Chanyeol is pacing back and forth in front of their door, waiting for Baekhyun to get back. About two hours ago, Baekhyun had been called to SM saying that it was urgent; Chanyeol didn't like the sound of it, but it isn't like he can keep him from going. As such, he's now walking back and forth, hoping for the door to open soon, or at least for a phone call or something…

"Hyung," Chanyeol turns at the sound of Sehun's voice. "Come sit, you're going to wear a hole into the floor."

"I can't, Sehun-ah," Chanyeol says with a sigh. "I'm worried about him…"

Sehun just shrugs and goes back to watching TV, Chanyeol leans against the wall and breathes in deeply, trying to convince himself that he is overreacting, that Baekhyun is perfectly fine, that Baekhyun is going to walk through that door at any moment with a beautiful smile on his face.

Half an hour later, and Baekhyun is still nowhere in sight, so he sits down next to Sehun and watches TV with the maknae for awhile. When that got boring, he gets up and walks on to the balcony, hoping to see Baekhyun walking towards the building. Eventually, Chanyeol starts pacing on the balcony, oblivious to everything that's happening inside.

When he finally sees Baekhyun walking back, he's already starting to doze off. As fast as he can, Chanyeol runs to the front door and unlocks it, waiting for his lovely boyfriend to push the door open. Another ten minutes pass, and still he doesn't. Chanyeol frowns, he knows that the elevators are slow, but it shouldn't take that long… He has a gut feeling, though, that something is wrong, so he pulls open the door and steps into the hallway, intent on finding Baekhyun.

He doesn't need to go far, since Baekhyun is sitting right next to the door with his knees pulled up to his chest, his face buried in hands, and his body shaking from silent sobs. The sense of deja vu is rather disconcerting, and Chanyeol hopes it's not the same as last time. Still deeply concerned though, Chanyeol quickly kneels down next to him and pulls him into his arms. Chanyeol can almost feel his heart breaking from the soft sobs racking the other’s small body, and he subconsciously holds him a little tighter.

"Baekhyunnie…" He tries to soothe his crying boyfriend, running a hand through his hair repeatedly. "I'm here, Baekhyunnie, please talk to me, tell me what's wrong…"

Baekhyun's crying slows down a little, and he finally looks up at Chanyeol, eyes red from crying, and a noticeable red mark on his face, like he had been slapped several times in the same place. He still doesn't say anything, though, all he does is point to his throat as more tears roll down his cheeks. Chanyeol just sighs, because it is as he had feared.

The last time Baekhyun had been scolded by someone from SM and then physically reprimanded, Baekhyun had gone to the practice room and sung until he completely lost his voice. He had then come back to the dorms and cried into Chanyeol's arms for almost an entire hour.

Suddenly angry, Chanyeol gets up, and starts to walk away, but Baekhyun grabs his wrist, pulling him back. When Chanyeol turns to look at him, Baekhyun stands up as well, and just shakes his head.

"I can't just keep letting them hurt you, Baek!" Chanyeol yells, still not budging from his spot. "I refuse to let them do that!"

Baekhyun's eyes are downcast as his arms drop to his side. He lets out a soft squeak before reaching out once again and tugging slightly on Chanyeol's right sleeve, and then he turns around and heads towards their dorm. Chanyeol knows exactly what he's asking, that he wants him to go back with him. So he does, he follows him until they're in the privacy of their shared bedroom. Chanyeol locks the door behind them, before turning around to see Baekhyun sitting on his bed in the same position he had been in the hallway, except he is now staring straight ahead, like he is looking at something that Chanyeol can't see. Sighing again, he moves to sit down next to his boyfriend, and crosses his legs.

"Let's leave, Baekhyunnie…"

Baekhyun looks at him, confusion in his eyes.

"Let's leave all of this behind," Chanyeol smiles sadly at him. "This life, these people… singing, dancing, unfair contracts, the pain… just all of it… I don't think I can do this anymore, I don't think I can stand to see you in pain anymore."

The smaller male blinks a few times before gently touching Chanyeol's thigh, and Chanyeol understands what he wants, so he uncrosses his legs and waits for Baekhyun to lie down. After a moment, Baekhyun does so, looking up at his boyfriend, fresh tears in his eyes. Chanyeol lifts a hand and sweeps a few stray hairs away from his forehead, before brushing the unshed tears from his eyes.

Baekhyun very subtly shakes his head, but Chanyeol catches it, and he understands that Baekhyun is saying that he's not ready to give this up yet, that this is his dream, and despite all the negatives, he still wants to do this. Chanyeol bends down and kisses Baekhyun's forehead. He understands his decision, he just doesn't completely agree with it.

"Okay, but only because I love you and respect you so much."

Baekhyun nods, satisfied with this answer, before closing his eyes, finally smiling, and Chanyeol smiles back, because despite the negativity, being with Baekhyun makes up for it all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So this one is a little depressing... I decided to write it after reading this one account on tumblr about someone who used to be an SM trainee, and how Baekhyun was hit before, and this is what came to mind... I'm sorry... the part of me that loves angst just kind of takes over sometimes.

Thank you so much for subscribing, commenting, upvoting and just reading <3 It means a lot!

So until next week, hopefully. I will try my best to get something up that's at least decent.