Chanyeol’s pov

The audience was cheering loudly as the boys walked off of the stage. Chanyeol was alight with energy and happiness, feeling hyper and ecstatic, grinning uncontrollably from ear to ear. He heard a shuffle behind him and turned his body just as another crashed into his shoulder. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Baekhyun’s limb form falling to the ground. For a moment he was stood as still as a statue, in a state of shock. Luckily his body managed to react faster than his brain as he swooped down to catch the frail boy in his arms before he could hit the cold, hard floor. Baekhyun felt so thin in his arms, so small and weak. His face was deadly pale and a layer of cold sweat was veering his skin, casting an eerie glow over him. His eyes looked slightly sunken in and his lips were dry and cracked. Not ten minutes before he had been the picture of health, bright, radiant skin, sparkling eyes, dazzling smile. What had happened? Chanyeol’s stomach lurched as Baekhyun’s eyelids fluttered only to reveal the rolling whites of his eyes.

After a few seconds Baekhyun’s eyes opened wide enough to stare deep into Chanyeol’s as he rasped, “Channie it hurts…” He was almost sobbing from pain and the sight tore at Chanyeol’s heart. He felt an ache deep inside his rib cage as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

“What?” He asked, trying to keep his voice calm for Baekhyun but failing as it came out as a strangled cry of desperation, “What hurts Hyunnie?” Baekhyun’s head rolled back further onto Chanyeol’s supporting arm as his eyes started to flutter and close. The small boy’s face was twisted in pain, eyes now scrunching together as his mouth turned down in a grimace of agony.

“Channie my…m-my l-leg…” Chanyeol could feel Baekhyun’s tense body relaxing in his arms as his eyes became still.

“I love you.” Chanyeol said, hoping that his love could still hear him. He sighed in relief as he saw a serene expression come over Baekhyun’s face as one by one his tight muscles relaxed. After a moment however Chanyeol realised what this serenity meant, his Baekhyun had passed out. What had he said? Chanyeol tried to think through the tears and the babble of noise that was his head at the time. His leg. He had said that his leg hurt. Chanyeol ripped off his jacket and balled it up so that none of the spikes could possibly be poking up before laying Baekhyun to the ground with his head resting on the soft fabric. He his fingers gently across Baekhyun’s cheeks, placing a light peck on his forehead before he knelt down by his feet.

He had been wondering how he would be able to tell which the injured leg was at first glance but as soon as he focused on Baekhyun’s ankles it was horrifyingly evident which leg was the injured one. Chanyeol trailed his eyes over Baekhyun’s lower left leg and felt something lodge in his throat as tears threatened once more to overcome him at the sight before him. Even without pushing up the hem of Baekhyun’s jeans Chanyeol could see that where the smooth line from leg to ankle to foot was meant to be, there was instead mash up of what should have been there. His foot stuck out horrifically to the side at an unnatural angle while a huge lump could be seen protruding from his ankle.

“Kyung.” Chanyeol tried to call, but all that came out was a whisper. “Kyung!” This time a strangled scream came from the tall boy as he slowly reached out for his lovers ankle.

“Bwo? What is it Cha…” Kyungsoo’s voice trailed off as he appeared to gag on his own words. “Baek…” He choked out.

“Call an ambulance!” Chanyeol shrieked through his tears from his place on the floor. He was about to investigate the extent of the damage, trying not to give in to the sobs that were wracking their way up his throat, when he realised that there was no movement behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Kyungsoo stood, eyes wider than they ever had been before, glazed with moisture as the rest of his face was blank as a sheet. His gaze was fixed on Baekhyun but his eyes were unseeing.

“Kyung…don’t blank out I need you…Kyung....please…Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol pleaded as Kyungsoo barely registered that he was being talked at. He needed an ambulance. Chanyeol looked down to Baekhyun’s slight face to find him paler than a ghost and unmoving.

“Suho! Kai!” He practically screamed. The two guys came rushing over to him from where they had been chatting unknowingly in the doorway. “Suho, deal with Kyungsoo he’s in shock and take Sehun too. Kai…I need you…please…call an ambulance and help me…I need help.” He was breaking down, he could feel it as the tears spilled down his face and his throat caught. He needed to be strong, he couldn’t be like this. Suho looked confused and worried as he took in Baekhyun’s crumpled form. Kai however had his eyes set, flaring with purpose and a dose of what they all needed, strength.

Kai whipped his phone out of his pocket, already dialling as he spoke. Authority rang in his voice, “Suho, take Kyungsoo and Sehun back to your place. Keep them calm and relaxed. I will call you okay?” He looked straight into Suho’s eyes, making sure that Suho understood what he had to do. As Suho was about to turn away, Kai grabbed his wrist. “Take care of Kyungsoo.” His voice was unwavering, it was not a request, it was an order. As soon as the words were out of his mouth a female voice could be heard on the other end of the line and Suho wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo, escorting him from the room with Sehun. Kai spoke quickly and precisely into the receiver and after less than a minute he was crouching beside Chanyeol. Chanyeol was shaking and he could feel the vibrations wracking through his slender frame.

“They’ll be here any minute chan. Stay calm okay?” Kai said. Chanyeol reached out and gripped Kai’s hand, he knew it must have been a little painful to the younger with how tightly he was holding it but he couldn’t stop himself. “Park Chanyeol.” Kai’s voice was clear and loud, the use of his full name startled Chanyeol and he looked up at Kai. “Stop shaking. That man, your boyfriend, your Baekhyun…he needs you and you need to be strong for him okay? You can’t do what Kyungsoo did, he needs you and you need to be there for him. Do you understand?” Kai’s tone was sharp and precise and drilled a hole straight through Chanyeol’s heart. He stopped shaking and Baekhyun’s overheated, sweaty forehead.

“I’m sorry Baek, I’ll be here for you, always.” He turned back to Kai, trying to push aside the feeling of his heart ripping in two at the sight of his love. “We need to get his jeans away from it.” Kai nodded and fumbled on his trousers before pulling his hand away with something metal gripped between his fingers. Chanyeol took it, finding it to be a long metal spike accessory. He hooked the sharp end under the bottom hem of Baekhyun’s Jeans. Once he had made a hole big enough he gently grabbed the material on either side of ripped it up to the knee, exposing Baekhyun’s leg.  He had to force down a sob at the wreckage that he saw, but he was unable to stop the tears that continually flowed. He could now clearly see that Baekhyun’s left foot had been literally snapped off to one side, held on by a little sinew and a layer of skin and flesh. His shin bone had dislocated from his ankle socket and was protruding about three inches out in the wrong direction. The skin was red, shiny and swollen in the immediate area and then a littering of blue and purple around the outsize. Chanyeol made to reach out his hand for Baekhyun’s leg but Kai grabbed his wrist, halting him.

“Don’t touch it. The paramedics will be here in a moment and you might make it worse.” Chanyeol gritted his teeth and nodded, knowing that Kai was right but feeling so utterly unhelpful that he just wanted to scream and lash out to relieve his aching heart from its pain. He gripped Baekhyun’s hand and continually and kissed his head, soothing the boy that couldn’t have even heard an earthquake in his state of unconsciousness. Only minutes later paramedics were rushing into the room. Everything was a blur around him. Baekhyun was being lifted onto a stretcher as an oxygen mask was secured to his delicate face. Kai was talking, quickly and clear cut to a paramedic about everything he knew. Teachers were rushing into the room at the commotion and being restrained so that they wouldn’t interfere. The whole time Chanyeol remained by Baekhyun’s side, not even when he was being lifted onto the stretcher, or when they were climbing into the back of the ambulance, or when he was being transferred to a hospital bed. Chanyeol didn’t let go. He wouldn’t, no, couldn’t let go. All he could do was whisper the same words over and over again, hoping that somehow Baekhyun could hear them. “It’s alright now, I’m here, I love you.” The words only stopped when he fell asleep, head resting on Baekhyun’s chest as he sat beside his bed. Dreaming the words he could no longer say.