Chanyeol is woken up for the third time that night, and third time that week, by a whimper-like noise, and he immediately tries to ignore it, thinking it's just Baekhyun's unique sleeping noises. When he hears it again, though, he realises that it's not just that, that this is a different kind of sound. Turning towards the source, Chanyeol sees Baekhyun tossing and turning in his own bed, his face scrunched in pain, and soft noises, like he's in pain, escaping his lips. Concern flits across Chanyeol's features as he kicks his blankets aside and gets out of his own bed, crossing the space between his and Baekhyun's beds in a single step. Sitting down on the edge on Baekhyun's bed, he gently shakes his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

"Baekhyun-ah..." He says in a loud whisper. "Baekhyun-ah!"

Baekhyun doesn't wake up though, so Chanyeol gets into the bed as well, pulling the other into his arms. Baekhyun thrashes weakly, trying to get away, while whimpering things like: "Please leave me alone," "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me..." Eventually, he just stops, completely still in Chanyeol's arms, like he's given up, and Chanyeol realises he's crying.

"They hate me..." Chanyeol hears him say into his chest. "They all hate me... I've let them down... Maybe I was wrong..."

Chanyeol can feel his own heart breaking as he tries to pull Baekhyun closer. He wants to tell Baekhyun that no one hates him, that everyone supports him, except he knows that's not true. It's simply too much to try to please everyone. Instead, he kisses Baekhyun on the forehead, and just holds him until the crying settles down, and he seems a lot more peaceful. When Chanyeol is sure that Baekhyun's okay, or at least better, he shifts off of Baekhyun's bed and moves back to his own, hoping to catch what little sleep he may still get.

In the morning, Chanyeol can see dried tear tracks on Baekhyun's cheeks, and he just sighs. Baekhyun doesn't deserve this pain, this constant weight on his shoulders. He's being hated for liking someone; no one should ever have to go through that. Chanyeol can tell Baekhyun's breaking, from the constant nightmares, to the fact that he's been trying to avoid the Internet, and the television, to just the sad looks he gives whenever Chanyeol asks if he's all right. Of course he's not all right, Chanyeol just wishes that he would stop pretending that he was.

He sits down on the edge of Baekhyun’s bed again, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, and wonders if he should wake him up. Chanyeol decides against it as he goes to shower, hoping that a little bit of extra sleep would be good for Baekhyun. When he comes back, Baekhyun is awake, sitting in his bed and staring off into space. Chanyeol tries to smile as he sits down next to him again.

“Hey, Baekhyun-ah,” And Chanyeol decides to try again, to see if maybe this time Baekhyun will open up to him. “Are you okay?”

And Baekhyun gives him that same forced little smile that never reaches his eyes. “I’m fine, Chanyeol-ah.”

Chanyeol purses his lips as he considers his options: turn a blind eye, like all the other times, or actually do something about it. “Don’t lie to me, Baekhyun-ah.”

“I’m fine, Chany-“

“Stop lying to me!” Chanyeol finds himself raising his voice subconsciously, getting to his feet. “I know better than anyone that you’re anything but fine!”

When Baekhyun doesn’t reply, Chanyeol takes that as a cue to continue, to get everything off his chest. “You think I don’t see the pain in your eyes? The way you’re avoiding your phone, the TV, the Internet? The daily nightmares that only go away when I hold you for a while? I know you’re hurting, Baekhyun-ah, I know that you want to deal with all this alone, that you don’t want to drag us down with you. The words you speak in your sleep… they break my heart. I’m not going to say that no one hates you, or that everyone supports your relationship, because that would be a lie, and you don’t need any more lies. Just remember, Baekhyun-ah, that through thick and thin, you still have our members, but more than that, you’ll always have me. You’re my best friend, let me shoulder some of your pain.”

Baekhyun has tears in his eyes as he gets off the bed and wraps his arms around Chanyeol. “You could always see right through me…” He whispers; his voice is muffled by Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I need you, Chanyeol-ah, now more than ever…”

“And I’m here for you,” Chanyeol says, embracing him tightly. “Please never forget that.”

“I won’t,” Baekhyun promises, smiling when Chanyeol kisses the top of his head. “Never again.”

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

So this is basically the result of my pent up feels and... unhappiness, towards the way some people were treating Baekhyun after the announcement that he's dating Taeyeon... I just don't understand. All I want is for him to be happy... and if he's happy, that's enough. Also, even if he's dating someone, I won't stop shipping BaekYeol, I won't stop writing, because at the very least they're still best friends, and that's enough for me too. Also, I apologise for what I posted last week... the timing was kind of bad... Anyway, I hope you guys like this one. Thank you, and sorry for the word vomit OTL.

Thank you so much to everyone that's taken the time to read my drabbles, comment on them, subscribe, and upvote them. It means so so much to me, and I'm so glad you guys still like them... I hope. 

So until... hopefully next week! ^_^ I love you all! <3