Baekhyun hissed in pain before he looked down at the source of pain, his index finger on his right hand. He saw a small mark that had definitely not been there before. Studying it closer, he realised that it was a burn mark, and he didn't remember being near anything that could have possibly burned him. At that moment though, he was a bit more concerned for Chanyeol. After Baekhyun had told Chanyeol of the passing of his father, Chanyeol had been fully supportive, as Baekhyun knew he would be, but at the same time, he was acting a little strangely, almost suspiciously. Maybe he knew whom it was that had set that fire…

Baekhyun sighed as pulled out his phone and dialed Chanyeol's number,  but was sent to voice mail. Afraid that something had happened, he tried again, calling again and again as he slowly made his way home, only stopping when he spotted Kris, and only then to run away as fast as he could. He made one last phone call after he got home before deciding to give it a rest, Chanyeol would call him when he was ready; he just hoped that Chanyeol was all right. He was about to announce his arrival when arms wrapping around him tightly greeted him.

"Oh Baekhyun-ah," His mother cried out, pulling him into a tight hug. "I was worried about you… after what just happened with your father I just…"

"I'm sorry for worrying you, mom," He whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "I was just with a friend… I'm fine, I promise."

"I just… I still can’t believe he’s gone," She said softly, leading Baekhyun into their apartment and sitting down on the couch. “I’m afraid of losing you now…”

He sat next to her after removing his bag from his shoulders and hugged her tightly, feeling tears of his own fill his eyes. "I know, mom, but I promise you that I won’t leave you…"

The rest of the evening was spent like that, crying into each other's arms. The wound was still too fresh, and neither of them was ready to begin moving on. Eventually, his mother gave him a kiss on the forehead and headed off to bed, clearly thoroughly exhausted. Baekhyun was left alone with his thoughts, and he really didn't want to be alone. He picked up the phone and tried to reach Chanyeol again, only to fail, before calling Yixing, knowing that the older male would be worried about him as well.

"Baekhyun-ah!" Yixing exclaimed, and the concern could be clearly heard. "Where were you today? I was looking all over for you! I called you several times but you never answered your phone…"

"Yixing hyung…" Baekhyun replied quietly, not wanting to wake his mother. "Could we meet somewhere? Like that park we always go to?"

"Huh?" Yixing sounded confused, and Baekhyun realised just how sudden the request sounded. "Um, sure, just give me about half an hour."

"Thanks," Baekhyun sighed in relief, he really needed someone to talk to. "I'll see you then…"

Baekhyun hung the phone up and got up off the couch. His eyes caught sight of the burn mark on his finger again, and he wondered just where it had come from. Frowning, he made his way out the door; he was going to take his time walking since he lived closer to the park than Yixing.

He arrived at the park before Yixing, but not by much. Yixing appeared in front of him about three minutes after he had sat down. The older male pulled Baekhyun into a tight hug as soon as he sat down, and Baekhyun returned it.

"I was worried about you," Yixing whispered. "It that I can't be with you all the time. It that I'm older than you…"

"I'm okay, hyung," Baekhyun offered him a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I have Chanyeol now, he has a few of the same classes as me, and he's kept me safe…"

"Yeah, that's true…" Yixing sighed deeply; like that thought wasn't comforting at all. "It's like you no longer need me… It's like he's replacing me…"

Baekhyun just shook his head, placing a hand over Yixing's. "No one could ever replace you, hyung, it's only with you that I feel the safest."

"Thank you, Baekhyun-ah," Yixing replied with a soft smile, closing his eyes. "You know, I feel safe with you too… sometimes, it's like no one except you actually cares…"

"Hyung?" Baekhyun whispered, his eyes widening slightly.

"It's okay, that's a story for another time…" Yixing replied, his eyes still closed. "Let's not think about sad things. You're happy with me, right?"

"Of course, hyung," Baekhyun shifted a little closer to the other, like Yixing could disappear at any moment. "And I need you, hyung, you're always here for me, so if you ever need me, I'm here for you too."

Yixing leaned back, and gave Baekhyun's hand a reassuring squeeze. "That's all I needed to hear…"

They fell into a comfortable silence, both of them looking up and staring at the stars dotting the sky. Occasionally, though, Baekhyun would cast curious glances in Yixing's direction, wondering just what was wrong with his friend. What did he mean by what he had said earlier? He had been relying so heavily on Yixing, and wallowing in self-pity, that he hadn't even noticed the other's problems. He frowned deeply realising just how selfish he had been and made a silent vow to himself to remedy that in the future, if given the chance.

He let out a deep sigh, catching Yixing's attention, who turned to look at him, worry etched deeply into his face. "What's wrong, Baekhyun-ah?"

"Oh, sorry hyung, I was uh, just thinking…" Baekhyun quickly wracked his brain, trying to find a good excuse, or something. He didn’t want to tell Yixing about his father’s death yet, since he didn’t quite believe it himself, and he didn’t want the other to worry.

"About what?" Yixing tilted his head.

Baekhyun winced at the question, knowing that Yixing would not accept 'nothing' as an answer.

"Hyung," He began hesitantly. "How do you know that you um… love someone?"

"Like romantic love?"

Baekhyun nodded, and Yixing turned away, like he was deep in thought. For every second that Yixing didn't reply Baekhyun felt all the more nervous, his heartbeat slowly increasing. Truth was he had been thinking about the concept of love a lot, mainly because he often wondered what it would be like to love. He wanted to know specifically what it was that he felt for Chanyeol, because at some point this may have become something more than friendship.

"When you're near the person," Yixing suddenly spoke, startling Baekhyun out of his thoughts. "Your heartbeat quickens, your palms become sweaty, and you feel nervous, but in the best way because that person makes you feel like you're the only person in the world."

Yixing paused, and Baekhyun found himself holding his breath, waiting for him to continue. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Yixing was speaking from personal experience.

"You always want to be with that person, when you're apart you miss he or she so much that you feel like you're going to fall apart without them… He or she always brings out the best in you, brings out the strength in you, allowing you to just be you. You look at them and you just know, sometimes… you just know." Yixing took a deep breath, his words drifting off.

Baekhyun slowly released the breath he had been holding as he had listened to Yixing's words. Those words struck a chord somewhere within Baekhyun, and he realised that maybe, even just a little bit, love was what he felt for Chanyeol.

"Hey, how did you burn your finger?"

"Huh?" Baekhyun blinked, his gaze moving to what Yixing had just asked about. "I have no idea… I don't remember being close to anything that could have burned me…"

"Hmm… well, you know what they say…" Yixing said with one of those knowing smiles.

"About what?" Baekhyun asked, confusion written all over his face.

"About those little cuts, bruises, maybe even burns, that seemingly appear out of nowhere, are because your soul mate hurt him or herself…" Yixing looked almost thoughtful as he studied the mark on Baekhyun's finger.

"My… soul mate?" Baekhyun repeated, his attention now solely on his finger as well, subconsciously pouting as he thought about the possibility. "Who… is my soul mate?"

Chanyeol wasn't waiting for him at his locker the next day, like he normally did, and Baekhyun was worried that the other may not be feeling well. The day before he had been acting a little weird, but Baekhyun had simply brushed that off as a normal reaction that one would have after learning of the death of the parent of a friend. Baekhyun made a mental note to call Chanyeol after school, and headed to class, trying to make himself scarce, hoping to not be seen by the bullies. Baekhyun had managed to keep somewhat of a lid on the grief caused by his father's death, having been in denial, but he knew that that wasn't going to stay there for long, and then he would break down, crying for the world to see. He just hoped that could wait until after he arrived at home.

Everything reminded him of his father. From the non-stop droning of the teacher, to the random blank spaces on the walls, and before he knew it, tears were pricking at the corners of his eyes. He hastily asked the teacher for permission to go to the washroom before running out, hoping that no one had seen the tears that were cascading down his cheeks. Baekhyun was terrified, he realised, as he locked himself in a washroom stall and finally stopped trying to fight against the tears.

Even when there were no more tears to cry, Baekhyun stayed in the stall, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head in between them. He felt lost. Having just lost something rather essential in his life, one of the maybe five people that cared for him, left him feeling hopeless, helpless, completely defeated and just depressed. His father had been there for him as much as he could be when he wasn't overly busy, which he was most of the time. There was no question, though, that he had truly cared about Baekhyun’s wellbeing. Baekhyun sighed, rocking back and forth on the cover of the toilet seat, many emotions flowing through him. Maybe he should just stay home for a few days, or at least until he had come to terms with this, or as best as he could.

The bell rang then, signaling the end of class, but Baekhyun made no move, continuing to sit there. He heard people walk in, and he curled in tighter on himself, hoping they wouldn't realise he was there. He wanted to be alone, alone to mourn for his father; he didn't even care, or no longer noticed, that he was in a dirty washroom stall. Baekhyun had barely accepted the fact that his father was dead.. When the school bell rang again, Baekhyun knew that he couldn't stay there any longer. Slowly, he got on to wobbly legs and stretched out his muscles, having been in the same position for a couple of hours. He left the washroom and just left the school; he didn't know where he wanted to go, but he just didn't want to be there. At that moment, even being beaten up would have been a welcome distraction from the crushing depression he was feeling.

As he slowly made his way somewhere, he became aware of the fact that he had yet to tell Yixing about his father, and the face that he had almost immediately gone to Chanyeol and told him. Maybe he really was replacing Yixing with Chanyeol, even if subconsciously. Baekhyun sighed as he thought about the way he and Yixing had been before Chanyeol had come into the picture. Baekhyun used to tell Yixing everything, from his past to the present to what he wanted in the future; he kept nothing a secret from the older male. And then his father had… and he didn't even think about telling Yixing. A part of him felt like he was being a bad friend, while the other part tried to convince himself that he was simply not ready. Baekhyun heaved another heavy sigh as he heard the low rumble of thunder from up above, like the sky could feel his frustrations as well. As the rain started falling, he didn't even try to find cover, instead just continuing to walk blindly through the streets.

He turned a corner and found himself trapped in an alleyway with no exit. Making a soft noise of annoyance, he turned and tried to leave, only to find the three people he had almost wanted to see standing in front of him, all with matching smirks on their faces.

"Look at this, guys," Kris sneered, taking a step forward, causing Baekhyun to take a step back. "The is finally alone. Let's teach him a lesson."

From his pocket, Kris pulled out a pocketknife, and Baekhyun paled considerably as he took several more steps back until his back was pressed up against the brick wall at the end of the alley. Baekhyun gulped audibly, wondering if this was what caged animals felt like. The bullies advanced, and Baekhyun closed his eyes, bracing himself for what was to come, but hoping that it wouldn't. The first punch came almost immediately after that thought, slamming into his face mercilessly and knocking him to the ground. Baekhyun let out a barely audible moan of pain; his hand on the cheek that Sehun's fist had just connected with. He looked up at them, his eyes wide with fear, but still trying to appear defiant. Another punch landed on the opposite cheek, and he cried out, any shred of anything but fear gone. And then he was curled into a fetal position again, trying to protect as much of himself as possible.

The punches and kicks rained mercilessly upon his small form, and he grunted in pain after each landed hit, hoping that it would stop soon. When it did though, much earlier than usual, he was wary as he slowly shifted. Before he could even completely uncurl, he saw the glint of something metal in Kris' hand, most likely the knife that had been brought out earlier. His first instinct was to run, to live, or at least avoid being fatally wounded. When he realised that he wasn't in any shape to get up, let alone get away, he tried to make himself look slightly less pathetic. Shifting to a kneeling position, he hoped that they would take pity on him, and not leave him to bleed to death in this alley.

Baekhyun took one look at Kris, who now had the knife held threateningly in front of his face, something akin to pity and disgust on his face. The bullies, they keep calling him a , and Baekhyun had always wondered what it was about him that caused them to refer to him that way. Was it his face? Did something about him just scream gay? He, himself, was rather confused about his ual orientation, not that there was anything wrong with being gay, he just wasn't sure if he was or not. Baekhyun shook his head subtly, trying to clear it of useless thoughts. Instead, he needed to concentrate on his problem at hand, not that there was any sort of solution at the moment. Panicked and desperate, Baekhyun struggled to his feet painfully and tried to push past them, but was caught by the wrist and thrown up against the back wall, leaving him completely defeated.

For ten long seconds nothing happened until he felt the tip of the knife entering his arm; he winced then, but more at the disgusting sound of metal piercing flesh than at the pain itself. He was numb with fear, his body was trembling as he watched Kris stab the knife in as deep as it would go into his right arm. He then slowly began dragging it down. Baekhyun screamed; he wasn't if he was screaming because it actually hurt, or if that’s just what he thought he should do. Sehun stuffed a piece of some dirty cloth into his mouth, effectively stopping his screaming. The tears were falling now, as the knife was pulled out, a deep and long cut traveling from his shoulder to his elbow. And the blood, there was so much blood. Baekhyun's knees buckled, weak from blood loss and the earlier beating. Jongin moved behind him and kept him standing, an arm around his neck. His vision was beginning to blur and he was sure he was going to pass out. When the knife was stabbed into his side, he felt nothing.

And then there was some commotion, but Baekhyun couldn't seem to bring himself to care. He was lying on the ground now, on his injured arm, but he couldn't feel that arm, and the rest of his body just felt heavy. He was only vaguely aware of someone grasping his left hand and Baekhyun could almost feel what felt like a burn on the same finger that he had a burn, or it could have been his imagination. Feeling safe next to this person, he allowed his eyes to drift shut and his body to relax. Before falling unconscious, he voiced the question that was on his mind, not even considering how illogical it was.

"Are you… my… soul… mate?"

End of chapter 4

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Did I actually update? Oh my gosh! =O I'm sorry, I wanted to finish my other fic, and then have more of this one done so that I didn't have to make you guys wait for so long in between updates. I hope this was worth the wait OTL This fic is going to be shorter, like probably no more than 10 chapters. 

Thank you to everyone that's still subscribed to this fic, those who read it, upvoted, commented... I seriously don't understand how you guys put up with me and my annoyingly inconsistent updating. I love you guys <3

So until next time... I'll try to keep to the weekly to bi-weekly thing I was doing before. ^_^