Baekhyun’s P.O.V

The sun is shining brightly outside his window and the beautiful view of the forest is displayed by the huge glass. Occasionally a bird flies by the window and the soft white clouds drifts by on the blue sky from time to time. It’s been a while since the weather was this clear and beautiful – it is spring time after all. But here he lies, inside his bedroom, more or less stuck to the bed at the moment.

It’s been around five days since he was attacked in school – he was unconscious for more than three days and the past two days he has struggled to get his body to move a bit more without feeling too much pain. Whatever poison those men gave him, it truly did a good number on him. Luckily, he has had Chanyeol by his side and apparently both Xiumin and Chen has been staying around most of the days to make sure nothing else goes wrong.

“Are you hungry Baekhyun-ah? Should I get you something to eat?”
“I’m not feeling hungry at the moment, but thank you for asking.”
“Are you sure? Maybe I should bring something small to snack on?”
“I’m fine darling.”
“But what if-?”
“Chanyeol.”

He just gives his husband a reassuring smile as he watches the taller man nod in defeat. Chanyeol has been like this the past few days. He’s probably anxious and wants to make sure he eats enough to gain energy and become healthier. What he doesn’t understand is: it won’t speed up his recovery if he eats until he nearly throws up. It’s better to eat a little whenever he needs to get some food or when he gets hungry.

“I’m sorry, I won’t nag you. You probably know when to eat better than me…”
“Hey Chanyeol… Is…? Is Kyungsoo still around?”
“Well, yes, but he just went out to fetch some groceries. Lay is also out at the moment; it sounded like he had some business he needed to look into besides your health.”
“When he gets back home, could you please send him my way? Kyungsoo I mean.”
“Sure, he can come by with some food and-“

Before Chanyeol can even finish his sentence, they both seem to notice at the same time the sound of engines – car engines. He turns towards the direction of the front of the house and listens carefully: that doesn’t sound like any of their cars…

“Chanyeol… I… I don’t think that’s either Lay or Kyungsoo…”
“Me neither… Wait here.”

Chanyeol nearly storms out of the room, probably a bit alerted from what he said. Now when he thinks about it, Chanyeol almost reacted to the car engines as fast as he did. Is his senses getting worse or is Chanyeol just extremely on alert…? He must be feeling horrible anxious if he’s this overly cautious of their surroundings.

He keeps listening to the sounds of car doors opening and closing rather loudly – someone is definitely announcing they’re here on purpose. He sits up more straight and sniffs the air softly, but all he can sense is natural scent of the house at the moment. It looks like the poison has disturbed his normal senses and not just his nerve system. Well, his senses are obviously connected to his nerves – it isn’t that illogical now when he thinks about it.

It doesn’t take long before he finally hears Chanyeol opening the door and only some few seconds later, the scent of familiar people reaches him. That’s right, he had nearly forgotten about that! And he’s not prepared to explain his situation at all. A heavy sigh leaves his mouth, and he can literally hear the people downstairs loudly argue: two male voices almost growling towards each other and a rather strict female voice.

“I can’t believe they decided to storm into the house like that…”

He mostly mumbles, but he can hear how the voices quiet down slightly and after a couple of seconds, he hears quick footsteps echo against the tree floor. Chanyeol sounds to still remain by the front door and he can only hear one pair of footsteps echo from the stairs and into his room. He stares towards the door opening, already knowing who has decided to rush up to him.

“Baekhyun!”

A woman in the door opening nearly gasps when she sees him, her dark brown hair tightly tied up in a bun on top of her head as her slender body quickly moves over to the bed. She quickly grabs one of his hands and puts another hand on his forehead with concern in her eyes. Yet she looks to be awfully calm despite seeing him like this.

“Mom… It’s nice to see you again.”
“Look at you… What…? What happened?”
“Hasn’t Chanyeol explain it to you already?”
“Is he really telling the truth or are you hiding something? You know, both me and your father is here now- “
“He’s as honest as I am – I was attacked by some people who poisoned me, and I turned out like this.”
“And not even for a second you ever thought of calling me or your father to tell us about this? We could have found those horrible people who did this and-“
“And what? They could hurt me badly and there are people who have been able to hurt Chanyeol. It would have been both reckless and foolish of me to let you go after those people.”

His mother sighs slightly, but she gives him a relieved smile at the same time. Her hand gently his cheek while she stares at him in silence for a while. They both can still hear Chanyeol talking to his father who must have accompanied his mother here. They wouldn’t risk going alone if there was a chance that Chanyeol had actually hurt him: not that Chanyeol would ever do such a thing to be honest.

“How long have you been like this? I heard that you could barely move without crying in pain the first couple of days.”
“I… Well… My nerve system… It’s… It’s completely disturbed and in chaos, but it will repair itself. It might sound crazy, but… I… I had a strange dream. I know you might think I have hit my head or been hallucinating, but what I’m about to say I one hundred percent believe happened.”
“Alright, I will wait to judge you and hear you out if that is what you’re trying to say.”
“Mom, I… I think I have talked to our goddess. S-She appeared in a dream and I remember it clearly. Before I had even woken up and understood my body was broken, she told me about it. She told me that everyone will believe I’m uncurable, but it will just take some time to get healed. S-She did mention she mostly appears in front of werewolves who needs to go to the other side, to the afterlife, b-but I don’t believe she was there to take me away. I know it sounds crazy, but it felt too surreal to have been a dream – even for a lucid dream.”

He stares seriously at his mother who only watches him in silence for a while. He wonders if he made any sense to her or if it sounds like he has lost his mind. They both remain silent for a couple of minutes, only listening to Chanyeol and his father who has calmed down from the angry conversation they had – it even sounds like Chanyeol is trying to make a normal conversation with his father.

“Baekhyun-ah… If what you say really happened… Wouldn’t that have been a little too… convenient? It’s not like I don’t believe you, it just that-“
“You think I have lost it…”
“No, not at all. As a matter of fact, it’s quite the opposite. I would love to believe that it happened and that she has given us a sign of hope. Well… It… It wouldn’t be the first time you mention her from a lucid dream…”
“What do you mean? This is the first time I have ever seen her.”
“No, I don’t think so. After all, the same night we found you barely alive after that horrible vampire attack, you were miraculously still alive and barely conscious. The following day and night, you remained mostly unconscious and during your sleep, you mumbled about a woman with silver hair and eyes – it sounded like you described the typical image of our goddess. The next time you woke up, you didn’t mention any strange dreams so I thought it might have been a coincidence that you dreamed about someone with silver hair. It’s just a bit ironic how she has showed up twice in your dreams now and not even once for most werewolves in a whole lifetime.”
“She does show up, people just don’t remember her since she mostly watches over them without wanting to disturb them…”

His mother smiles happily and even pats him on the head gently. They smile for a while and he thinks about the next thing he should say or what he should ask. Before he can say anything at all, they both hear how the two men downstairs are slowly making their way towards the bedroom.

“So, how bad is it honey?”

He watches as his father steps into the room with Chanyeol following behind him almost a bit uncomfortably. Well, he can relate to his situation: he didn’t enjoy Chanyeol’s grandfather’s company too much either. Hopefully, his parents won’t treat him too badly like Chanyeol’s grandfather did to him.

“It’s… Well, I’m not too sure yet. But one thing is for sure: I owe you an apology, Chanyeol. I was too fast to judge you and didn’t make a clear judgement of what you said to me over the phone. But I’m glad you finally let us come by and see your new home we have heard about.”
“I fully understand your suspicion, so I didn’t really mind. Actually, I’m relieved that you reacted that way since it means you were worried about your son.”
“How are you doing little guy? Can we do something for you?”

He smiles at his father who is fast to walk up to him and ruffle his hair gently. Honestly, he’s glad that both his parents are awfully calm despite them knowing he’s not healthy at all and being in the same room as Chanyeol – the brother to the man who nearly killed him when he was still a child. Maybe they also learned to get over the past just like he did?

“For now, I’m just glad to see you both. How are you by the way?”
“We both are fine Baekhyun, that’s why we could come all the way here. Your sisters are rather upset that they couldn’t come as well, but they still have school and can’t just skip class however they like.”
“I can see their pouting faces. I will make sure to invite them over whenever I’m getting better myself. Though, it might take a while…”

Chanyeol slowly walks over to the other side of the bed and hesitates before he finally makes his way over to him on the bed. He watches how his father tries to not shift his gaze to glare at Chanyeol, but his mother remains calm and almost a bit ignorant to what Chanyeol is doing. The moment Chanyeol is within reach, he gently grabs onto one of his hands and smiles softly at him.

“I hope they didn’t chew you out too much at the door – it wasn’t like I couldn’t hear it or anything.”
“N-No, they both were just asking about your well-being and where you were at the moment. I understand their situation, so I don’t mind.”
“Baekhyun-ah… Maybe there is something I can make to hopefully speed up your recovery after all…”

His mother’s sudden words grab his attention as he looks back at her with curiosity. There is something she can do to help him? He glances over at Chanyeol who looks as clueless as him: it looks like he hasn’t heard anything about this before either. His father lets out a small chuckle as he looks over at his wife.

“Is that why you asked me to go out harvesting all night?”
“Well, not everything might be of use, but I have an idea of what might help. Didn’t you have a werewolf friend who occasionally comes by?”
“I do, he’s actually probably coming back soon again. He was just out to fetch groceries, right Chanyeol?”
“That is what he told me since he wanted to make a more nutritious meal for you. Lay have a theory that if you eat a certain diet he has made, your body might be able to rebuild the nerve system faster.”
“Good, then I will borrow your kitchen for a while.”
“Would you two like to stay for the night?”

Chanyeol’s sudden question caught them all a little bit of guard – honestly he didn’t expect him to ask his parents if they would like to stay. Maybe it’s only his usual manners or maybe he’s hoping to make his parents trust him more: it still came as a surprise to him. His father obviously hesitates to take the offer, but his mother is fast to smile her usual charming smile.

“A night wouldn’t be too bad since the journey is long. Sitting in a car for so many hours isn’t really our strongest suit and your father gets tired easily from driving.”
“I’m still very capable to drive us home if it is necessary. What about the girls?”
“They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Besides, no one would dare to touch them with old Mr. Lee living next door.”

He can’t help but to chuckle at his mother’s words: old Mr. Lee. He’s literally the oldest werewolf in his old neighborhood where he grew up. Mr. Lee may be old and gray, but he’s a fierce wolf with sharp teeth and claws. If he’s watching over his sisters, then there isn’t anything to worry about. If anything, his parents must feel relaxed knowing someone capable is keeping an eye on the house back at home.

“Alright… If that is what you want… But… I rather not have you two sleep in the same room while-“
“Dad. I know it has been sudden with my marriage and all, but Chanyeol is my husband and I do love him. His company makes me feel calm and I do have some trouble sleeping without him near me.”

For the first time in a very long time, he looks rather sternly at his father while speaking his mind. He knows that he wasn’t too keen on marrying Chanyeol in the first place and he did hate the thought of being forced to be married to a vampire – BUT: now when he has gotten to know him, he doesn’t dislike his life with him. If anything, he has only grown closer to Chanyeol ever since their official marriage.

“Honey, this is Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s house. Their rules and their conditions: we should be grateful that they’re offering us a room for the night.”
“Feel free to stay as long as you please – both me and Baekhyun will probably remain home for at least a week longer. I can work from home and my extremely loyal and admirable coworkers help me fetch documents and keep an eye on the company for me. Besides, we have a werewolf chef who helps us out as well.”
“If that is the case, I wouldn’t mind staying a couple of days. I’m currently duty free from my job and would love to spend some time with my son.”
“H-Honey… Maybe we should discuss this later?”
“Maybe we should. For now, would you mind if we make ourselves a bit home?”
“Dad, you should make yourself at home in the living room, it has plenty of movies and series you like to watch. And mom, you have already planned to take over the kitchen, right?”
“You know us well, don’t you? Alright, we will be a bit annoying and take up some of your space for a while. Come on, let’s leave them alone for a bit.”

He watches his father nearly get dragged out of the room while muttering underneath his breath: he’s a bit dissatisfied that they have to spend the night despite the fact this is a vampire’s house. He understands is father and his suspicion, which is probably why his mother wants to stay the night. He glances over at Chanyeol who doesn’t fully relax until they both hear them moving around on the first floor. A silent sigh leaves Chanyeol’s lips as he quickly but very gently embraces him.

“Man, I never thought it could be this stressful to meet your parents like this… I did expect them to show up any time soon, but still…”
“I’m proud of you offering them to stay the night. You didn’t have to, but you still decided to invite them to stay for a while.”
“Well… Unlike my family, you are close to your parents. They care about you, worry about you and want to spend time with you. Your father really chewed me out at the door, still fully believing I had hurt you and he looked ready to tear my head off. Your mother was more focused on finding you and making sure you’re still alright.”
“I’m sorry; they both must have been a little too rough with you. If you can’t stand them for more than one night, let me know. I can send them home-“
“No, it’s completely fine. Like I said before: I’m glad they had that kind of reaction to you being hurt or sick. I’m glad you have a family that care about you and would do anything to protect you. Maybe I’m a bit jealous? I’m not even sure myself.”

Chanyeol smiles at him and gently kisses him on the head. Now when he thinks about it, Chanyeol was only close to his siblings in his family. But ever since his big brother died, he had grown distant to his parents and even his sister had sadly drifted away from him. He wonders if Chanyeol even talks to his sister anymore or if they’re just silent: after all, his sister was told to not speak to Chanyeol by their grandfather.

“Chanyeol… You’re my family now. When dad gets over the fact that I’m not a baby and when mom can comprehend the meaning of our marriage – they will treat you better. They just don’t know you yet and it might take a little longer than normal for them to reach out to you because of our past. But know this: they both only mean well. Even if they sometime seem angry or distrusting: they’re probably just testing you.”
“Good to know… I will keep that in mind and try to not give them any wrong ideas.”
“Just be yourself, just like you are with me. That way, they will start to trust you easier. Besides, you’re just weird when you act all formal and business like.”
“Hey, I didn’t know what else to do. I still want to impress them even if it is stupid…”

He chuckles lightly as he leans back against Chanyeol. They will stay in here for a while and let his parents explore the house on their own: after all, he already knows that their natural curiosity won’t stop them from doing so.

***

Most of the day passes by with his mother occasionally coming up to his bedroom and his father secretly enjoying his time in the living room while watching movies. Chanyeol kindly showed them around the house after they let his parents explore it on their own for a while and apparently they went out on a walk while he took a nap in the afternoon. By the time when the sun had gone down, he finds himself talking to his mother in peace and quiet while Chanyeol is surprisingly enough spending time with his father in the living room downstairs.

The whole day has passed by so quickly and smoothly that he nearly forgot about something: shouldn’t Kyungsoo have come back by now? Even if he decided to run a couple of other errands, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Maybe something has happened to him? What if people have decided to hurt him if they can’t find him or Chanyeol? The thought has been lingering around his mind for a while and eventually his mother speaks up about it.

“If there is something you’re worried about, you should really talk to me about it Baekhyun-ah. You have this strange look on your face whenever you’re worried.”
“Well… I’m worried about Kyungsoo, the werewolf boy who was one of my chefs back at the mansion. He was supposed to fetch some groceries earlier today, but I haven’t heard him come back. Could you fetch Chanyeol for me please?”

His mother smiles at him and nods. She quickly gets up of the bed and heads downstairs while he takes his time to lean back. If Kyungsoo is hurt, then… No, he really hopes he’s not hurt and that he’s just running late. But it feels like something isn’t just right – but does that necessarily mean that Kyungsoo is in some kind of danger? He sighs tired as he closes his eyes for a moment and doesn’t open them again until he suddenly feels a hand gently his forehead. He snaps his eyes open, not sure if he had fallen asleep by mistake or if he had just spaced out for a while.

“Hey… I heard you called for me. Your mother said something about Kyungsoo and you being worried. How are you feeling? Tired?”

Chanyeol is sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, gently holding one of his hands while he smiles calmly. He can’t help but to smile weakly back, but his body suddenly feels exhausted and the medicine he usually takes to keep the pain away must be fading because the aching is suddenly coming back to him.

“I’m… I’m feeling a bit pain now, but it’s alright. I’m honestly more worried about Kyungsoo than me at the moment. He hasn’t come back yet, has he?”
“Now when you mention it, I thought he must have come by when we were out. Didn’t you hear anything while you rested?”
“No, I woke up the moment I heard you come back, but I was half asleep most of the time from the medicine. I’m really worried that something might have happened.”
“Don’t worry; I will look into it right away. I will try calling him and if he doesn’t pick up, I will ask Xiumin and Chen to try to find him for us.”
“Thank you…”

He smiles towards his husband and tries to squeeze his hand slightly, but it’s hard to muster energy at the moment. Chanyeol squeezes his hand back and leans in to give him a soft kiss on the forehead before he gets up to make some calls for them.

“Your mother is cooking something in the kitchen by the way, it smells amazing. She said it’s one of your favorite dishes.”
“I see… I’m afraid that my senses are currently… Out of function shall we say?”
“Right… Nerve poison… I forgot about it for a moment. Either way, try to eat some food when she comes by. Your father is busy watching a soccer game downstairs, but he does occasionally ask if you’re feeling any worse.”
“Tell them both I’m fine and that I’m just resting. I don’t want to worry them more than necessary since they came here to make sure I’m alright.”
“You shouldn’t lie to them. If you feel bad, tell them straight out. That is what they both probably want the most – even if it means you telling them you’re not okay.”

Chanyeol’s words catch him of guard – he admits that. To think the vampire in the relationship is actually the one telling him to talk about his feelings out loud – it’s something he has kept nagging Chanyeol to do. A weak chuckle leaves his mouth as he stares down at his hands.

“I never thought I would hear you telling me that… You’re right Chanyeol, I know you are… I… I will tell them the truth if they ask him how I’m feeling.”
“Good, I wouldn’t want you to lie to your own parents. After all, they want to be open and honest with you as well. Just like us.”
“Go and call Kyungsoo now, please. I’m worried.”
“Alright, I’m heading out to call him. Hopefully, he’s just stuck in traffic or just running an errand for himself.”

He nods to an answer and watches Chanyeol leave the room after kissing him on the forehead again. He then sighs and just stares into the dark evening and the peaceful forest. His thoughts slowly take over him and he can’t help but to feel the anxiousness sneak over him. If Kyungsoo is hurt somewhere, they should hurry and find him. As he lies and worries for his friend, he accidentally closes his eyes for a moment and slowly doze off into an almost feverish dream.

The next time he comes back around properly, his body is in pain, and he can only hear the worried faint voices from downstairs. He sits up properly and feels the confusion overwhelm him: how long was he out and when did he fall asleep? His forehead is covered by a cold sweat and his joints and muscles are aching from being tense. Luckily, it doesn’t take long before someone downstairs has noticed him waking up and stirring in his bed. It only takes some few minutes before Chanyeol comes back up to him and softly and quietly enters the room to check on him.

“Are you awake honey?”

Chanyeol speaks gently, like he is scared his voice will hurt him. The tall figure softly walks over to his bed and sits down next to him, one of his hands slowly reaching out to him and his cheek. He can’t help but to smile at his husband’s cute behavior, but his mind is quick to remind him about Kyungsoo and his worries for his friend. Is he back yet or have they at least heard from him? Is he safe? Chanyeol look at him and almost seem to be able to read his mind and his worries straight from his face alone. The taller man is fast to speak softly to him to calm him down.

“We have heard from Kyungsoo Baekhyun, he is… somewhat fine shall we say? He will be accompanied here tomorrow, for now he is staying with someone who will protect him.”
“Is he… really okay…?”
“I assure you that Kyungsoo spoke to me, and he sounded a bit shaken, but he is fine. Apparently, he did run into some trouble but luckily someone he knew was around to save him. He is currently with that person.”

All he can do is nod to an answer, but even that felt exhausting at the moment. Chanyeol noticed and gently patted him on the head with another soft smile plastered on his lips: he must be trying really hard to hide his worries in front of him right now…

“Your mom is coming soon with some food and medication, so please withstand the aching for a bit longer. Also, I talked to Lay earlier, and he said he might have some new medication that might help a bit more, so he will bring it to us within the end of the week.”
“I see… Sounds… good…”

Chanyeol smiles softly before he leans in and kisses him softly. Shortly after that, his mother came up and the rest of that evening became blurry to his tired and medicated mind and body. All he remembers doing is cuddling with Chanyeol and hoping that Kyungsoo is okay and that he is safe.

Kyungsoo’s P.O.V

He admits that this mess is partially his fault, but the other half could easily be blamed on other people. Thinking back to it, he wonders how he ended up in this messy situation in the first place and why he let himself get hurt to begin with. Those thoughts keep spinning around his head as he stares at the floor in front of him.

“So… Are you… not going to talk to me… at all…?”

He is pulled out of his thoughts as he slowly lifts his head up and stares at the person sitting opposite of him. Slightly tanned skin, pitch black hair and eyes that are both soft but also a bit sorrowful. The words make him want to chuckle in disbelief and amusement, but a part of him also feels hurt and a bit angry. He gives the man in front of him a slight glare of disappointment and disbelief before he looks away while sighing.

“There is nothing to talk about…”
“What do you mean? There are plenty of things we could- “
“There is nothing to talk about.”

His words remain firm despite the young man trying to convince him otherwise. However, all he has to do is to glance over at the hurt expression on the man sitting opposite of him, before he slowly breaks his cold and harsh outer shell. There is nothing to talk about…? Was that the best thing I could have said? There are plenty of things to say, but… It is useless at this point… The thoughts inside of his head feels heavy and quite tiresome: he just wants to shut everything off and go to bed. Yet, here he is, drinking late night wine with the person he never thought he would see again.

“I don’t remember you being this cold to me before, Kyungsoo. I understand your feelings, but don’t you think you are a bit too cruel towards me?”
“You were always good with your words, and you still are- “
“I never lied to you Kyungsoo and I couldn’t have done anything back then- “
“Liar.”
“Kyungsoo, you never listen- “
“You’re a liar… A big fat liar… I should never have trusted you- “
“Everything I said and did was true towards you. Please Kyungsoo, let us talk about it. I know what it must look like, but you have to understand- “
“I did. I understood it perfectly when you told me that you wouldn’t remain by my side any longer. I understood perfectly that you were too scared to take the leap to be with me. I understood perfectly that you rather hurt me and take back everything you said to me rather than fighting for what could have been possible if you just tried.”
“Are you even listening to what you are saying? I didn’t have a choice! You and I were forbidden as it was-!”
“Enough! I am tired of your lies and excuses Kai!”

He broke. His façade finally broke. For so long, he kept his emotions and act together, yet all it took to break him was to see that stupid face again. The storm of anger, pain and sorrow is filled inside of his chest and the lump in his stomach that he has carried with him for over a year is too heavy to bear any further. Tears have begun to well up inside of his eyelids and he can’t hold anything back anymore. With a shaky voice, all he can muster to say is simple…

“You betrayed me… So please stop lying to me… I can’t take it anymore…”

The man in front of him, no other than Kim Jongin, also known as Kai and his former lover and boyfriend, can only stare at him in return to his sobbing. How they turned out like this, how their paths together ended so abruptly is all because of the damn peace treaty. If it wasn’t for that damn girl who decided to ruin everything for them…