Baekhyun isn’t feeling his most comfortable. Not only is he sitting against a stone pillar – not the most soft material against his back – there’s also the feeling of not being alone. Of course he knows Chanyeol is right there with him, but it’s… different. Maybe that’s because of the breathing he feels in his cheek. Though with the low amount of energy he has, Baekhyun can’t breathe faster, he feels his heartbeat speed up. He doesn’t even dare to open his eyes – not quite ready to look death in the eyes just yet. Added to it, he feels like he’s tied to his spot, entirely unable to move.

Yet, it seems Baekhyun isn’t tied to anything, because he’s moved. Fingers are prying him from the stone pillar, gentle, but firm. Baekhyun is rather sure his heartbeat is audible and it scares him to think that whoever does this to him, will hear. However, the softly spoken words he hears, add an entirely new layer of anxiety. It’s Chanyeol, but it doesn’t sound exactly like him.

“There’s a reason why I do this thing in the middle of these pillars. Wouldn’t you think so too…” Baekhyun feels how he’s lifted off the ground and finally, he’s able to open his eyes. Chanyeol looks… mature. Not a trace is left of the childish side he shows so often – as if it’s a façade that the tall boy has now discarded for some reason. His eyes are fixed on Baekhyun’s and if the small boy wasn’t so drained of energy, he’s sure he’d have blushed. If he had anything to say, that look in Chanyeol’s eyes would have been enough to shut him up. “You shouldn’t sit against them, that’s dangerous,” Chanyeol continues, voice deep and warm and igniting all sorts of sparks in Baekhyun. Before anything else can happen, though, Kyungsoo and Jongin arrive at the scene – apparently shocked.

“What are you doing to Baekhyun?” Jongin asks, voice dangerously low and Baekhyun feels intimidated by it, even though it’s directed towards Chanyeol. At this point, the small boy doesn’t even take notice of the possessiveness that’s so evident in Jongin’s voice and way of speaking – the only thing he notices, is the hatred. That, and Chanyeol’s features so close to his own face.

“Don’t yell at him,” Kyungsoo says and to it, Jongin snorts. Chanyeol doesn’t comment on anything and instead quietly sets Baekhyun down on the blanket he took with him for this … intriguing nightly routine. Baekhyun has half a mind to think about whether or not this thing happens often – he did seem to know exactly what was happening. In the background, the bickering continues. Baekhyun merely closes his eyes again.

“I wasn’t even yelling and look at him, he’s ing unconscious!” Jongin says, sounding exasperated. Granted, he wasn’t yelling, but what about that hostility in his voice? Baekhyun feels he should speak up, Chanyeol just stands there, quietly taking the blame for things that didn’t even happen. Not that Baekhyun has any idea what did put him in this state. Chanyeol telling him not to sit against the pillar does give him a rather obvious clue about why his energy is drained, though. Besides that – Chanyeol is the one who went through an incredibly rough time just now – but he realizes the other two don’t know.

“He didn’t hurt me,” Baekhyun eventually says and when he opens his eyes again, he sees the others have come closer to him to discuss the topic. If they hadn’t, they’d probably not even have heard him. He feels how his energy somehow returns to him, though, so he pushes himself to sit up straight. “He didn’t, so don’t get mad,” he continues, eyes pleading at Jongin.

“So, what did happen?” Kyungsoo asks, voice small and Baekhyun believes it could be because he’s so close to Chanyeol – of course he’d expect of himself to know exactly what the tall boy is doing. Chanyeol comes up with a lie, so blatant that Baekhyun believes nobody will believe it. So blatant that Baekhyun thinks he has rehearsed this one too many times. He’s not sure why that hurts him.

“I sleepwalked out here, I don’t know,” he says, then shrugs. “Baekhyun just fell asleep after finding me, I guess?” A meaningful look is shot his way and Baekhyun merely keeps quiet, he doesn’t want to add to the lie, but he doesn’t want to sell him out either. “You didn’t have to come out here though… what if something happened to you all?” Baekhyun swallows. Not only did something happen to him, Chanyeol is also back to his pouty, five-year-old demeanor. He pouts, eyes large and innocent and he looks upset. Now that Baekhyun is beginning to grasp at the idea that this is an act, it hurts him, because he has no idea why Chanyeol would act like this.

“We should go back before someone finds out we’re not inside…” Kyungsoo says, voice soft and pretty obviously ignoring Chanyeol’s entire explanation after he just asked for it. Maybe, Baekhyun thinks, he knows more than he lets on. Jongin is not going to let the matter go so easily, though.

“All of the doors were locked – as they’re supposed to be. Like, all of a sudden you obtain a key in your sleep? Where do you have it now, anyway?” he snaps and Chanyeol takes his sweet time offering Baekhyun his hand to stand up. The smaller boy refuses it and stands up by himself, locking eyes with Kyungsoo, who frowns.

“Jongin, shut up. You don’t know anything about him so don’t accuse him of stuff randomly,” Kyungsoo says, starting off strong, but ending in a soft, low voice. As if he doesn’t believe his own words. Nobody does, to be quite honest.

“You were the one who freaked out, Kyungsoo.”

“Because I’m worried for him! He’s my friend!” the small man defends himself, causing Jongin to flinch at the harsh words – Kyungsoo just told him he’s not his friend.

“Let’s go back. Chanyeol is safe and so are we, for now,” Baekhyun says, having quite enough of the fighting. Added to that, he’s more than a little afraid to be confronted with one of those monsters again. Chanyeol seems more than happy to lead the way after picking up his blanket and holding it under his arm. Jongin is set on destroying the short, peaceful moment, though.

“We heard you scream. What happened?” A glance in Chanyeol’s direction shows Baekhyun that he temporarily slipped back into his mature self.

“I might have had a nightmare,” the tall boy says, undeniably cold and obviously tired of being interrogated. Because it’s so much of a contrast with the way he spoke before, though, he softens a little. “Sorry, I’m tired,” he adds, but it doesn’t sit well with Baekhyun. Nevertheless, he’s tired and he doesn’t want to get involved in this fight – he’s barely been here for a week after all. Kyungsoo shoots Jongin a look of disapproval, before he pats Chanyeol on his arm as a friendly gesture. Baekhyun notices how Chanyeol visibly relaxes from the way Kyungsoo treats him like a little brother. He wonders what kind of past they share – they seem so close.

When they wander further back to the school, Baekhyun won’t let his guard down. He doesn’t understand why he was so quickly attacked when he was out here alone earlier, but he hasn’t seen any of the creatures now that they’re all together. Does it have to do with Chanyeol and those dragons? And just how is he alright so quickly after… after those terrible minutes of pain and exhaustion?

Their return doesn’t go unnoticed and Baekhyun feels his heart sink the moment he sees the head of the school, Kris, wait outside the opened front door. Next to him is a short man Baekhyun hasn’t seen before. From here, Baekhyun dares to notice that he has a soft demeanor, but their watched with a stern look. The man is clearly not letting his guard down and Baekhyun feels a shiver run down his spine.

“Alright,” Kris starts, tiredly, “tell me what this is all about,” he continues, running a hand over his face before massaging his temples. He doesn’t bother telling his students this is not the usual course of action because obviously, everyone is aware that they broke the rules. “No wait,” he interrupts when Kyungsoo is about to speak up, undoubtedly with a lie, “I’ll talk to Chanyeol and the rest of you go back to bed. And for god’s sake, keep Baekhyun out of this kind of thing, will you?” Baekhyun blushes at the words. He doesn’t like being talked about like that, as if he’s not standing there with the others. Besides that, how is he different from Kyungsoo or Jongin? Is it because he’s new?

“Of course,” Kyungsoo speaks up, voice trembling slightly and Baekhyun can totally see where that’s coming from, “we’re terribly sorry and we’ll make sure it won ‘t happen again.” Jongin frowns while he looks the other way in shame and Baekhyun nods. He doesn’t trust his voice and he won’t have anything to say anyway. He feels that somehow, he is already starting to make a bad reputation for himself. When he looks up at Chanyeol, to see how he takes the entire situation, they share a moment of eye-contact. The maturity is back in Chanyeol’s eyes and it makes Baekhyun feel uneasy, as if somehow, he could fall prey to the tall boy.

Baekhyun looks away, unwilling to fall under a spell he doesn’t know anything about. On one hand, he would want to lean in and hug Chanyeol for comfort – and on the other, he wants to run away and never look back.

It’s morning by the time Jongin and Baekhyun talk for the first time again. Jongin looks like a mess, bags under his eyes and his hair sticking out at weird angles. He must not have slept at all, Baekhyun thinks, but he knows that he isn’t any better.

“I don’t think you should go to class today,” Jongin states and to it, Baekhyun doesn’t have an answer so quickly. He just woke up and his eyes are still bleary and … and what is Jongin even talking about? “I’ll tell your teacher you won’t be there. So, what class do you have?” After a moment of silence, Baekhyun snaps out of his daze.

“May I ask you what’s with you all of a sudden? When I see you in the hallways, you ignore the out of me, last night you were pissed out of your mind and now you want me to stay here? What right do you even think you have, telling me that?” he snaps and Jongin seems affected, eyes rounding a little, before realization dawns on him. A sigh leaves his lips when he lets his face rest in his hands, knees drawn up to his chest.

“I… don’t want you to meet Chanyeol now and I think that if you were to leave this room, the chances of that happening are just too high.” Again, Baekhyun needs a moment.

“I’d really like to know what the hell your problem is. Not only with Chanyeol, but with yourself as well. I’m not staying in here just because you want me to. Because you know what – I want to meet Chanyeol because I have things I need to ask him. I don’t get you – and I don’t want you saying this kind of thing to me.” To his words, Jongin appears troubled, but Baekhyun is kind of done with this behavior now.

“I’ll stop ignoring you. And I’ll be nicer to you,” Jongin promises. “But I need to figure out what his deal is and I don’t want you to get hurt by him,” he adds, his voice barely above a whisper, “why can’t you just accept that?” Baekhyun takes a deep breath to calm himself down. Until he figures out what the hell is up with Jongin, he will just have to up his strangeness. Including the way Baekhyun seems to mean so much to him – he doesn’t even know why.

“I’ve got history class,” he says and sees the taller boy’s eyes light up just the slightest, but Baekhyun decides to crush that hope for now. “But I’m going to go there. I don’t know what your problem is, but I… I like Chanyeol,” although he talks about dragons as if they’re puppies, he thinks and grins, then another thought follows. Maybe that’s just another reason why I like him. “I’d like to be his friend,” he adds, once he realizes what exactly he just said. Jongin doesn’t seem so pleased with the way this conversation is going, but Baekhyun won’t let him decide what’s happening in his life. “Don’t worry,”  he adds and to it, he sees Jongin’s face soften.

“I… am sorry. I’ll try to behave myself, I really am sorry.”

Baekhyun finally stands up, nodding to acknowledge Jongin’s words, and gets dressed for the day in his school uniform. He can’t stop mulling over Jongin’s negative obsession over Chanyeol and what Baekhyun’s own position seems to be in this weird relationship.

Ironically enough, Baekhyun shares his history class with Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. Kyungsoo just told him that Chanyeol couldn’t come, though, because apparently, he has to talk with the headmaster for a little while longer. Baekhyun won’t allow himself to feel the tiny bit of sadness that tries to make itself known.

He looks up when someone comes in – their teacher, and none other than the person who had been waiting for them during the night. Baekhyun tries to hide behind his desk, but a warm and sincere smile spreads on the face of his short teacher and Baekhyun is more or less reassured to see it directed towards him. Until the man starts talking about the topic of today; the origin of possession.

Baekhyun’s heart seems to stop for a little while, unpleasant chills running up and down his spine at the memory of Chanyeol’s body contorting in pain. If he’d have spared Kyungsoo a glance, he’d see the other short student is in much the same condition, sweating and preparing himself for what is to be told. Apart from the two friends, the entire class is excited to learn about the topic, discussing it in loud voices. It only adds to Baekhyun’s unease and he just can’t shake the memory of Chanyeol’s skin flashing red, Chanyeol’s cries of pain, Chanyeol collapsing on the grass.

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Hi there! Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts - read, confusion, hehe - at the last chapter!! I hope you can continue to leave me comments! <3 I hope you still like the story, there's so much more still coming up! :D