With his arms and torso heavily bandaged, Baekhyun lay, his back propped up by pillows in the center of Chanyeol’s bed. After trying – and failing – to convince Baekhyun to eat something, no matter how tiny, Chanyeol had settled for perching on the side of the bed, shooting anxious looks his direction.

Chanyeol had put a Pokemon dvd on to entertain Baekhyun, but as hard as he tried, Baekhyun found his mind wandering elsewhere. Like where he was, for example. And where Chanyeol was. He had grown, but it didn’t seem to shock Chanyeol in the slightest. Had Chanyeol always wanted him to grow?

Baekhyun dropped his gaze, staring at his bandaged hands that sat in his lap. If Chanyeol had wanted him to grow right from their very first meeting, Baekhyun would have done his best to grow. He would have done anything to see Chanyeol happy. But growing … It hurt. Did it hurt everyone as much as it hurt him?

Chanyeol didn’t look happy, either.

Exhaling quietly, Baekhyun allowed his shoulders to slump. Was it a mistake to have grown? Should he apologise for upsetting Chanyeol?

Baekhyun winced as a small amount of pressure was put on his bleeding hand. Lifting his gaze slowly, he noticed that Chanyeol’s hand was on top of his.  

“Mister … Giant?”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said softly. “Do you hurt?”

Baekhyun wasn’t sure how he should respond. He didn’t want Chanyeol to think him weak, but at the same time, Baekhyun didn’t want to lie – Chanyeol had a way of knowing whenever something was wrong. Instead, he nodded and immediately, Chanyeol’s eyes widened in panic.

“Where do you hurt?” he asked, getting to his feet.

“Everywhere.”

Chanyeol frowned, taking Baekhyun’s hand in his once more and turning it over – maybe he had broken a few bones.

“Where do you hurt the most?” he asked seriously, studying Baekhyun’s facial expression.

Hanging his head, Baekhyun closed his eyes.

“Here,” he said quietly, gesturing to his chest with his free hand. “My heart hurts.”

Chanyeol’s eyes darted around the room frantically. If Baekhyun’s heart hurt, he had to get him to a doctor. But was Baekhyun okay to walk? There had to be another way to get him there safely.

“Why does your heart hurt?” Chanyeol asked slowly. Baekhyun looked away.

Baekhyun followed a few steps behind Chanyeol, his eyes trained to the footpath in an attempt to avoid any curious (or on occasion harsh) stares and remarks from passerby’s. He didn’t like the way they would look him up and down and whisper about his bandaged arms or the cuts on his swollen face.

He didn’t like the way parents would guide their children away from him, their eyes fixed coldly on him. Everything felt strange. Baekhyun hugged his Pinkie Pie plush closer to his chest, trying his best to bury his face in it. He wanted to disappear.

Quickening his pace, Baekhyun extended his free arm, catching Chanyeol by the wrist.

“Mister Giant,” he said quietly, his gaze still fixed on the footpath. “I’m scared.”

Chanyeol stopped walking immediately, turning to face Baekhyun. Chanyeol knew that Baekhyun was hurting; he knew that Baekhyun must be terrified walking around in the open like this so soon after being attacked, but it was the only way Chanyeol could get help – it was the only way he would be able to have Baekhyun looked at properly and be able to recover.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. Baekhyun shook his head, squeezing his Pinkie Pie tightly.

“I want my cape,” Baekhyun said quietly. “My cape made me feel safe.”

Chanyeol’s lips tugged upwards into a small smile and he moved behind Baekhyun, wrapping his own arms around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“Just for today,” he breathed, resting his chin in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck. “Pretend I’m your cape.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Mister Giant?”

 “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

Leaning back in his chair, the doctor dragged his fingertips through his thinning hair. Baekhyun’s injuries had been cleaned and treated properly before being rebound. His x-rays showed no signs of breakage – not even a fracture. But there was something else that worried the doctor.

“I think,” he said slowly, tapping his notebook with the top of his pen. “Baekhyun might have significant cognitive impairment.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked, glancing from the doctor to Baekhyun.

Shivering under the doctors stare, Baekhyun wrapped his hand around the sleeve of Chanyeol’s cardigan and gave it a sharp tug. Immediately, Chanyeol moved his seat closer to Baekhyun’s side, placing a hand on his arm for reassurance.

“Baekhyun,” the doctor asked. “How old are you?”

Baekhyun remained silent. How old was he? To Baekhyun, his life started only when he came to live with Chanyeol. Before him, there was nothing. Baekhyun couldn’t remember anything; life with Chanyeol was all he knew.

With a quiet sigh, the doctor scribbled something down into his notebook. “We’ll try again. What is your date of birth?”

Baekhyun lifted his head quickly. “Date?” he asked, looking from the doctor to Chanyeol. “Two,” he said with a small nod. “Two dates.”

“No,” the doctor said, glancing back over his notes. “Birthdays. How many have you had?”

“One,” Baekhyun replied, puzzled. “Mister Giant’s birthday.”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol murmured quietly. “Do you know how old you are?”

Baekhyun shook his head, burying his face into his Pinkie Pie plush in an attempt to escape the watchful gaze of the doctor. “No,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Instinctively, Baekhyun wrapped an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Don’t be sorry,” he said softly. “It’s okay.”

Turning away from the two, the doctor hastily entered something into his computer, a piece of paper spitting out of the printer moments later. He handed it to Chanyeol. Chanyeol scanned over it quickly, but before he had a chance to speak, the doctor cut him off.

“That should help improve Baekhyun’s cognitive skills,” he said turning his attention to Baekhyun once more. “And,” he continued, waiting for the printer to spit out another piece of paper. “This should help his wounds heal.”

Offering Baekhyun a small smile, he saw them to the door.

“Good luck.”

Once the door had shut behind them, Chanyeol balled his fists. There was nothing wrong with Baekhyun, he was perfect the way he was.

“In here,” Chanyeol smiled, holding the heavy glass door open with his forearm. Guiding Baekhyun to a booth in the far corner, the two sat down.

“Do you know where we are?” he asked as Baekhyun took in his surroundings before shaking his head.

“No,” Baekhyun said, looking at his hands. “Am I supposed to know?”

Chanyeol frowned. The last time they were here, Baekhyun didn’t get to see anything but the underside of the table – he was much too tiny to see anything else.  That was why he didn’t remember.

“This is where we came on a date,” he said with a smile. “Remember when you paid for ice cream?”

Baekhyun’s face lit up immediately at the memory. “Oh, yes!” he beamed, clasping his hands together happily.

“Good,” Chanyeol said, sliding a menu across the table. “Pick whatever you’d like. I’ll buy us ice cream today.”

“Mister Giant?” Baekhyun asked, glancing over the menu. “Is this a date?”

“It is if you’d like it to be.”

Baekhyun wriggled in his spot happily, a wide smile on his face. “Does this mean I’m three?”

Chanyeol chuckled. “Not quite.”

Baekhyun bounced on the balls of his feet as he followed Chanyeol home once more. He never thought he would be able to eat so much, and the fact that he was able to eat more than a strawberry shocked him. But Baekhyun was content.

Cuddling his Pinkie Pie tightly, Baekhyun sighed happily, closing his eyes.

A loud bark from Baekhyun’s left made him freeze, his heartbeat quickening. Opening his eyes, he let out a small whimper. There, tied to the leg of a park bench was a small dog, its owner at its side. It tugged on the leash, barking at those who passed it.

“P-puppy!” Baekhyun managed to whisper, terrified. Sprinting forward, he tried to hide himself behind Chanyeol.

“Baek,” Chanyeol murmured as he wrapped an arm around the others shoulder, quickly leading him away from the dog.

Chanyeol’s words felt empty as he noticed Baekhyun’s pale, tear stricken face. He didn’t mean to be so careless.

“Baekhyun, I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun’s fists balled around the fabric of Chanyeol’s jumper and he buried his face into his chest. Wrapping his arms around Baekhyun protectively, Chanyeol held him, waiting in silence for the other to stop crying.

“Remember,” Chanyeol murmured when Baekhyun had calmed down. “For today, I’m your cape. I won’t let anything hurt you, I promise.” 

Yeah, I'm bad at setting myself timelines. 
I am, however, quite exceptional in the art of procrastination.
Today was a good day.  And, when good things happen, 
I feel like updating. So here's an update ahead of scheduel.

(And then I'm going to actually do my assignments.)

Thanks to ExoticJiaHan (I don't remember whether it was a comment
here or on Baek in a Box) for the cape idea~^^

In other news, there's a Pokèmon Party at my favourite nightclub tonight. 

And I'm just sitting at home like:

。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。