“Wahoo!” Baekhyun squealed as Chanyeol ran him down the corridor in his chair. His hair was being blown off of his face and his eyes were watering from the cold air, rushing into them. Yet his face was filled with the most exhilarated smile as the two boys shot like a bullet along the slippery floor, whooshing past door after door. He heard Chanyeol’s deep, manic, booming laugh behind him as they swerved to avoid a nurse with a trolley full of medication.

“Ya! You can’t do that in here!” An angry voice yelled, pulling the two boys from their thrilling travels. Baekhyun’s eyes widened into huge orbs as Chanyeol pulled them to a stop. They skidded for a few more feet and then came to a halt only a few inches before hitting the angry doctor that was glaring them down. “This is a hospital not a playground! If you want to act like children then go outside. I do not want to see you behaving like that in this building again, got it?” His eyes were so tightly squeezed together in a formidable glare that Baekhyun wondered how he could even see them. Baekhyun felt laughter bubble up inside his chest and had to bite his lip to hold it in. That is one of life’s really annoyances, he though, how whenever he was in a serious situation, one which would condemn laughter or even a smile, he suddenly found everything funny. It was automatic, he couldn’t stop it.

“Ne, we are really sorry, it won’t happen again.” Chanyeol’s deep voice sounded from behind him. The doctor nodded curtly and turned his gaze on Baekhyun, waiting.

“Ne, sorry.” Baekhyun mumbled, trying to stop his voice shaking from laughter. The man’s eyes narrowed even more, if that was even possible, and seemed as though he was going to say something else when Baekhyun felt himself being wheeled away to safety.

As soon as they rounded the corner Baekhyun let out a small giggle. Soon the giggle grew and turned into laughter. It seemed to be a knock on effect; he would wonder why he was even laughing and then notice how weird his laugh was and then just start to laugh even harder. His volume kept escalating until he reached that stage when he could feel the breaths passing his lips and the shudders of laughter wracking his body but no sounds were coming out. He was eventually able to calm down when he saw that they were approaching the front doors. Entirely made of glass, sunlight was streaming into the foyer. Taking deep breaths to calm himself Baekhyun felt himself buzzing in anticipation. He grinned and looked over his shoulder at Chanyeol. Their eyes met and Baekhyun felt his cheeks flush, Chanyeol had been watching him.

As they came up to the doors there was a mechanical whir and the slight puff sound as the doors slid aside for them. Baekhyun was glad that the doors were automatic because he didn’t much fancy the idea of having to push the doors open with his feet. They rolled out of the doors and a sharp breeze coupled with deliciously lazy sunshine caressed Baekhyun’s face as he closed his eyes and tilted his head upward. He heard a low chuckle behind him but just ignored it as he let his body soak up the fresh air. It was the first time in weeks that he had breathed in and not been accosted with the faint yet pungent taste of cleaning fluids at the back of his throat. Honeysuckle and grass filled his nostrils as he in a deep, warming breath. Chanyeol pushed him around the side of the building to the hospital car park. It was a dreary stretch of land, grey with the odd dash of colour from a bright car here and there. However, as the passed the grey, concrete jungle they emerged from between two cars onto an expanse of grass. There was a triangle of green, about two times the size of a tennis court. There were deep, forest green trees lining twirling paths that wove in and out of the grass. Benches were spotted around here and there, merging into the natural woody colours. Chanyeol continued to push him along, following the path across the little patch of heaven within a mass of concrete and buildings. They passed bench after bench, each supporting a sweet old couple. Women in their sixties with their seventy year old husbands perched beside them. Two old and wrinkled men, clad in dressing gowns and slippers, with a chess board between them. The couples went on and on, and Baekhyun felt his heart go out to those people who had been together for so long that they didn’t need anything else. Eventually Chanyeol brought them to a stop beside a vacant bench. Two trees had twisted over the top of it, as though the branches were reaching for each other to overcome having been planted so far away. The twisted, earthy trees formed a sort of archway which made the bench seem secluded and almost magical.

There was a little shuffling and rustling coming from behind him and Baekhyun turned to see Chanyeol holding a brightly coloured, lumpy, hand knitted pillow in his hand. He placed the pillow on the far side of the bench before turning and walking back to Baekhyun. Chanyeol slid his arm around Baekhyun’s waist; the other hand gripped under his thighs and lifted him out of his chair. Baekhyun smiled and blushed, tucking his head under Chanyeol’s chin. “So strong…” He mumbled into the younger’s skin. Chanyeol laughed and kissed his forehead before sitting down in the bench with Baekhyun still nestled in his arms. Chanyeol arranged his feet so that his bad ankle was resting comfortably on the pillow and twisted his body so that he was turned in towards Chanyeol. Baekhyun wrapped his slim arms around Chanyeol’s torso and smiled, he loved how Chanyeol’s warmth could fill him so completely and make him so happy that he felt like he could just burst into song.

They sat there quietly for a while, listening to the birds chirp as golden leaves fluttered to the floor around them. Autumn was a lovely season, Baekhyun thought. Soon the world would be filled with fire, with gold and orange and yellow and brown. The world would look like Chanyeol on a bad hair day. Chanyeol slowly rubbed circles into Baekhyun’s back, humming a song as he rocked Baekhyun gently to the breeze. Baekhyun could have sworn he had heard that song somewhere before. It sounded so familiar and yet he couldn’t remember how he knew it.

“…As your guardian, I will block the stiff wind

Even though people turn their backs to you

If I could become the person

Who can wipe your tears on a tiring day

It will be paradise…”

Chanyeol’s words faded back into a hum and Baekhyun felt a spark of recognition at those words but it soon fizzled out like a match in the wind.

“Channie.” Baekhyun said, looking up at Chanyeol’s face. From this angle he could see the smooth planes of his jaw and his thick, dark eyelashes fanning out from his molten eyes.

“Mmm?”  Baekhyun shuffled himself a little closer and lifted himself up so that they were nose to nose.

“Channie, will you tell me a story?” Baekhyun asked while rubbing their noses together playfully. Chanyeol smiled, not in his usual crazy, insane way. His smile was gentle and emotional; his eyes were flowing with warmth as he looked back at Baekhyun. Baekhyun felt himself blush as Chanyeol kissed the tip of his nose, followed by a sweet kiss on his lips. Baekhyun felt his stomach melt as his cheeks flamed even more.

“Anything for you Hyunnie.” Chanyeol said, his voice oozing charisma. Baekhyun grinned and tucked himself back into Chanyeol’s chest, clenching his small fist in Chanyeol’s warm jumper as he nuzzled closer. Chanyeol wrapped both arms around Baekhyun and and rubbed his arms and back to keep him warm.

“Okay then. There was once this boy….” Chanyeol began, Baekhyun felt his eyelids lolling as he snuggled in. “This boy was special; he wasn’t like all of the others. He was more beautiful than a Greek god and more kind than the smallest fairy. He may have had a small body but he had a large dream and a large voice. He dreamed of becoming a musician, a singer, a performer. And he was good enough too. From a young age he had shocked people with his angelic voice, he never wanted to brag but he really was the best. His voice could make birds join in with his song, could draw a tear from the most cynical, cold hearted person, and could even make people love. One day an opportunity arose, he would finally be able to take that first step towards his dream. There was going to be a competition. He prepared for days on end and finally the first performance came. He had had some problems that day, become hysterical and even been admitted to the nurse, yet he fought on. He made it, he performed and he got through.

Soon after, this boy was paired with another. The other boy, let’s call him Joe, was a rapper. Joe the rapper became entranced, not only by the boy’s singing and good looks, but by his personality. The way in which his cheeks would flush red like roses in bloom when he was embarrassed, the way he poured his heart into his work, the way he smiled. However Joe didn’t want to admit this love to himself, so there was a lot of drama. There were ups and there were downs. Unfortunately it took Joe seeing the boy getting hurt by another for him to finally be able to voice his feelings and to accept them. The boy and Joe got together and loved each other dearly. They had four wonderful, if a little strange friends who progressed with them through the competition.

On the day of the final performance, before they were to compete within the company, there was an accident. The boy got badly hurt and there was no one around to help him. Somehow, no one knows how, he found it within himself to continue. He performed like he never had before and fell into the arms of his love. After that we don’t know what happened to the boy. Whatever happens next will be a story for another day.” Chanyeol finished, looking down at Baekhyun with an almost sad smile.

Realising slammed painfully into Baekhyun and he gasped as image after image whammed its way into his consciousness, imprinting itself onto his mind with blinding speed before moving away for another to follow. It was like watching a film reel in his head except he wasn’t so much watching the scenes as being told what he had already seen. After a few minutes the images stopped and he breathed heavily, his heard bounding around in his ribcage. He remembered. “I was that boy.”