His mother welcomes him with a hug and hot chocolate. He knows his brother won't be home for Christmas, spending holiday with his fiancee and her family in Japan. Baekhyun is not sad about it; he's happy his brother has settled downand is comfortable enough with his future in-laws to go on a trip with them. The house feels a little empty without Baekbeom and his bubbly personality, but Baekhyun decides that instead of missing his brother he'll enjoy the peace. He and his mother spend Christmas and a few day after on talking; she tells him about the books delievered to her bookstore, her new workers and the man from the next village who comes every now and then for tea. Baekhyun is happy to know she has company as it's only been the three of them ever since his father passed away. She goes on and on about his kids, how his wife left him with two sons and a daughter a few years ago,  how he compliments her cooking. Baekhyun mentions Chanyeol in return and his heart beats fatster when his mother's eyes sparkle in happiness. She asks about Chanyeol a lot, about his friends and Baekhyn's realtions with them. Baekhyun feels warm, tangled in old blankets and sitting on their couch every evening, his mother on the other side of the old sofa or on her armchair. He missed her and he repeats it over and over again, almost making her cry. But it's true. There is no amount of phone calls that would be enough. 

They don't exchange gifts, the tradition long forgotten in their family. Instead of that, Baekhyun showers his mother with affectionate hugs, kisses on the cheek and countless 'I love yous', getting the same in return.

A day before New Years Eve she goes to visit her 'almost boyfriend', as Baekhyun calls him, and promises to be back before 7pm. He assures her he won't die on his own and stands on their veranda, waving, until her car disappears behind the trees surrounding their house.

It's only when he's in his room, lying in his bed and looking at the ceiling, when he remembers.

Chanyeol and his wolf.

Baekhyun jumps out of his bed and goes to his desk, sitting at it immediatell and opening one his old notebooks on a clear page. He grabs a pencil and stares at the white paper. This doesn't make sense, he thinks, but just this once. Just this once he'll assume that Chanyeol and his wolf are one. 

The first thing he writes is 'eyes'.

The colour, the vibe, their expressions. It's all the same. Chanyeol's eyes are clam when he looks at Baekhyun; they bring peace to Baekhyun's crazied mind when he's nervous of scared. Just like his wolf's glace did when they met, when he was nearly crying from fear as the other wolves appeared. The wolf's eye were so human and what if they really were?

'he knows'

Chanyeol always knows things. He knows when Baekhyun is near and turns his head to smile at him. He knows when Baekhyun feels uncomfortable and reassures him with small touches. He knows when Baekhyun is in trouble and appears out of nowhere like knight in a shining armour, minus the armour. He knows when Baekhyun is looking at him, he knows exactly when Baekhyun is teasing him and when he's not, Chanyeol just knows.

'he hears'

Chanyeol's hearing is better than Baekhyun's. It's so good it's crazy. All the comments Baekhyun mumbled, but wanted to leave for himself; Chanyeol caught them anyway, all of his quiet, tired sighs and quick, surprised inhales. Chanyeol heard them all.

'our meeting'

Chanyeol caught him staring the very next day after Baekhyun found his wolf. But maybe their relatinship really has started just becasue Chanyeol caught him staring? But then, who asks people out because they stare? Baekhyun shakes his head and taps his pencing against the notebook impatiently. Chanyeol did catch Baekhyun looking at him. Then, he saw Baekhyun getting bullied, after which he bought him coffee. Call Baekhyun crazy, but it all did happen after he saw the wolf, after he cleaned the cuts with water. This doesn't seem to be coincidence.

'6'

Bekhyun has seen six dire wolfs. His wolf, a black one, a gray one, a white one, a sand yellow one and a brown one. Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Jongin, Jongdae, Yifan, Sehun. It's six. ing six.

Baekhyun leans back on his chair and looks on his list. It's ridiculous, completely impossible.

So why can't he get it out of his mind?

'dreams'

Baekhyun have dreamt about his wolf and Chanyeol a lot. He-

It hits him.

The day when Jongin silenced the people gossiping about Baekhyun, Baekhyun's dream about the white dog barking at whispering people. The way Jongin seemed bashfull at the beginnig, smiling shyly at Baekhyun, always nice and careful with his words around the older. Baekhyun recalls the time when he though that maybe Jongin owned him something; maybe he's done something nice to the other and simply doesn't remember it. It never occured him that maybe, just maybe, Jongin was the one who wasn't nice to him, hence his behaviour. Only that it wasn't Jonging who wasn't nice, it was the white wolf. The same white wolf who nearly ripped his throat out. Jongin, the white wolf and the white dog from his dream... What if they are the same person, the same creature?

Baekhyun throws his pencil away and stands up. His hands are shaking and his breathing is uneven. He looks at the list and tries to convince himself that it's all just his imagination.

That night, Baekhyun dreams of walking in the forest with Chanyeol and their friends. He's happy and jokes with them easily, pushing Jongdae against the trees and brickering with Sehun.  He turns to talk with Kyungsoo, but all of a sudden Yifan is screaming Chanyeol's name. Baekhyun's head snaps in the direction he's last seen his lover, but Chanyeol is not there anymore. Instead, his wolf is looking at him with expecting eyes, waiting for his reaction.

"What are you doing, Chanyeol?" Kyungsoo scolds, approaching the wolf without any fear and hitting the side of it's body. Jongin comes closer to stand at the other side of the wolf and pat it's head affectionately. 

They all come near it, one by one, and talk to it as if it was really their friend.

"Calm down, Soo hyung. "Sehun says from next to Baekhyun. "Baek hyung already knew" Baekhyun turns his head painfully slowly to glance at Sehun with surprised eyes."right?"

Baekhyun wakes up panting. His room is dark and he reaches under his pillow to fish his phone out. The light blinds him for a second. When his eyes adjust to the brightness, he checks his notifications. Two undread texts, both from Chanyeol.

I miss you Baek

Call me whenever you can

Baekhyun checks the hour. It's a little past 8pm, Chanyeol is definitely not asleep yet.

Baekhyun pushes his phone back under his pillow and burries his face in the soft fabric.

The next day he rips the page out of his notebook and crumples it in his hand. He throws the list into the trash bin next to his dest and promises himself to forget all about it.

He takes the ball of paper out of the bin the same evening. He straightens the paper carefully before grabbing a pencil and adding a 'wolves' to the group of words. Baekhyun lays the pencil down right after, as if burned, and looks at his bed where the present from his friends rests.

The box is unwrapped, pieces of red paper lying aruond his sheets. The lid is set next to his pillow. Right next to it, a little lower on his bed, is the other part of the box, filled with a white cusion on top of which sits a small, wooden pendant. It has a piece of thread attached to it, as if meant to be a phone strap. The pendant itself is beautiful and made with care, every curve of the petite silhouette marked with passion. It's a wolf, brown mahogany in colour, all too similar to the colour of his wolf's fur.

He calls Chanyeol a few minutes after that. The taller senses immedaitely that something is not right, but Baekhyun assures him he's okay. Chanyeol lets it go only after Baekhyun promises to tell him everything when he'll be picking him up from the station. They talk a little and during this short conversation Baekhyun calms down significantly. He says he misses Chanyeol and the other chuckles before repeating his words.

It's only after they hung up that Baekhyun realizes he really does mis