It had been two years since then. Chanyeol couldn't really be happier as he received the news that Baekhyun was fit enough to be discharged from SM. As he burst into Baekhyun's room that day, the letter in his hand, embracing his lover in tears, he incoherently sobbed out the news. Baekhyun, of course, did not say anything, but his smile was just as wide as Chanyeol's and he, too, burst into sobs, the two of them in each other's arms and atop of Baekhyun's broken orange crayons.   "We're gonna live together." the nurse said, the tears raining down on his cheeks and Baekhyun's green shirt, smiling tearily. "We're gonna live together, me and you, Baekhyun. Together."   Chanyeol had never seen Baekhyun smile so wide. His brown eyes scrunched up and the grin reached into his eyes, and he kissed Chanyeol's lips, overcome with emotion.   So Baekhyun, although discharged from SM, would still be monitored by an accompanying nurse for a few months, to see if he was able to fit in the real world. Which, honestly, was a very lucky and advantageous fluke for Chanyeol. Baekhyun, having no other living blood relatives, now resided with his lover, whilst also being monitored at the same time.   It proved somewhat difficult for Baekhyun. He was used to the hospital's ways; routinely. He had to take baths at certain times and eat at certain times and take medication at certain times. But now, free from SM and now living in Chanyeol's house, the lack of routine proved a hard feat for him.   Now Baekhyun could wake up any time he wanted, and he could eat at whenever given time, and take his medication whenever so long as it was on that day, and it made him slightly confused and upset. This new freedom he gained made him rather angry and he cried often at times; but Chanyeol could see that he wanted to prove that he was capable of doing things. Of course, he was still as muted and silent as ever, but he tried to adjust. But the new lifestyle just proved too hard for him to live by: there was too much change, and too much freedom.   So Baekhyun went back to the hospital's routines, although he still lived by Chanyeol. He would be woken up at a certain exact time, given his food at a certain time and did everything the same way he did in the hospital. Baekhyun still found it hard to adjust wearing any other clothing than his mint-green shirt and uniform, but eventually gave in to wear Chanyeol's clothes, all of them too big on his small frame, and only wore them because it carried Chanyeol's scent that had always stuck to him: medicine, and hospital.   Of course, some things couldn't always be the same, but for some of the things that couldn't change, Baekhyun took a liking to. Like sleeping with Chanyeol and be close to him at all times, or eating Chanyeol's sausages-and-pepper, or being able to cuddle with Chanyeol at any given time. Of course, Chanyeol still had to drop back to SM time to time, to report Baekhyun's progress and help out with a few low-priority patients. But other than so, he was able to look after Baekhyun whilst being able to love him at the same time. And it was brilliant.   Baekhyun's voice, however, came as quickly as it had gone. He still refused to speak, even when it was just the two of them. The only things that came out of his mouth were either grunts, squeals, screams or sobs, and that was all his speech therapy was ever fruitful for. Although communicating skills were important, Chanyeol didn't want to press Baekhyun any further.   Besides Baekhyun, things have been looking up for the rest of Chanyeol's friends. Sehun, of course, was still a fan of biting Junmyeon whenever possible, and Kyungsoo was forever squealing and making ragged teddy-bears for his unrequited lover, Luhan. Junmyeon was kept busy, but Luhan visited the couple time to time, even offering to accompany Baekhyun whilst Chanyeol hand in reports to the hospital.   Of course, despite being well-off, Chanyeol was still traumatised and paranoid. Often there were times that he couldn't quite let Baekhyun go, and his hugs would be more firmer, tighter, as if he couldn't bear to release him. Chanyeol didn't know what the feeling was, of course, but he just felt... there was someone, or something, out there, who would try to pry Baekhyun away from him - but always, when he knew who it was, it just seemed to vanish from his memory straight away just as soon as he remembered it...  

 

Chanyeol was watching Baekhyun's face.   He'd admit, ever since Baekhyun moved in with him, he spent more time staring at his lover's face more than he slept. The way Baekhyun's eyelids would flutter subconsciously as he slept, or the way his face would scrunch up in different emotions whilst he dreamt, or the way he would mumble incoherently with his eyes still closed. The way Baekhyun's arms would automatically tighten itself against Chanyeol like a koala if Chanyeol shifted, or how soft Baekhyun's snores were through his parted lips.   Sometimes Baekhyun would snap his eyes open and he would wake up screaming, his hair damp against his forehead, his shirt sticking to his back with sweat. The trauma never left him, and Chanyeol only had to stare at the scar running down the side of Baekhyun's face to immediately embrace him and say to him that it was going to be okay, and it was going to be fine.   But this morning, Baekhyun's face looked peaceful, and he breathed out softly from his parted lips. Chanyeol's sweater was too big for him and it rode up halfway through his stomach, revealing his scarred, yet beautiful, porcelain skin, occasionally covered with circular bruises that definitely wasn't a result from falling down a set of stairs. One leg was draped over Chanyeol's waist and he snored quietly, letting out soft breaths.   Chanyeol's face was just mere centimetres from his nose, watching him intently. One hand was over Baekhyun's face, his cheek gently with his thumb. And Chanyeol couldn't help but peck the pair of soft lips, again, and again, and again, until he felt Baekhyun's hand snake upwards and push his face away: but Baekhyun being Baekhyun, he had somehow managed to entirely push Chanyeol off the bed.   "J-Jesus-" Chanyeol wheezed, glad that the bedroom floor was covered in carpet. Recovering, he climbed onto the bed and re-locked his arms around him again, scrunching up his face.   "How cruel." Chanyeol pouted his lips. Baekhyun remained silent but raised an eyebrow, his lips pursed into a frown. But Chanyeol could see in his eyes that he was, in fact, glad to see his face first thing when he woke up, and his grimace slowly turned into a full-fledged smile, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol's neck.   "It's bathtime today." Chanyeol said, and immediately Chanyeol could feel Baekhyun trying to shrink away from him. Baekhyun's hydrophobia hadn't disappeared, and often he would look pale and tired from the lack of hydration. The most Chanyeol could do was force him a few sips and gulps and feed him food that contained a lot of water to keep him in go