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#65:Stay By My Side

“We’ll have to go soon.”

Kris looked at Suho in shock, but he also knew that Suho was right.

“How long have we been here?” Kris asked.

Suho hummed thoughtfully. “Three months?”

Kris was surprised—they’d never stayed in one place for so long before. He felt like he should have noticed the passage of time, but he really felt like it had only been a few weeks. How was it possible that they had been able to relax, with no real problems, for so long?

“We deserved this break,” Suho continued, “But we’re Guardians. We need to get back to our job. We need to get back to traveling, learning the ins and outs of this world. There’s still so much that we haven’t seen, and that we don’t know. We need to get a move on.”

Kris sighed and looped his arm around Suho’s shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss.

“I don’t want to leave,” Kris said, his lips pressed to Suho’s cheek. “This has been so perfect.”

Suho grinned, Kris could feel it. “We’ll still have each other, and Tao. The world won’t stop when we leave.”

Kris sighed. “It might as well. We’ll be so tired, and we might not have any privacy. We won’t be together like this, so open and relaxed, for a while.”

Suho took Kris’ hand and squeezed gently. “It’s not forever,” he said. “We’ll be able to settle down in a few years and really start a life—the kind we always wanted. We’ll be safe, and together, and we’ll all be friends.”

Kris pulled back and looked at Suho quizzically. “That was the kind of life we thought we’d have back home. Do you really think it can still happen here?”

Suho nodded. “This place is new to us, but we can make it our own now. Our dreams haven’t changed, and who we are hasn’t fundamentally changed. We’ve gotten scratched up a bit, but we’re not broken. The framework of who we are is still there. As long as we have that, we have our dreams.”

Kris smiled. “And everyone says that I’m good with words—I have nothing on you.”

Suho gave him a brief kiss on the lips. “You just need more practice.”

Tao, Sehun, and Kai were all tangled together on a bed in a random room. They had come here after Kris and Suho announced that they would be leaving in two days.

“I wish we could stay,” Kai said, breaking the silence. “Nothing hurts here.”

Tao and Sehun simultaneously reached for his hands. They had seen a lot together, the three of them. They knew what Kai was talking about. There were no bad memories at this place.

“We’ll be okay now,” Sehun said. “The worst is behind us.”

Kai snorted. “Do you honestly believe that? Come on, it’s us. Something will always go wrong.”

Tao flinched. “I hope not,” he said quietly. “I’m finally happy again. I don’t want it to end.”

There was a brief silence. Then Kai spoke up again. “How’s that working out, anyway? Are Kris and Suho…like…good to you and stuff?”

Tao laughed. “Oh, yeah, now we can all gush about our boyfriends together, right?”

Sehun pushed himself up on his elbows and hovered over Tao. They were facing opposite directions, so Tao saw Sehun upside down. Sehun pushed Tao’s bangs back and tapped his nose.

“So, gush,” Sehun encouraged. “Who’s the better kisser?”

Tao considered briefly. “I’m the best,” he decided.

Kai elbowed him in the ribs. “Between Suho and Kris!”

Tao rubbed his injured ribs. “Neither,” he said stubbornly. “Suho is very shy and gentle, but he can be commanding occasionally, and Kris is very hesitant at first but he’s not afraid to get rough when I ask for it.”

Sehun and Kai both snorted. “Oh, wow,” Kai laughed, “Does that happen often?”

Tao considered briefly. “Honestly, it’s more the case that Kris and I gang up on Suho.” He smiled. “He gets flustered so easily, and he’s just adorable when it happens.”

“Ugh,” Kai said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “I’m not sure I want to hear this, Suho is like my father. Let’s talk about Kris again.”

Tao bit his lip, thinking about what he could possibly say. “I love them both so much,” he said after a minute. He looked over at Kai. “They’re very good to me. I’m so happy with them.” He paused. “Was it a surprise to you, when we told you guys about it?”

Sehun shrugged. “You’ve always been close to Kris, and it was easy to see how much Suho adored you.”

“He adores all of us,” Tao countered. “Kai especially.”

Kai socked his arm. “Like I said, he’s like my dad, same goes for Sehun too, really. He’s not like that with you, he’s different. He dotes on you, sure, but he also really likes it when you return the attention. I remember this one time when we were back at the sanctuary, you said something to him and kissed him on the cheek, and then you ran off so you didn’t see it, but he blushed so red I thought he was going to pass out.”

“For real,” Sehun said, “It’s always been there, you guys just misinterpreted it. You three work well together.”

Tao thought he was blushing a little. “You think so?”

“Obviously,” Kai said, “Or you wouldn’t be so happy.”

They laid back down and pressed closer to Tao.

“We should do this more often,” Sehun said. “We’re the three youngest, after all. We’ve been friends forever, but we don’t get to spend a lot of time together anymore.”

“We’ll do this more often,” Kai vowed. “We’ll kick our boyfriends out and snuggle together.” He sat up again and glared down at the other two. “But if either of you tell Suho that I admitted he’s like my dad, I’ll send you to the middle of a dessert in a dust storm, got it?”

Tao rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why you bother hiding it, anyone could tell that you love him.”

Kai blushed and burrowed into the sheets. “I don’t want him to start thinking he’s got it easy,” he sniffed.

Sehun and Tao piled on top of Kai and cooed about how cute he was and maybe they’d tell Suho anyway, just to see how flustered Kai would get. In the ensuing wrestling match they all fell off the bed and ended up with matching bruises on their heads and elbows.

Kyungsoo sighed as Chen picked up yet another shell. “You’ll never be able to fit them all in your suitcase, you know.”

“I can damn well try,” Chen said haughtily.

“We’ll go to more beaches, you know,” Kyungsoo went on. “And you’ll get more shells.”

“And I will someday fill an entire room with all the shells I’ve ever collected,” Chen finished happily.

“What room?” Kyungsoo asked. “We don’t have a room!”

Chen shrugged. “Maybe I’ll leave some of them here. It’s not like somebody is going to invade the hotel while we’re gone.”

“And I repeat.” Kyungsoo said, “Then you’ll get more shells and you’ll be back where you started. As it is you have a suitcase full of CDs to take back.”

“It’s a back pack, thank you very much!” Chen squawked.

“Same thing,” Kyungsoo said smugly.

“Well, I’ll get Kai to carry it for me,” Chen said. “He’s stronger than I am, and I bet he’d do it if I asked.”

Kyungsoo hummed, and Chen wondered if he’d overstepped a boundary by bringing up his boyfriend. He and Kyungsoo had been friends for some time, but they’d never discussed relationships. But Kai was Kyungsoo’s friend too…had Kai brought it up before? Chen wished he knew.

“Kai would do anything for you,” Kyungsoo said. He looked at Chen curiously. “You two have always been odd. Lu Han used to say that someday you’d be together, but I never saw it. I thought you’d be friends, but not lovers.”

Chen nodded. “Kris said he wasn’t surprised, but honestly I’ve been wondering if everyone else felt the same way.”

“We’re happy for you,” Kyungsoo said quickly, “But a little confused as well. You used to fight so much, and then you were awkward for a while, and then…this. What made you change your mind?”

Chen realized that to anyone else, it would be strange. Kyungsoo didn’t know about the time that Kai followed him into the woods and apologized for everything, at the same time admitting that all he really wanted was for them to be friends. Chen blushed and felt himself tear up as he remembered the rest of Kai’s confession.

“It didn’t come out of nowhere,” Chen said. “Kai…he always felt something for me, but he didn’t know what to do with it. You remember what he was like as a child, how painful it was for him to be around people. Imagine a child who doesn’t know how to act around others having a crush. Imagine a teenager who carries the weight of Kai’s childhood, with everything that happened to him, trying to deal with romantic feelings. Looking back I can see that a lot of what he did was out of love. He wanted me to have fun and play, and he didn’t want me to be so afraid. He was brunt and a little callous, but I really think that was because he just didn’t know what to say to be comforting, so he’d just blurt out whatever came to his mind first.”

Chen looked over at Kyungsoo. He seemed to be understanding, so Chen went on. “He’s gotten so much better at telling me what’s on his mind, and he’s so loving and sweet. He’s very good at expressing himself through gestures, and I’ve learned to read his body language. We were awkward at first, because we were trying to figure out how to work with each other, but it’s behind us now.”

Kyungsoo smiled. “I see. That does make a lot of sense, I figured that there was a lot going on that we just couldn’t see. I’m really happy for the two of you, you both deserve someone to love.”

Chen grinned. “Thanks. And you know, you deserve that too. I hope you find someone who makes you happy someday.”

Kyungsoo nodded. “I will, I know I will. But I’m okay for now. Lay, Xiumin and I have each other, and we may not love each other the way you love Kai, for example, but we’re okay with that. So don’t worry so much about us, okay?”

“Okay,” Chen said sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t mean to…to hover or anything.”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo said, throwing an arm around Chen’s shoulders. “I know that you just want to make sure I’m alright.”

Chen wrapped his arm around Kyungsoo’s back, and they walked down the beach in silence for a bit. Then Chen spoke up again. “Kyungsoo…how are you? Are you really alright?”

Kyungsoo looked out at the ocean, his eyes a little sad. “I miss it,” he said. “I keep thinking about how much fun it would be if I could make little sand statues, the way I used to. But then I remember that I can’t do that anymore, and it stings a little. I do miss my gift, but at the same time I just feel so much better now. It doesn’t hurt to walk, and I don’t spend every waking moment thinking about how dead the ground is.”

Chen squeezed his arm gently. “You were depressed for a long time.”

“I don’t know if that was it,” Kyungsoo said. “I don’t know how much of it is depression and how much was just my gift, but I am feeling better.” He smiled at Chen. “This trip really did a lot to make me feel better. Getting to relax, hang out in the water, just have fun, it all helped. And you know, having three square meals a day didn’t hurt either.”

Chen laughed and Kyungsoo joined him.

“I’ll miss it here,” Chen sighed. “I hope we can come back again soon.”

“Me too,” Kyungsoo said. “And I hope you leave some shells for us to find next time.”

Lu Han concentrated so hard he could feel his face turning red. He balled his fingers into fists, ignoring the way his nails bit into his palms. The water began to bubble, and after a few seconds a hundred little shrimp broke the surface. Lu Han gritted his teeth and made the shrimp come together in a wriggling, grey mass, and then he guided them into the cooler. As soon as the last shrimp was lowered into the cooler, Xiumin slammed the lid shut.

“WOOHOO!” Lay crowed, pumping his fist into the air. “Way to go, Lu Han!”

Lu Han flopped down onto the bench behind him, panting. He, Xiumin, Lay, and Chanyeol had been out fishing for only an hour, and they’d happened upon an enormous school of shrimp. Not keen on letting such a large and easy meal get away, the four had immediately started trying to catch the creatures, but quickly realized that fishing hooks and hands just wouldn’t cut it. At first Lu Han had been afraid that he wouldn’t be able to control his gift long enough to capture the creatures, and he was relieved to be proven wrong.

“And you were worried,” Chanyeol called from the steering wheel. The boat was fairly small, and motor powered, and really Chanyeol didn’t need to be worried about steering at the moment since they were anchored, but he was having fun so Lu Han wasn’t about to tell him to stop.

“You would have been worried too,” Lu Han said breathlessly. “I haven’t used my gift like that in a while.”

“Well maybe that’s why it’s not working the way you want it to,” Xiumin said wisely. “It’s like a muscle, you know—if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

Lu Han stuck out his tongue. “You just have to be the voice of reason, don’t you?”

Lay tapped Lu Han’s head. “Is it really that bad, ge?”

Lu Han gulped, wishing he hadn’t spoken. “It’s…”

Everyone turned to look at him. The only sound was the waves lapping at the boat and the shrimp scrambling around in the cooler.

Lu Han took a deep breath. “It’s not what it used to be,” he said finally. “I don’t think it ever will be again.”

He recalled the pain of his mind splintering apart under the strain of moving huge asteroids out of the way, and he shivered despite the hot sun. No, his mind and his gift would never be the same again. He’d paid the price for his act of heroism, and it didn’t seem fair. He’d been totally selfless, why did he need to suffer for it?

Lay tapped him again. “I never tried healing you,” he said. “Would you like me to?”

Lu Han shook his head. “Honestly, that scares me even more,” he admitted. “I’d rather not even try than learn that it can’t be done.”

“What makes you think it can’t be done?” Chanyeol asked.

Lu Han kicked the cooler of shrimp. They scuttled angrily. “Because it’s not like a bruise, or a broken arm,” he said. “It’s not…it’s not physical, the problem. It’s just…me. I’m broken. Something fundamental inside my brain just stopped working. I was Lost, and you can’t heal the Lost.”

“But you came back,” Xiumin said, sitting next to him and patting his knee. “So you weren’t really Lost.”

“And you’ve gotten loads better,” Chanyeol added. “So maybe time will heal you.”

Lu Han shrugged. “Maybe.” He stood up. “I don’t want to think about it right now,” he said firmly. “Let’s see if we can catch some more shrimp, they’ll make an excellent last dinner and breakfast.”

“You know somebody is going to have to kill these things, right?” Xiumin said. “And it’s not going to be me.”

“I nominate Chen,” Chanyeol muttered, and they all laughed, because there was no way Kai would allow that.”

“Kai it is, then,” Lay said cheerfully.

Baekhyun stood by the edge of the pool, his toes hanging over the water. This was the place where he had conquered his fear of water. Sort of. He still couldn’t go in by himself, and he was crap at swimming, but he was loads better than he was when they first arrived at the beach. It was a little bittersweet, knowing that he was leaving. He hadn’t expected to get so attached to this place, especially not to the pool.

“Talk about irony,” he muttered.

He heard something pattering over to him and looked over his shoulder. Daisy was ambling over, her long ears almost dragging on the ground.

“Hi, cutie,” Baekhyun greeted, bending down and holding out his hand. “Where are your daddies?” Sehun and Lu Han didn’t usually let her wander off by herself.

Daisy snuffled his hand before turning around and walking over to the pool stairs. Baekhyun eyed her nervously.

“Do you have permission to do that?” He asked. He knew she liked the pool, but she didn’t usually go in without Sehun or Lu Han nearby. Baekhyun looked around, but it was just him and the dog out on the pool deck. Everyone else was packing up or helping to make dinner. It was only midafternoon, but it felt much later because of how quiet it was.

There was a splash and Baekhyun whirled around. Daisy was swimming around, happily chasing after some floating toys and trying to catch them. Baekhyun watched her for a while, but as time went on he began to get more and more worried.

“Daisy, it’s time to come out now,” he called nervously. “Daisy, come here, girl!”

Daisy swam over to the side of the pool and tried to climb out, but her legs were too short and she fell back. Baekhyun reached for her, but she swam away before he could grab her.

“Come back!” He yelled, his heart racing. She looked tired. “Daisy, come here!”

But instead the dog turned and started swimming towards the deep end of the pool.

“No!” Baekhyun yelled, “Oh my god, Daisy, no! Come back here, use the stairs, Daisy!!”

He was panicking. If she went into the deep end, there was no way Baekhyun could help her. He looked over his shoulder.

“GUYS!” he screamed, “Guys, come out here, I need help!”

He looked back at Daisy. The pool was huge, and she was right in the middle of it. Baekhyun pressed his hand to his mouth, torn between staying and trying to get Daisy out of the pool by himself and running for help. But if he ran for help and Daisy went under, she’d drown. Just as he thought that, Daisy let out a pained yelp and her head dipped under the water.

Later, Baekhyun would say it was panic-driven instinct. He threw up a wall of light, knowing that someone would see it and come outside, and then he jumped into the pool. He half swam, half ran through the shallow water, grabbing a floating tube as he passed it. Daisy’s head popped back up, but Baekhyun could tell that she was exhausted. His feet left the floor as he entered the deep end, and he started kicking. He was getting closer, closer…just as Daisy’s head disappeared under the water again, Baekhyun got within arm’s reach of her. He grabbed her around her belly and hauled her up, clumsily holding onto her with one arm and the floating tube with the other. Then he started kicking his way over to the side of the pool.

“It’s okay, Daisy,” he gasped, accidentally swallowing a mouthful of water. Daisy was wheezing in his arms, and it didn’t sound good, but at least she was still breathing.

Baekhyun heard voices, and he looked up. He was still several yards from the edge of the pool.

“Guys, over here!” He yelled, his throat raw from the water he’d swallowed. He coughed and tried to kick harder. His legs were screaming in protest, aching with each movement. The edge was in sight, he was almost there…

There was a splash and suddenly Chanyeol’s arm was around his waist, hauling him into the shallows. Baekhyun released the tube and clung to Chanyeol’s shoulders.

“Daisy,” he gasped, “Get her out.”

Kris was on Baekhyun’s other side then, and he took Daisy out of his arms and carried her to the edge of the pool. Baekhyun looked up and saw Sehun and Lu Han running over, along with the rest of their brothers. His feet scrapped the bottom of the pool and he went limp, his body exhausted and sore.

Chanyeol stood up and carried Baekhyun to the edge of the pool. Kai and Tao were waiting, and they grabbed Baekhyun’s arms and pulled him out of the pool.

Baekhyun coughed and weakly tried to wriggle out of their arms. “Is she okay?” He asked. “Daisy, is she alright?” He turned his head. Sehun had taken Daisy from Kris, and Lay was looking between Baekhyun and the dog.

“Look at her first,” Baekhyun said, “I think she’s hurt, her leg…”

Lay went to Daisy, and Baekhyun fell back on the concrete, breathing heavily. Chanyeol hovered over him, patting his cheek. “Are you okay?”

Baekhyun nodded.

“What happened?”

“Daisy, she jumped in the pool…and she couldn’t climb out. I tried to call her over but she swam into the deep end, and then she went under…I didn’t have time to go for help, she was drowning…” His eyes filled with tears. “Is she okay?”

Lay backed away and went over to Baekhyun. “She’ll be fine,” he said confidently. “Her leg cramped up, that’s why she went under, but you got to her before she could get any water in her lungs.” He ruffled Baekhyun’s hair. “You saved her life, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun grinned and pushed himself up, Chanyeol helped him. “I swam in the deep end,” he said proudly. “Didja see me, Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol nodded, tears in his eyes. “You were brilliant,” he choked, “I’m so proud of you.”

Lu Han and Sehun came over and wrapped Baekhyun up in a hug. Sehun was still holding Daisy.

“You’re so brave,” Lu Han said—he was crying too. “You saved her, by the Tree if you hadn’t been there…”

“But I was,” Baekhyun said, squeezing Lu Han’s hand. Daisy wriggled over and Baekhyun’s cheek, as though she was saying ‘Thank you.’

“You’re welcome,” Baekhyun told her.

Kris and Suho debated staying one more day to make sure that Baekhyun and Daisy would be alright to travel, but Daisy bounced back quickly and Baekhyun said they could just put him in a shopping cart and push him for the next 500 miles.

“He’s fine,” Lu Han said. “Princess.”

Baekhyun stuck out his tongue and snuggled into Chanyeol’s lap. Chanyeol hadn’t let go of him for a second since he’d gotten out of the pool, and he was enjoying the attention.

With Baekhyun's assurance that he would be alright to travel, Kris and Suho decided to stick with their plan. They would leave the following day, no later than 10 AM.

Of course, 10 AM was a dream. They didn’t make it out until almost 11, but if Kris and Suho had given a later time they never would have made it out. After double checking and triple checking that nobody had left anything important behind, and after making sure that they only had what they absolutely needed (They had two collective suitcases for shells, and that was it), they left the hotel.

They had six shopping carts for luggage, and Baekhyun was in fact sitting in one of them, holding Daisy on his lap and cooing at her.

The twelve of them were subdued as they walked away from the beach, and as they reached the rise where they had gotten their first glimpse of the ocean, they all stopped and turned around to have one last look.

“This is poetic and all,” Baekhyun said after a while, “But Keen is leaving us behind.”

They all whirled around and saw the fluffy white dog trotting ahead.

“Get back here!” Chen yelled, racing down the hill after his dog, “Keen, wait up!”

And off they went to have another adventure.

Wow, this was a long time coming. Jesus. EXO almost came back before I did.

To refresh your minds as far as where in the continuity this is, don't forget to check out this post http://www.asianfanfics.com/blog/view/780777. In continuity the next drabble would be "Chanyeol in Wonderland," and at the end of that drabble. Chen proposed to Kai.

(Also earlier, when Chen was talking to Kyungsoo, he referenced drabble #17.)

Well I’d love to say that the next update will be soon, but I’d be lying. Because no, we’re actually going to dip back into something like the God-gene arc, and I need time to plan it out. Once that is finished, I’ll start working on the sequel. Hopefully the sequel will start posting sometime over the summer—that’s the plan for now, but I’m applying for graduate school and I might be getting an internship over the summer, plus I’m working on other things at the moment, so we’ll see how everything works out.

So, I’ll be seeing you around soon, hopefully, and in the meantime I’ll probably be posting other things so go check out my other stories if you start to wonder where I’ve gone.

In related news, we're slowly creeping up on AWE's second anniversary!!! Thanks to everyone who's helped make this story what it is today, you guys are the best!