhyun's feet off the ground.
Baekhyun doubled over- wind knocked out of him and pain shooting throughout his entire body as the guy's other fist connected with his chin. Baekhyun landed on the floor, scooting towards the wall and cornering himself as the guys advanced on him now. All seven of them began to punch him and kick him, and even though he tried to shield himself from the assault, it was still hurting him greatly.
Baekhyun refused to cry out, he felt he'd done something to deserve this- when in all honesty they were just attacking him to attack him. He could feel pain all throughout his body when one of the boys' yanked him to his feet and slammed him against the wall again. Baekhyun's head bounced off, and for a few seconds all Baekhyun could see was white as he heard something unnatural occurring. With a heavy noise from one of the other guys' there, Baekhyun was slung to his left just before being dropped to the ground.
There were more people in there now- that much he was sure of, and as his vision came back to him, he could see several more people. He studied the people carefully and noticed that he recognized none of them as a terrifying thought struck him. He put his arms up in defense- cowering at the fact they were all going to gang up on him now.
Lay and Luhan walked casually down the hall, making plans for the evening and hoping that Baekhyun would be willing to join them today. They had just walked past the school gates when they noticed a tall and lanky figure- wearing expensive name brand clothes- standing by them, impatiently. He was tapping his foot angrily, and kept glancing at his watch as he mumbled to himself. He looked up, catching Lay and Luhan staring at him. "What," he asked, angrily as he looked at his watch again in irritation.
Lay couldn't help but recognize him. He was introduced as a new student in his American History class, but he seemed so much nicer there. "Can I help you," he asked in irritation again, when Lay realized he was still staring. "Oh! No, I was just wondering who you were waiting on," he asked, politely. But Chanyeol only scoffed indignantly. "I don't need help from the likes of you," he stated as if Lay were a mere cockroach in his peripheral vision.
Lay seemed taken a-back as Luhan shrugged. "Suit yourself then asshole. We don't have to stand here and take your attitude," he stated, wrapping his arm around Yixing's shoulders. "Come on, let's go see if Baekhyun wants to play!"
But Chanyeol now stopped them by grabbing Luhan's arm. "First off, I'm going to be nice and disregard that asshole comment. And second, that little bastard has kept me waiting here for thirty minutes," he stated, venomously. "Where did that little shit run off to," he asked, murderously.
Lay and Luhan looked at Chanyeol confused. "Um, he might have already gone home," Lay stated, unaware that Baekhyun was now living with Chanyeol.
When Baekhyun felt no pain, he looked past his arms to see the new unfamiliar guys fighting with his bullies. "How dare you pick on him," one of them called as he punched one of the thugs squarely in his jaw. "You don't know what he has going on in his life and you're just going to make it worse," he screamed, punching another thug- knocking this one to the ground.
Baekhyun watched as the blonde, muscular boy kicked the biggest- and most terrifying thug in Baekhyun's opinion across his face- sending the man sprawling in front of Baekhyun. "You are terrible people for bullying a defenseless person," he shouted, sending another thug sprawling with another kick across the face.
Baekhyun realized the blonde, tan and muscular boy was quite agile as his leg came up over his head, delivering a kick straight into another thug's jaw- lifting the thug's entire body off the ground, and sending him flying.
"Tao, take it down a notch," a soft voice noted as a male of Baekhyun's stature approached him. Baekhyun flinched away from him, arms coming up to protect him from another assault. "They've scarred him," the voice stated as a soft and gentle hand cupped his cheek, tenderly. "Are you okay," the boy asked his eyes large and watery.
Baekhyun watched as the other two boys sent the thugs running from the bathroom- as if their lives depended on it. And Baekhyun stared at the boy in front of him with the large, watery eyes. "Sweetie, are you okay," he asked again, concerned for Baekhyun- whose head was reeling.
Lay and Luhan huddled together- fear striking their heart's as Chanyeol's expression changed. He looked murderously at them- if looks could kill, Luhan and Lay would be dead right now. Chanyeol was about to speak when seven guys dressed as street thugs came running out of the school building as if their lives depended on how fast they ran. Lay's attention was fully on how battered and bruised they appeared as they ran- one of them actually limping.
Lay's expression was one of utter horror as he ran back into the school building- finally realizing why he hadn't seen Baekhyun leaving the school. With Luhan and Chanyeol both curious, they trailed after him as he burst in every bathroom they came across. It seemed as if Lay was purposely seeking out the bathrooms- that was until they came across a particularly unused bathroom in the darkest and less travelled part of the school.
Lay burst into the door to see three guys huddled around someone on the floor, and the expression on Lay's face dropped as the three turned to look at Lay, Luhan and Chanyeol. Lay could now clearly see Baekhyun- head against the wall and unconscious now- was what they were focused on. Lay felt terrible as he dropped to his knees, feeling as if he'd failed his best friend as the other three guys went back to trying to shake Baekhyun awake.
"Please be okay," one of them pleaded, gently shaking Baekhyun's head with the hand that caressed his cheek. After several minutes, Chanyeol shoved past Lay and Luhan, parting the other three guys from his path as well. "Baekhyun," he stated, worriedly as he shook the smaller male's shoulders. Baekhyun moaned softly before his eyes began to flutter- and to everyone's relief- he opened his eyes to stare at the boys who'd helped him earlier.
Lay had now stood and rushed over to his best friend's side, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you," he cried, almost wanting to cry. He looked at the three guys gratefully. "Thank you so much," he bowed his head deeply. "I don't know what to say. I'm so grateful someone helped him…"
Baekhyun continued to stare at them, no words forming in his brain and no emotion in his eyes. But his face suddenly turned into one of pure gratitude toward the three guys who helped him a small smile resting upon his face- without his knowledge.
Lay was caught off guard as he stared at Baekhyun's face that- just as quickly returned to its normal expressionless and void stare. Everyone stared at Baekhyun quite shocked, every one of them was aware that he'd never smiled before.
"I just thought that it was strange these guys were carrying him off to a bathroom," the male that had the large watery eyes finally spoke up. "So, I followed them. And when I saw what they were doing to him, I ran to get Xiumin and Tao. They are both stronger than me and know how to fight," he stated, standing up straight now. He held his hand out to Baekhyun. "Can you stand," he asked.
Luhan looked a little confused. "I didn't think he had any friends other than Lay and myself. So, why'd you help him," he asked, genuinely confused. The boy with watery eyes looked at Luhan. "Do I have to be friends with someone to want to help them," he asked, equally confused. "I didn't know if something was different about the way his brain functions or not, because he seems so off with his expressions and movements that I thought it was inhuman to bully him the way they were," he answered, honestly.
Baekhyun stared at the out-stretched hand that still held the same warmth and comfort his mother's hand used to hold. Instead of taking it to help himself up, Baekhyun pressed the boy's hand to his cheek, tenderly again. He could feel tears threatening to form in his eyes as he sat there, caressing this boy's hand to his face. A small, pitiful sound escaped Baekhyun's throat as he rubbed his cheek against this boy's hand. The blonde crouched down next to Baekhyun as Chanyeol watched on. "Do you like our umma," he asked, his voice husky yet soft. "That's umma Kyungsoo. He acts like a total mom," the boy explained, receiving a smack to the back of his head. "Ow," Tao whined, rubbing the back of his head as Do glared at him.
Baekhyun froze- suddenly aware that there were other people there with them, dropped Do's hand in utter embarrassment. Chanyeol crouched down next to Tao, smiling at Baekhyun. "Are you going to stand up or not," he asked, Baekhyun staring at him blankly.
Baekhyun stood up, refusing help from the others who offered it- until his knee buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground again. "Oh, my! Are you okay," Xiumin asked as he grabbed one of Baekhyun's arms- Tao grabbing the other. They slung his arms over their necks, and hoisted him to his feet. "Let's get you to the nurse to check out that leg of yours," Tao suggested, taking a step forward.
But Baekhyun shook his head, retracting his arms from their grasps as he slowly limped his way toward the door. Lay stared at Baekhyun in astonishment as he refused help- wanting to be able to care for himself. Lay smiled softly as he stood up. He bowed respectfully toward Xiumin, Tao, and Do. "He's very grateful, but he doesn't want to put you to anymore trouble. And I'm also very grateful. Those guys have been at him all year, and it's only making Baekhyun's depression worse," he stated, unaware just how bad things were for Baekhyun. "We should all get together one day. You know, so you can see how he's doing later," he suggested and the three of them nodded in agreement as they said good-bye.
Chanyeol, unable to watch Baekhyun try to do things on his own anymore, picked him up- bridal style- as he walked them towards their apartment with Lay and Luhan in tow.