"Careless,"

Byun Baekhyun

---

“Run.”

“But there’s nowhere to go!”

“Run.”

“It’s too dark!”

“RUN!”

“Hyung, I wanna go home! Please!”

“PLEASE!”

Baekhyun woke in the middle of the night with a start. It was dark, so very dark, and he was sweating buckets. A weight pressed down on him, making it hard to catch his breath. What little of the room he could see before him was spinning violently, walls indiscernible from the laminate floor and low ceiling.

He sat up abruptly, heart jumping out of his chest, and held his hands out in front of him, cupped. A ball of bright, pure, white light began growing in them. It shone light all around the room, into the darkest corners and crevices.

Baekhyun gave a sigh of relief. He was in the dorm living room, as usual; perched on the edge of the couch and wrapped in a fleece throw covered in teddy bears. A floor-length mirror displayed his pale reflection, eyes wide and frantic.

Baekhyun didn’t like looking like this: weak and scared. He scrunched his nose up and wiped the sweat from his brow, the ball of light jumping back and forth into whichever hand was unoccupied. He frowned and comically puffed up his chest, admiring his reflection and trying his best to ignore the frightened child-look still penetrating his gaze.

He’d been having dreams like that for years: running in the darkness, the voices of his fellow EXO members leading him, scaring him, chasing him, helping him. There was little point to the dreams; nothing ever really happened in them. All he knew was that he was always in the dark, and always very afraid.

One of the boys started complaining about Baekhyun’s light, so he flattened his hands and let the light fade away.

And then he immediately felt…

Baekhyun gasped, scrambling to his feet and lighting the room once again.

He couldn’t stand the dark. No, not since that day. He was graced with these powers so that he could light his way no matter where he went. He didn’t care if the other members complained, as long as he wasn’t afraid.

“Baek!” an angry voice shouted from one of the rooms. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if it was Jongin or D.O.

Startled, he dropped his light, and then lit it up again when the fear began creeping in like a snake. The others never understood how much Baekhyun needed his light to be on. It was his only consolation, protecting him from evil things in the dark.

Well, of course, except for one of the members. He understood, and he was Baekhyun’s second consolation.

Baekhyun didn’t know why he decided to sleep in the living room so often. He would much rather be with Chanyeol, warm in his lanky-armed embrace or just perched on the edge of the bed, palms lit with his own night light. As long as he was near the younger, Baekhyun felt...slightly less afraid.

He approached the other’s room. Chanyeol slept alone nowadays, since the other members had been clustering together in the other rooms, sharing stories of the old days and ignoring the “Phoenix” as they often did. Baekhyun hoped Chanyeol didn’t mind them; they had all been scarred and changed by their time as part of the “Tree of Life”, and they just needed time to get used to living normally again.

“Chanyeol-ah?” Baekhyun whispered , clinging to the open doorframe of Chanyeol’s room, manicured nails digging into a groove created the last times he found himself trembling in this doorway. When no response was given, he just slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

Baekhyun tiptoed to the younger’s bedside, taking note of the sliver of moonlight that ran across the lump under the covers, how it climbed up the hills and slid down the valleys formed by the cotton sheets. Baekhyun clambered onto the bed, squeezing into the space between Chanyeol and the wall. He placed his hand on Chanyeol’s moonlit shoulder and shook him gently.

“Mwuh?” Chanyeol mumbled, sniffling. His eyelids fluttered and he squinted in the darkness. “Baek?”

Baekhyun nodded.

“Nightmare again?” Chanyeol muttered the familiar question.

Baekhyun huddled closer to the taller. Chanyeol responded by wrapping his arm around the smaller, cuddling with him. “Don’t be afraid anymore, Baek. There is nothing to fear. I’m here for you.”

Normally, Baekhyun never admitted to being weak, but around Chanyeol he simply melted. He sniffled and rubbed his forehead on the younger’s chest, ruffling his hair. Chanyeol giggled gently.

“Baek.”

“Hm?” Baekhyun looked up.

Chanyeol let go of him and made space between them. Then he held his hands up close to their faces.

Slowly, an orange flame began sprouting from between his hands, similar to Baekhyun’s light. It reflected in Chanyeol’s eyes and filled Baekhyun with warmth. Yes, here he was always safe.

Baekhyun lifted his hand up near Chanyeol’s, cupping them and letting the light pour in. The sensation spread throughout him, tingling and a rush. He always loved using his powers, no matter what they were for. They brought him closer to his purpose, and closer to Chanyeol.

Everything felt right when he, Chanyeol, and their powers were together.