boom shakalaka~~~~ boom shakalaka~~~~ dieyana here is your request! ;D sorry for taking too long. >< hope you like this 5700ish word vomit i wrote but i'll understand if you don't like it don't worry. ;__;

 “No matter what has happened. No matter what you’ve done. No matter what you will do. I will always love you. I swear it.”

––Defiance by C.J. Redwine 

It’s almost midnight when Baekhyun arrives at the small house he’s been living in with Chanyeol for these past two years. Mumbling a soft I’m home, he steps out of his worn out sneakers and carefully makes his way straight to the couch where his husband is sleeping peacefully—as usual. Once he’s standing next to the couch, he kneels down and folds his arms on the edge of the couch before leaning in to press a soft kiss on Chanyeol’s forehead. He must have fallen asleep waiting for me again. “I’m sorry, Yeollie. Sleep tight~”

Baekhyun knows he’s sweaty and needs a refreshing shower right now but he just doesn’t want to leave Chanyeol’s side—he doesn’t want to stop looking at the perfection before him. Chanyeol is sleeping with his mouth slightly opened and his fringe messily kept to the side with a Rilakkuma hairpin, yet Baekhyun still thinks that his husband is the most handsome person in the world. His tender gaze trails down to the long fingers pressed in between Chanyeol’s cheek and the armrest and he immediately frowns upon seeing fresh scratches covering the taller’s palm. He’s really curious what Chanyeol did today that gave him those but he knows he can just ask him tomorrow after he wakes up.

After a minute or two of admiring Chanyeol’s sleeping face, Baekhyun wills himself to leave the room and take a bath. He’s about to enter the bathroom when he sees a food set on their small dining table. It actually consists of rice, kimchi soup, and ginger tea only but his heart still helplessly swells in gratefulness because, yes, Chanyeol’s struggled to prepare his late dinner once again. He doesn’t really know why but he feels his tears welling up in his eyes as he gazes at the food set and his sleeping husband back and forth. Chanyeol, I’m sorry…

Teardrops finally freefall and he has a guess that it slightly has something to do with what a regular at Jongdae’s café offered before he went home tonight.

Baekhyun fishes his wallet out of his jeans pocket to pay for his purchase at the convenient store only to see that he only has some won left. It’s just the start of another month and yet he’s already running out of money. No savings again this month. It can’t be helped, though, because it’s hard to have some savings when Baekhyun is the only one who works his off and he has to pay up for everything Chanyeol and he consume. It's not easy to get a job with great salary in Seoul, but Baekhyun is lucky to grab two small jobs already. At daytime, he works as a waitress in a well-known eatery near their house and he transforms into a singer who entertains the customers in Jongdae’s café—and sometimes he helps serving the customers—when evening comes. 

After giving the money to the cashier, Baekhyun walks out of the convenient store only to stop by the glass door to read some announcement.

Enjoy 25% discount for every purchase of…

Baekhyun’s eyes stop at the word November Sale printed in big, bold red letters in the middle of the announcement poster.

November Sale…

November…

November is next month and it means Chanyeol’s birthday is coming closer. Baekhyun knows Chanyeol isn’t someone who demands for a gift in each of his birthday but he just can’t bear the idea of not giving his husband a special gift on his special day. The main reason is simple; it’s because Chanyeol always prepares a surprise for his birthday, although it may be not that big, even before they got married. So, it’d be just right to repay everything he’s accepted, no?

He releases a sigh before making his way back home. What should I give on Chanyeol’s birthday?

It’s three days before October ends but a big smile’s been plastered on Baekhyun’s face since he just got a big tip from a regular at Jongdae’s café. Right after his working hour ended, he sprinted up to a Japanese restaurant nearby and bought Chanyeol’s favorite seafood cold ramen. It’s his husband’s favorite, yes, but it doesn’t mean he gets to eat that dish a lot because their financial condition just doesn’t support it. Baekhyun knows he could’ve just asked for some money to his parents but he won’t do that because he’s promised them to be a responsible husband for Chanyeol. He’s also reassured his parents-in-law that he’d take a good care their son, that he’d take the role as the head of the family, that he’d do his best to make Chanyeol happy.

Because Chanyeol deserves to be the happiest man since he always tries to put a smile on everyone’s face.

“Yeollie, I’m home!” Baekhyun shouts gleefully, entering the house with his still-bright smile. He told Chanyeol that he’d be home earlier because today is Wednesday and the café isn’t that crowded on that day so he expected that Chanyeol would still be wide awake waiting for him. He calls his husband’s name once again but no response is heard so he decides to check on their bedroom. Maybe he’s reading a novel again. He turns the knob clockwise and pushes the door open. “Yeollie, are you—Oh God, CHANYEOL!”

Chanyeol is lying unconscious on the floor near their bed.

“Chanyeol! PARK CHANYEOL!” Baekhyun’s heart races in fear as he shakes the taller’s body hard, hoping he’ll just wake up and say surprise! or something like that. Seconds pass by but his husband still hasn’t shown a single move, except for his breathing. Worry starts eating him up and he only feels worse as he notices how burning Chanyeol’s body temperature is. “Chanyeol! Wake up!”

With all the power he has in this panic state, he carries Chanyeol’s body up to the bed and quickly dials Yifan’s number since he’s the only doctor he can remember at this time. He sobs into the phone but, thankfully, he’s able to utter what’s happening to the man who was supposed to marry his husband back then.

It only takes about twelve minutes for Yifan to appear on Baekhyun’s door and he quickly checks up on Chanyeol, only to inform the latter that the mute man fainted due to extreme exhaustion.

“Exhaustion?” Baekhyun’s forehead creases. “I’m sorry if this sounds offending, but, how come someone who stays at home all day long gets exhausted?”

“Stays at home all day long?” Yifan put his stethoscope back into his briefcase and looks down in disbelieve at the shorter man who is sitting on the edge of the bed while holding Chanyeol’s hand tight. Did he not tell you? “So you don’t know what he’s been up to recently?”

Baekhyun’s stomach churns in an unpleasant way at the thought of where this conversation is going but he still lifts his face up and shakes his head at the Chinese man.

“He’s been helping out at the construction site two blocks from here.”

“Pardon?!”

Yifan stares for a moment at Baekhyun before he crouches down in front of him and puts a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “Promise me you won’t scold Chanyeol later, okay?”

“But—”

“Promise me.”

Taking out a deep breath, Baekhyun finally nods his head in agreement and prepares his heart for what’s coming to him.

“Chanyeol,” Yifan gazes at the man on the bed with something in his eyes that Baekhyun can’t really tell. It’s kind of a mixture between sadness, pity, and admiration. “Well, let’s say he’s been working to gain some money because…”

“Because…?”

Yifan’s eyes meet Baekhyun’s and they soften a bit. He’s really clueless. “He doesn’t want you to struggle alone for both of you. He feels responsible for you, too. He wants to buy you things you need, Baekhyun. He told me he couldn’t just sit at home when you’re having two jobs that tire you up everyday.”

“But he—”

“He just wants to be a good husband for you, to be a man you could rely on.”

Baekhyun finally lets out his tears and the doctor is quick to envelope him in a hug. “He already is, Yifan. He’s the best husband I’ve ever known.”

There’s no reply from Yifan, only soothing rubs on Baekhyun’s back to say I know.

Later that night after Yifan has left, Baekhyun stays up the whole night on the bed holding Chanyeol’s hands and peppering his face with soft kisses. He’s angry for what has happened, sure, but he’s angry at himself for making his husband like this. He doesn’t even know since when Chanyeol started doing this and to think that his favorite man still spares some of his time to cook his dinner so that he can just have it prepared once he gets home…

Baekhyun has no idea what he did in his past life to get someone as lovable as his Chanyeol.

“Hello? Jongdae?”

“Yes?”

“Do you still have that Gangnam man’s number? The one who always requests a song to me.”

“I think I do. Why, Baek?”

“Can you send it to me, like, right now?”

“Sure, but what do you need it for?”

“Please just send it to me.”

“Not until you tell me first.”

“Jongdae, please.”

“Baek, don’t tell me you’re thinking of joining his business.”

“I—”

“Baekhyun!”

“Please, Jongdae.”

“Baek—”

“Everything is gonna be okay.”

“But—”

“Please.”

//

“Hello? Am I speaking to Mr. Kwon?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“I’m Baekhyun, the singer at Jongdae’s café.”

“Oh, you. Yes? What can I help you, Baekhyun?”

“Is… the offer still up?”

“Ohhhh~ I’m sensing a new member in my club. Sure, pretty man. Just come whenever you want and I’ll just go get the richest client for you.”

“How… how should I dress, Mr. Kwon?”

“Just be casual. Beautiful diamond shines although it’s covered in mud.”

“Okay, then. I’ll come tomorrow night. Thank you, Mr. Kwon.”

“Yeollie, wake up~” Baekhyun cooes in Chanyeol’s ear, delicate fingers running through Chanyeol’s brown locks. He leans down and places a kiss on his husband’s cheek, a fit of giggle following as the latter stirs awake and slowly opens his beautiful big eyes. “Wake up, baby. Rise and shine!”

Chanyeol sleepily blinks at the petite man sitting on the bed but a warm smile appears on his face not long after that. He lifts his hand to grab the back of Baekhyun’s head and gives him the proper good morning kiss on the lips. Once they’re apart, he takes Baekhyun’s hand and uses his own finger to write something on his husband’s palm. “What time are you going to come home tonight?”

Baekhyun slightly widens his eyes as he feels his heart's just dropped down to his stomach. Did he know about my new job? “It—It’s just like usual, Yeol.”

“Can you go home earlier?” Chanyeol ends it with a pout, the one that Baekhyun wants to kiss it away.

“Why?”

Chanyeol suddenly flashes a wide smile and writes again with much enthusiasm in every drag of his finger. “Sehun is coming over tonight! He won in a dance competition and wants to celebrate it with us. I’ll cook for the three of us!”

Baekhyun really really reallyyyy wants to say yes okay but he can’t, not when this is the first day of his new job. “I’m sorry, Yeol. I can’t. This is Friday night, Jongdae’s café is hell whenever this day comes and you know that.”

Lie.

Chanyeol’s face turns into a pleading one and Baekhyun is this close to change his answer but then he remembers he really needs better income so that Chanyeol will really stop worrying about their financial issue. They’ve discussed about it and Baekhyun sternly said no to Chanyeol working at the construction site again. He reassured the taller by lying that Jongdae would increase his salary soon because of his hard work. Thankfully, Chanyeol bought it.

“You really can’t?”

Baekhyun sighs and grabs Chanyeol’s hands, squeezing them. “Just celebrate it without me.”

“It’s never fun without you.”

“Tonight it will. Sehun is closer to you; he won’t be bothered that I’m not there.”

“Fine. Just come back home as soon as you finish, okay?”

Baekhyun salutes and gives a playful wink. “Got it, captain!”

Tears, tears, and more tears are rolling down Baekhyun’s cheeks as he’s sitting on the tiled bathroom floor of one of Mr. Kwon’s private rooms in a fetal position, face hidden in his knees. His clothes are a mess and he’s surrounded by money thrown by his first client earlier. He knew he’d get such a big amount of money for this dirty work, but he didn’t know it’d be this dirty. He thought it was just about touching here and there but, apparently, it isn’t.

“He’s the richest client for tonight and just entertain him if you want such a big sum of money. You’re married, right? I know you know just how to please someone. You can buy everything with that money later, including happiness.”

Baekhyun stares at the money through his blurred vision and, somehow, a flash of Chanyeol’s smiling face pops up in his head. Chanyeol, I’m sorry. He cries harder and rolls up his collar to hide his slowly-appearing hickeys,