Trigger warning: child abuse and death

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His parents were arguing again.

He could hear the shouting from his bedroom that he shared with his brother. It was already dark outside, and they hadn’t even dared to turn the lights on, wanting their parents to think they were sleeping. Kyungsoo was sitting on the bed, hidden underneath his blanket, small arms around his legs, and he was shaking. Baekhyun heard his mother shout something about how they should have never had children, and he immediately turned to look at Kyungsoo, hoping he hadn't heard that. The lump of blankets on the bed was shaking a bit more violently, and Baekhyun knew he had. Baekhyun sat down next to his baby brother, carefully pulling the blanket away from him to see his eyes wide with tears, and pulled him into his arms. One ear was pressed into his chest, and Baekhyun covered the other one just as he heard something break. Sobs continued to rack Kyungsoo's small body, and Baekhyun tried to hold him closer. Softly, he started singing to Kyungsoo, trying to get him to forget about the violence happening almost right outside their bedroom.

Another loud crash, followed by the sound of something shattering, near hysterical shouting from his mother, and it was all Baekhyun could do to keep his brother from jumping off the bed and leaving the room. 
Kyungsoo asked him why, as well as other soft, innocent questions, and Baekhyun didn't know what to tell him. He didn't understand himself, and he was sure Kyungsoo would understand even less if he tried to explain. He just continued singing, trying to soothe his distraught little brother. 


Please stop... Baekhyun thought desperately. I know you don't care about me, but you guys care about Kyungsoo, right? He didn't want to know the answer to that question; he knew that they were fighting because of them.

Eventually, Kyungsoo fell asleep in his arms, but his parents were still shouting. After tucking Kyungsoo into bed, Baekhyun quietly left the room, trying to see what had been broken, hoping he could get his parents to at least quiet down. He immediately saw was what had caused the loud noises from earlier: the dinner table had been knocked over, and there were broken pieces of plates, bowls, and food all over the floor. He went to the living room, trying to get closer to his parents, to hear what they were shouting about. His father was standing next to the front door, he looked absolutely livid, his mother was crying, and neither of them noticed him. His father threatened to leave, and his mother begged him not to go. What she went on to say would echo in Baekhyun’s ears for a long time to come. She said that she needed him more than her children, that she would abandon both of them for him. And he agreed, saying that was the only way they could stay together. The fact that his father agreed didn’t hurt nearly as much as his mother suggesting it without so much as a second thought.

Baekhyun felt numb; were they actually going to be abandoned? They were young, too young, and Baekhyun was scared. He started backing away slowly from the wall where he had been watching and listening, hoping he hadn't been heard. His lip was quivering, tears were falling, and he had to bite his lip. He was wondering if he should run out there, beg them to let them stay, or at least let Kyungsoo stay. His little brother was innocent, susceptible, and Baekhyun wanted to protect him from the harsh outside world for as long as he could, even he himself was hardly prepared for such a thing. A sob escaped his lips and he turned around and ran, past the flipped over table, the broken plates, the broken vase he hadn't noticed before, and didn't stop until he was back in his and Kyungsoo's bedroom. 


When Baekhyun entered, Kyungsoo was staring at him with wide eyes, and more tears were falling. He whispered Baekhyun's name, and Baekhyun was by his side in an instant, holding him close. Kyungsoo started stammering almost incoherently about a dream he'd had, that their parents left, leaving them behind, and then he was begging Baekhyun to tell him that that wasn't true. Baekhyun gulped loudly, his arms subconsciously tightening around his brother, as he tried to convince both of them that that wasn't true, and himself that he hadn't just heard what he had. Kyungsoo seemed to believe him, smiling up at him, telling him he loved him. Baekhyun forced a smile and said he loved him too. His heart was pounding and his breathing was harsh as he held Kyungsoo until he fell asleep again. He tucked Kyungsoo back into bed, and then crawled in next to him.

The house was quiet, but in a deafening way, and Baekhyun found himself wishing that his parents were still arguing, anything to fill the silence. Baekhyun pulled Kyungsoo closer to him, finding comfort in Kyungsoo's soft breathing, and the fact that he wasn't completely alone. 
Baekhyun found no sleep that night and by the time morning came he still wasn't completely ready to believe his parents would just abandon them. They wouldn't, right?

"We'll be right back," their parents said. "Wait for us here, just ten minutes."


Baekhyun and Kyungsoo listened because they were their parents, and they wouldn't lie to them. Ten minutes became half an hour, and that became an hour, which eventually became five, but they kept waiting. The two of them remained huddled in each other's arms, trying to keep each other warm from the frigid air as snow began falling. Kyungsoo's stomach rumbled and Baekhyun just pulled him closer because he had no money, and he had no way of getting food for his younger brother. Baekhyun was going to be eleven in a couple of months, Kyungsoo was barely eight, and neither of them wanted to believe that their parents weren't coming back. As the hours dragged on, and night became day again, the truth became more and more inevitable. 


"Mommy and daddy are coming back, right?" Kyungsoo whispered, clutching to his older brother. "They wouldn't leave us here, right?"


"Of course not, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun replied, except he wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure Kyungsoo, or himself. "They love us."
Even as he said that, though, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Their parents had taken care of the two of them, but only as much as necessary. Food had been scarce, there had never been enough blankets, and Baekhyun was certain that they had never wanted either of them from the beginning. Kyungsoo was looking at Baekhyun sadly, and Baekhyun forced a smile, not wanting his baby brother to think anything was wrong. It worked because Kyungsoo smiled back, brightly, and Baekhyun decided then that he wanted to keep that smile on his face for as long as possible. 
His little brother didn’t need to know about his fears.

"They'll be back soon, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun said, his arms around him, trying to forget the words he had heard just the night before. "I'm sure."


Baekhyun was no more than a naive child himself, but he knew he had to grow up sometime, and then was as good a time as ever. 


"Baekhyunnie hyung," Kyungsoo was peering at him with wide eyes, his smile still bright. "I love you."


"I love you too, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun placed a gentle kiss upon Kyungsoo’s forehead. "We'll be okay."


It was night again when Baekhyun knew that it was definitely time to at least find some food, even if he had to beg, or steal. 


"Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun whispered, running a hand through Kyungsoo's soft hair. "Let's try to get some food."


Baekhyun stood up then, and offered Kyungsoo a hand.

"What if mommy and daddy come back?" Kyungsoo asked, his expression one of concern. "How well they find us?"


Mommy and daddy probably aren't coming back... Baekhyun wanted to say, but at the same time, he still didn't want to believe it, and Kyungsoo wasn't ready for the truth. 


"Well, they would want us to eat, right?" Baekhyun gently told him. "We'll be back soon, they won't even know we were gone."


"Okay," Kyungsoo took Baekhyun's hand and got to his feet as well, dusting himself off. "Mommy and daddy left me some money."


This didn’t surprise Baekhyun as Kyungsoo offered a few coins to him; Kyungsoo had always been the more favoured child. He smiled as well, knowing that at least they would be able to eat that night.

"Baekhyunnie hyung!" Kyungsoo yelled again and again. "Where are you?!”

Baekhyun had told him to stay by his side at all times, but Kyungsoo had lost him in the crowd, and now he was scared and alone. He briefly wondered if it would be better to stay in one place and wait for Baekhyun to come back to him, but he was panicking, and on the verge of tears. He kept waking until he bumped into a stranger, and this man looked unkind, angry. He bent down and looked Kyungsoo in the eyes, wiping away tear.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The stranger asked, his voice rough. "Where are your parents, little boy?"


"I lost my brother," Kyungsoo replied, shaking, he hoped that the scary man could help him. "And my parents said they would be right back, but they haven't come back yet..."


"And how long ago was that?" The man asked. "That your parents left?"


"...A day ago?" Kyungsoo whispered, not wanting to think about it.

The man laughed loudly then, not even stopping when Kyungsoo burst into tears. "I don't think your parents are coming back, boy."


Kyungsoo had thought about this, and part of him was sure that Baekhyun had been lying to him to make him feel better, but the other part was sure that they'd come back for them. 


"Kyungsoo-ya!" Kyungsoo heard Baekhyun's voice just as he spotted him pushing through the crowd. "Kyungsoo-ya!"


And Kyungsoo ran to Baekhyun, embracing him tightly. His tiny arms were shaking, barely able to wrap themselves around Baekhyun's waist. Kyungsoo only cried harder when he felt Baekhyun's arms wrap around him.

"Shh, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun whispered gently. "It's okay, I'm here now."


"Baek-Baekhyunnie hyung..." Kyungsoo mumbled in between softening sniffles. "That... that man said... he said our parents... they're... n-not coming.... back."


"What, who said that?"

Kyungsoo didn’t respond, instead, with his face still pressed into Baekhyun’s chest, he pointed towards the man that he’d been speaking to earlier.

“Don’t listen to him, Kyungsoo-ya,” Baekhyun whispered, gently rubbing Kyungsoo’s back. His voice was slightly shaky, but Kyungsoo hardly noticed. “They wi-“

“Stop lying to him,” Kyungsoo froze, recognizing the voice. “Your parents aren’t coming back.”

Kyungsoo started crying harder as he looked up at his brother, and saw that Baekhyun’s face had a rather grim expression upon it. “Baekhyunnie hyung?”

“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo-ya,” his voice was barely audible as his arms loosened from around Kyungsoo. “I don’t think mom and dad are coming back…”

Kyungsoo stared at his brother in horror for a few moments before he turned and ran away, unable to believe the words that his beloved older brother had just uttered. He disappeared into the crowds of people in the city, ignoring his brother as he cried out his name.

“Kyungsoo-ya!” Baekhyun yelled again and again, but when he moved to chase after his little brother, a large hand upon his shoulder stopped him. “Let me go!” Baekhyun struggled against the man’s hold, but the man was much stronger. “I need to go after him!”

“That will only make it worse,” his voice was rough, but his tone was soft. “Give him a little time.”

Baekhyun stopped fighting against the man’s hold, and instead just collapsed on to his knees.

“This is all my fault,” Baekhyun said to himself, his face buried in his hands. “I shouldn’t have said anything. He probably hates me now.”

“You did the right thing.”

Baekhyun said nothing, and there was silence between the two of them for a long time. Finally, the man kneeled down in front of Baekhyun, his face soft, yet emotionless.

“Go find him,” he told him, breaking the silence. “You two can stay with me for the time being.”

Baekhyun looked at him, his expression one of gratitude, before getting to his feet and taking off, hoping to find his baby brother.

“Kyungsoo-ya!” Baekhyun called out as he ran down the streets. “Where are you?!”

He ran until he was about to collapse, and it was then that he realised exactly where Kyungsoo would have gone, back to that place that their parents left them. Slowly, he started making his way back, trying to remember exactly where that place had been. He happened upon the spot accidentally, but recognizing it immediately. Kyungsoo was nowhere in sight. Certain that Kyungsoo wouldn't go anywhere else, had nowhere else to go, Baekhyun started searching for him there. It wasn't too difficult; he found Kyungsoo hidden behind a row of barrels soon enough. 


"Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun said softly, reaching out for him. "I'm sorry..."


Kyungsoo looked up, his face was tear-stained, but his eyes were clear. Baekhyun didn't try to approach him, instead waiting for him to act. He was somewhat sure that Kyungsoo was going to try to run away from him, so he was surprised when he ran into his arms instead. 


"Baekhyunnie hyung, why?" Kyungsoo cried, beating tiny fists against Baekhyun's chest. "Why would they leave us? Why didn't you just tell me? Why, why, why?!"


Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo tightly, wincing when it actually started to hurt, but he didn't say anything, or try to stop him. The beating stopped soon enough as Kyungsoo dissolved into tears again, and Baekhyun could only hold him, while whispering comforting words into his ear. 


"I'm sorry, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun said for the fifth time. "I'm so sorry you had to find out that way. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." 


"What... what will we do now, Baekhyunnie hyung?" Kyungsoo sniffled, looking up at him now. "We no longer have a home."


"Well, we do have an option," Baekhyun told him. "It might not be the best option, but it is one."


"What is it?"


"That man, the one that said..." Baekhyun paused; he was certain Kyungsoo would know whom he was taking about. "Anyway, that man said that we could stay with him for now. So, we’ll be okay."


"Are you sure, Baekhyunnie hyung?" Kyungsoo was clearly hesitant, and Baekhyun couldn't blame him. 


"Believe me, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun whispered, kissing the top of Kyungsoo's head. "We'll be fine."

“I know you guys are young,” he began, looking both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo in the eye. “But since you’re going to be living here from now on, I’m going to have to ask you to pull your weight.”

“What does that mean?” Kyungsoo asked immediately.

“Good question, little one,” and Kyungsoo smiled, feeling like he’d done something right. “I would like you to help out, try to earn a little money.”

Kyungsoo didn’t really know how to earn money; he knew people had jobs, but he was pretty sure he was too young to be hired anywhere. So, he stayed silent while casting sidelong glances at his brother.

"I think we're too young to be working," Baekhyun said then, quietly.

"Don't worry," the man said, waving away his concerns. "It won't be difficult work."


He turned around then, and motioned for them to follow. They entered a dark room that had a pile of something in the corner, which was revealed to be candles after the light was . Kyungsoo was mesmerized, curious; he'd never seen so many candles before, especially not like this. He took a step towards them but Baekhyun pulled him back, and the look on his face told Kyungsoo not to, so he didn’t. 


"You want us to..." Baekhyun didn't finish his thought, and Kyungsoo couldn't tell what he was thinking. 


"Sell them, yes," the man finished. "Every night, each of you will take five. The one that sells all five, within three hours, gets dinner, and the other doesn't."


Kyungsoo gulped, even as an innocent child he could tell that that wasn't fair, but before he could say something, Baekhyun spoke up first. 


"That's not fair!" Baekhyun exclaimed, taking a step forward. "You can't-!"


The man slapped Baekhyun then, so hard that Kyungsoo winced. Baekhyun's head snapped to the side, his eyes wide.

"Listen here, boy," the man said, kneeling down and grabbing Baekhyun's chin with his large hand. "You live here now. My house, my rules, understood?"


Baekhyun nodded mutely, his eyes looking anywhere but at him. 


"Good. We start tomorrow."


He got up and left the room, leaving both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo shaking with fear. When Kyungsoo was sure he was gone, he dove into Baekhyun's arms, holding him tightly. 


"Baekhyunnie hyung," he whispered, tears falling. "Can we go home?"


"I wish we could, Kyungsoo-ya..." Baekhyun replied, his arms wrapped around Kyungsoo protectively. "I really wish we could."
 

"Excuse me, ma'am," Baekhyun said to woman walking by. "Would you like to buy a candle?"


She ignored him, her gaze straight ahead. Baekhyun sighed; they'd been out there for at least two hours, and he hadn't sold anything. Kyungsoo seemed to be doing okay. He turned to check on his baby brother to see someone affectionately ruffling his hair before handing him some coins and taking the candle. Baekhyun smiled, he'd much rather starve than let his brother starve. Soon enough, Kyungsoo was running over to him, a wide smile on his face. 


"Look Baekhyunnie hyung!" Kyungsoo exclaimed, turning his bag upside down to show Baekhyun that it was empty. "I sold all of them!"

“Good job, Kyungsoo-ya,” Baekhyun smiled and playfully ruffled Kyungsoo’s hair. “I’m glad you get to eat.”

Kyungsoo's happy face dropped immediately, his eyes wide. 


"Baekhyunnie hyung..." He reached out a small hand and gently touched Baekhyun's arm. "I'm sorry! I'll take your candles! I'll sell yours too!" 


Kyungsoo moved to take Baekhyun's bag, but Baekhyun stopped him. 


"It's okay, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun smiled, pulling his baby brother into a hug. "Let's go back, okay? I'll be fine, I promise."


Kyungsoo looked like he was on the verge of tears again, but after a moment, he nodded. Baekhyun took his hand and started leading him back towards their temporary home. 


"You're late."


They both jumped at the voice. Looking up, Baekhyun saw that their temporary guardian was standing on the doorstep, deep lines in his forehead, his mouth set in a, what Baekhyun was beginning to think was permanent, frown. 


"Show me your bags."


Kyungsoo held his out first, reluctantly, and Baekhyun held it closer to him, trying to hide it. The man clapped Kyungsoo on the shoulder after seeing his empty bag, telling him to go inside and eat. Kyungsoo didn't move though, instead he turned to look at Baekhyun and the man did as well. Baekhyun's knuckles were turning white because of how tightly he was clutching his bag, his entire body shaking with fear. The man ripped the bag out of his grasp, and immediately flipped it upside down, watching as all five candles fell out into the snow. 


"You're useless!" He yelled, slapping Baekhyun across the face. "Why can't you be more like your brother? Stay outside and think about what you've failed to do!"


He turned, grabbing Kyungsoo by the arm, pulling him inside, and locked the door behind them. Baekhyun stared at the door, his hands shaking, and tears falling. He fell to his knees and slowly put each candle back into the bag. Pulling the bag closer to his chest, he sat back against the wall, pulling his knees up as well. On one hand, he was happy, relieved, that his little brother was inside, warm, with food, but on the other hand, he was envious that it wasn't him. The cold wind was biting at him through his thin clothes, and he shivered, trying to make himself smaller, warmer. It didn't help. It was getting late, cold, and he was certain he wouldn't be able to survive the night out there. 


Finally, the front door opened and he was allowed back in. He was sent straight to bed, no dinner, and no apology. Kyungsoo was already there when he entered, and Baekhyun was still shaking like he was outside. He immediately crawled into bed and pulled the blankets around himself, before Kyungsoo crawled in as well, hugging him tightly. 


"I'm so sorry, Baekhyunnie hyung," Kyungsoo whispered, his voice cracking a little. "I'm so sorry."


"Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun said gently, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo. "It's not your fault. It's okay."


Kyungsoo cried harder at his words, his small hands grabbing on to his shirt.

"Baekhyunnie hyung," he sniffled, eyes red. "Starting tomorrow, I'll help you. I won't let him do that to you anymore."


Baekhyun just nodded mutely, his mind not completely comprehending Kyungsoo's words.

"Believe me, Baekhyunnie hyung," Kyungsoo continued. "We'll be fine."

Kyungsoo tried, he really, really tried, but it wasn’t enough. And by the end of the second day, they both still had candles left. Kyungsoo only had one, and Baekhyun still had three. Baekhyun still looked cold, and Kyungsoo really didn’t want his brother to have to go hungry or stay outside again. That was when he had an idea.

“Baekhyunnie hyung,” Kyungsoo said, gently tugging on his brother’s sleeve to get his attention. “What if we hid the candles? Pretend we sold all of them?”

"Kyungsoo-ya..." Baekhyun said softly, hesitantly. "He'll probably find out... here, I'll take your last one, and we can-"


"No!" Kyungsoo yelled, grabbing Baekhyun's hand. "Trust me, hyung, please."


Finally, Baekhyun nodded, and they found a place to hide them. Together, they walked back to the house together, on time and empty handed. The man seemed surprised to say the least, but he didn't ask questions, just let them in, and let them eat. 
The next day, they came back with nothing again, having hidden three candles in that little place once again. And for almost a week, they got away with this. At the end of the week, he increased the number of candles to seven per person. Kyungsoo was pleased with himself for coming up with this idea, he and his brother could live comfortably for the time being; not even the increase in candles convinced him to stop. 


"What are you two doing?"


Baekhyun froze, and Kyungsoo didn't understand until he realised who had just spoken. His eyes widened, immediately turning to look at Baekhyun, but Baekhyun's eyes were on their temporary guardian. 


"You two have been lying to me this whole time?" He yelled. "You've barely sold any of them, they're all here! No wonder you only ever gave me so little money!"

Baekhyun immediately moved in front of Kyungsoo, his arms spread out protectively. "This was all my idea," Kyungsoo's eyes widened. "Kyungsoo had nothing to do with this. I just don't want him to starve, ever, and I didn't want to either. You can punish me however you like. Just please, don't hurt him."


Kyungsoo wanted to tell him no, to say that this had nothing to do with Baekhyun, that this was all his idea, that Baekhyun tried to stop him, but he was frozen with fear. Fear at what the man would do to him, fear of going hungry, cold, but he also feared for his brother's life. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, but Baekhyun shot him a look, and Kyungsoo had never seen such a look in his brother's eyes. So, instead he stayed silent, his shoulders shaking, his breath coming out quickly, and soft sobs shook his body. 


"Is this true, Kyungsoo?" Their guardian's voice was rough, but Kyungsoo didn't reply, just stood still.

"It's true!" Baekhyun quickly said. "He just doesn't want me to get in trouble."


The man slapped Baekhyun before turning away. "I was not speaking to you. Stay silent. Now, both of you, gather the candles, and follow me."


Their bags now completely stuffed with candles, they followed the man back to his house, where Kyungsoo was told to go to bed, and he motioned for Baekhyun to go with him. Kyungsoo watched, terrified, as they disappeared behind another door.
 

"You worthless little bastard!" He shouted, his foot connecting with Baekhyun's body after each word. "You really thought you could fool me?"


Baekhyun whimpered, cowering away from him, his arms raised protectively over his head. He was lying on his side, his legs folded. He still didn't regret taking the blame; never would he want his baby brother to suffer this way. Another kick, this one strong enough to send him on to his back. This time, his foot connected with his chest, and it stayed there, steadily increasing in pressure. 


"Don't disobey me again, got it?" He hissed, his foot pressing down harder still. "Next time, you might not survive."


There was a sickening crack, and Baekhyun screamed, having never felt such intense pain in his life, before he finally removed his heavy foot from Baekhyun's small body.

"Get up, and get out of my sight!"


Slowly, and painfully, Baekhyun got to his feet, a hand over his ribs, and left the room. Before he could even make it to his and Kyungsoo’s room, he fell into a coughing fit, and collapsed on to his knees. Kyungsoo ran over immediately, wrapping an arm around his brother’s shoulders, but that didn’t help; Baekhyun’s coughing wouldn’t stop. When the coughing subsided slightly, Baekhyun attempted to get to his feet again, and he was able to, but just barely.  He didn’t walk to the bed so much as drag himself to it, and without Kyungsoo, he definitely would not have made it. After he lay down, he felt slightly better, but it really didn’t make much of a difference. Even in that moment, where pain was overwhelming everything else, he did not regret his actions or his words. It seemed like forever before he fell asleep, and before he did, the only thing he could think was that he hoped he would wake up again in the morning.

Baekhyun was coughing again, and Kyungsoo was at a complete loss. The two of them had spent a lot of time that night just sitting against a wall, and Kyungsoo refused to leave his side no matter how much Baekhyun insisted he go. Kyungsoo felt like crying as he watched his brother struggle to breathe. That would have been him; he found himself thinking, it would have been him that couldn't breathe, and him that felt relief instead guilt. He was thankful though that his brother had saved him from such a fate, and so he made a decision then. Since he couldn't do much of anything else, he could at least make sure he got to eat that night. Grabbing his and his brother's bags, he finally got up and went to try to sell the candles. Baekhyun had reached out weakly in an attempt to stop him, but that only caused him to go into another coughing fit and Kyungsoo soon disappeared into the crowd of people.

"Excuse me," he said, tugging on the sleeve of an elderly woman.

"Oh, what a little dear," she looked down and smiled at him. "What can I do for you, sweetie?"

"Will you buy a candle?" Kyungsoo asked immediately.

Actually, he was considering asking this old woman if he and his brother could stay with her, but then he knew that that man would never forgive them for trying to run away, let alone actually doing it. 


The old woman smiled at him, before digging into her pocket and pulling out a handful of coins. "How many can I buy with this much?"


Kyungsoo couldn't quite tell how much money that was, but since she was such a kind lady, Kyungsoo gave her five. She gave him a kiss on top of his head, wishing him good luck, before disappearing. Kyungsoo quickly pocketed the money before running back to his brother, beaming at him.

"Look, Baekhyunnie hyung!" He exclaimed showing Baekhyun the half empty bag. "I just sold five all at once!"


Baekhyun offered him a smile, but even Kyungsoo could tell that he was in an immense amount of pain. Kyungsoo moved to hug his brother, embracing Baekhyun tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Baekhyunnie hyung..."

Baekhyun just shook his head, just as he had done the day before whenever Kyungsoo had attempted to apologize. He let him go, and saw a man walking in their direction. Quickly, he grabbed a candle from his bag and ran over to him, determined to complete the goal he'd set for himself. 


"Excuse me, sir," Kyungsoo stopped in front of him, holding the candle out. "Would you please-!"


"I don't want your stupid candle!" The stranger yelled, slapping the candle out of his hands. "Get out of my face!"


"Oh no, the candle!" Kyungsoo immediately moved to get it, but Baekhyun was next to him then, stopping him.

"Just let it go, Kyungsoo-ya," his voice was barely above a whisper. "I'll explain-"


Kyungsoo tore his wrist out of Baekhyun's grasp and ran after the candle; he couldn't, and he wouldn't let his brother go through any more pain. Unbeknown to him, he ran right into the middle of the road, but finally managed to grab the candle. Suddenly, despite all the noise, and Baekhyun's barely audible speaking voice, his brother crying out his name became the most audible sound. And then, almost violently, the world went black.
 

"You have to save him!" Baekhyun screamed. "He's not going to make it!" 


"Then he's of no more use to me," the man said coldly. "And you too. If he doesn't make it, I want you both out."


Baekhyun watched in shock as he turned his back on him. Kyungsoo's face was pale, and blood was dripping from the corner of his lips. He was taking deep, trembling breaths, but he was still unconscious, and Baekhyun knew he wasn't going to last much longer. Desperate, he took off, hoping that someone, anyone, would help them, but no one even spared them a second glance. He was feeling weaker by the second, and then he was collapsing on to his knees, tears of anguish dripping down his cheeks, as he watched Kyungsoo roll out of his arms. Looking up, he saw that he was back at that place that this had all started. Out of sheer desperation, he grabbed Kyungsoo and got them both behind that row of barrels. Baekhyun pulled his little brother into his lap, gently running his hand through his hair, as snow started falling from the sky. 


"Kyungsoo-ya..." He whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn’t stop you from going after that candle, I'm sorry I could get to you in time, and I'm sorry you..."
He trailed off, the image of Kyungsoo getting hit by that carriage still fresh in his mind. 


"It's... not your fault... Baekhyunnie... hyung."
Baekhyun cried harder when he saw that Kyungsoo was smiling at him. He wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo tightly, wishing that these were not Kyungsoo's last moments.

"Baekhyunnie... hyung..." Baekhyun released him reluctantly. "Please..."


And Baekhyun knew what he was asking, so he obliged, closing his eyes and sighing.

"That night... that night you had that dream..." That night that had only been a little over a week ago, but felt almost like another lifetime ago, was the night their lives changed. "I left our room and I saw that father had pushed the table over, there was food and broken plates on the floor, and they were arguing, because of us... Father threatened to leave, but Mother wouldn't let him. She said...” Baekhyun gulped, not sure he was ready to say those words. "She said that she would abandon both of us if they could be together, and Father agreed that that was the only way... I'm sorry for not telling you, I just didn't think you were ready..."


"Baekhyunnie hyung..." Kyungsoo looked like he was struggling to breathe at this point, but he kept talking. "You wouldn't... abandon me... right?"


"Never, Kyungsoo-ya," Baekhyun promised. "Never."


Kyungsoo smiled widely then, the most precious smile Baekhyun had ever seen, before his eyes drifted closed, and one last breath left his pale lips. Baekhyun's eyes widened, his heartbeat sped up, and he started shaking. Urgently, he started to do anything he could think of to wake his brother up.

"Don't scare me, Kyungsoo-ya," he said out loud. "Please, you're still here, right?"


He pressed his ear to Kyungsoo's chest, listening for a heartbeat, for the sounds of breathing, for anything, but there was nothing. Baekhyun crushed Kyungsoo's body against his chest, crying into his baby brother's shoulder. Racked with sobs, he cried until it became physically difficult to breathe. Falling into a coughing fit, he accidentally let go of his brother. Collapsing on to the ground, he coughed until he could no longer draw breath evenly. He lay down next to Kyungsoo's body, and he just stared, praying that the only person he'd ever called family would come back to him. It never happened, however, and it was nearly dawn by the time Baekhyun managed to fall into something that merely resembled sleep, his eyes on Kyungsoo’s snow-covered body.
 

"Baekhyunnie hyung," Baekhyun could see Kyungsoo in front of him, waving him towards him. "Come with me!"


"Where are we going, Kyungsoo-ya?" Baekhyun asked, running after the other. "Wait for me!"


"Faster!" Kyungsoo yelled, delight in his voice. "Come on!"


"Kyungsoo-ya!" Baekhyun lost sight of Kyungsoo then, as he had to slow down, to catch his breath. "Kyung-"


Pain hit him hard then, and Baekhyun immediately collapsed to his knees, gasping, with a hand over the broken rib. His eyes snapped open, and immediately fell on Kyungsoo's dead body, snow covering parts of him. Baekhyun sighed, wishing that he could just die; death would be merciful at this point. He tried to get to his feet, but he was too weak. So instead, he just lay there because he knew he was dying too. Something touched his hand then, and looking down, he saw a candle, the very candle that Kyungsoo had died because of. Painfully, he grabbed it, and just stared at it. He wished he could light it, for even the slightest bit of warmth. If his broken rib didn't kill him first, the cold would. Unfortunately, his wishing and hoping amounted to nothing, and so he angrily tossed the candle away. It hit the wall with a loud thud, and all that did was cause him more pain. Hissing, Baekhyun to his side, effectively making it hurt worse.

"I promised we would be okay..." Baekhyun muttered, his eyes still on Kyungsoo. "And then you promised we would be okay. Looks like we both lied..." 

A bitter laugh left his lips then, which became more coughing, and blood splattered the snow next to his head. He forced a smile. He knew he was dying. He could physically feel his rib digging into his lung. In his last moments, Baekhyun thought about their parents. Their parents who abandoned them at such a young age, did they really think the two of them would be fine? He was angry, but he was also sad, sad that he and Kyungsoo had meant so little that they were willing to just throw them away without a second thought. And now, there he was, dying, with his dead little brother next to him. He couldn't help but wonder where they could be if their parents never left them behind, even if it was too late for those kinds of thoughts.

Baekhyun allowed his eyes to drift shut, and a small smile to grace his lips. This moment, where he had no regrets except for letting his baby brother die, he felt was his happiest moment. Breathing was hardly possible by that point, and Baekhyun was all right with that. His body relaxed, and he could see Kyungsoo calling out to him again, and so he reached out to him. He thought he could hear his mother yelling his and Kyungsoo's names, but he was certain he was imagining it; his imagination was attempting to give him a sense of closure, perhaps. The voices just got closer though, and he briefly entertained the possibility of his mother coming back for him, but it was too late for that, too late for anything. His eyes opened blearily, and to his surprise, there was actually someone there. This person looked like his mother, but Baekhyun was certain it wasn't, that it couldn't possibly be. So he attempted to laugh as his body continued to shut down. He finally touched Kyungsoo's hand then, and this time he could actually run.

THE END

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I um... I apologise for the sad that is this fic OTL please don't hate me, I love you all.

Thank you to everyone for the support on our collection, it really means so much to us ^_^

So until next month owo