Baekhyun feels as if he is going in circles as his legs maneuver from corner to corner, the coldness enveloping his limbs into the feeling of numbness. His breath becomes a burning mess in his throat, feeling as if he has chugged down a whole cup of alcohol in one shot. Nevertheless, he continues to run and run, until his legs succumb to the harsh weather and his knee's buckle under the pressure. 

He holds himself up by holding on the side of a nearby building, his salty tears blurring his vision as he lays back helplessly on the surface of the building.  He made sure to look around almost every location in the city, but alas, there wasn't one time he even saw the back of Chanyeol's head. Oh, what has he done?

“I'm so sorry Chanyeol, you were more than enough, so much more!” He begins to sniffle as his tears continue to skim down his pale cheeks, the pain in his ribcage much more hurtful than the freezing of his facial features. His whimpers grow louder and louder, remorse, regret, and agony coursing through his body all at once. 

He has no idea for how long he has been standing in this fatal position, but the sky grows darker and the air becomes colder. Leaving him cornered in his misery, all alone to indulge in this excruciating pain.

Hours must have passed by as he wallows up in this deep hole of darkness, and he knows that he should leave from this freezing pit, but his legs will not move without the man that has started his steps. 

A strong breeze hits him from the left side, not only flowing through his brown locks, but turning his features over to the other side, as if the wind is moving him to look elsewhere. Though what his eyes land on isn't some car or sidewalk– it is a man with his back turned, his body facing the sight of the frozen ocean. 

His breath hitches as one last tear drop falls onto his cheek, and he is off into the distance, his tiny body racing against the powerful winds. Baekhyun only stops when he has wrapped his arms around the back of the tall man, his body clashing into him.

“Chanyeol!”

The man raises his hands at the sudden impact, his head turning to look behind him by instinct. “What... Baekhyun?” His voice echoes with surprise, but he doesn't think too much about the shock and quickly takes Baekhyun by his shoulders so he can move the boy in front of his concerned pearls. He places his hand to Baekhyun's chilly cheek. “Oh my god, your freezing cold; just what were you thinking? You shouldn't be out here when it's so cold!” 

Chanyeol hurriedly drags Baekhyun in another direction, but the boy stops and pulls away from him. He sniffles as he looks at him and shakes his head determinedly, something more important than his wellbeing dominating his thoughts. “No, I-I have something to say to you first, Chanyeol.”

Unable to believe this malarkey, Chanyeol refuses to listen. “We can do this later, Baekhyun. You have to—”

“Listen to me Chanyeol, I'm not going to move.” He cuts him off, trying to clench his hardened fists together, and if his nails dig into his palms- then he wouldn't know about it, for they are so numb he can not even feel it. Taking in a big breath and releasing it right the next second, Baekhyun finally takes out everything he has been storing inside for so long.  “Chanyeol... I don't know what it feels like to have that special someone, I don't even know what it's like to have a special anything, really. So loving a person, to me, is just impossible. I don't know how it feels to be warm on the inside, or how to accept that feeling. All my life I've only seen people as evil, as selfish and cruel beings. I hated every single one of them. And having that as something so powerful inside of me, made me forget how love feels.”

They share a look of despair, their orbs reaching out to grasp onto one another, but wait, not quite yet. 

“I have never loved anyone before. No one has ever made me feel happy, wanted, or accepted. No one ever bothered to talk to me about how I felt, no one even considered me as a person before. I was nothing but a punching bag to everyone, my own father never even showed me that he cared, or loved, for that matter. I grew up with hatred and love was a nonexistent emotion. I doubted love so much that I believed it was just a trick, a trick that will grab you in and then throw you in a mess of pain and hurt.”

His eyes tremble as he speaks, “I don't want to feel like I'm just some thing that everyone plays around with and eventually throws to the curb. I'm... I'm scared of being damaged, I don't want to feel hurt again.” His tears fall all over his cheeks, but he doesn't bother to wipe them, everything is numb anyway. “But with you Chanyeol... With you it feels like I know what love is, what it feels like. You make me feel like someone who matters, someone who deserves more than a dark room and a bed. You showed me what life actually looks like, you gave me the strength I needed to jump over everything that tried to keep me down, you... your my streak of light.” 

Chanyeol is staring at him with tears of his own sliding down his cheeks, and Baekhyun only says one last thing, which now, doesn't hurt so much to say.

“I love you, Park Chanyeol.”

The man is so stunned to hear his confession that he cannot even find the right words to say. He opts for what he thinks needs to be said, regardless of emotional ties. “Baekhyun... this...” He is hesitating horribly as he bargains for words, “We aren't...” It all ends with a sigh that prompts him to start over. 

Instead of all this mumbling, he relies on actions and brings Baekhyun closer to him by his waist, holding him near in fear of having him ripped away. The downfall of snow only becomes heavier and heavier, yet neither of them mind– being together is like standing next to a thermostat, so warm and comfortable no matter how harsh the weather outside is. 

They gaze into one another as Chanyeol rubs his thumb over Baekhyun's tears, and as he inches his face closer and closer, fireworks in the background erupt as soon as their lips connect. It's like electricity has went through Baekhyun, because at that instant, he feels so renewed and free of the barrier he has put himself behind.

The kiss is gentle and sweet, as if Chanyeol is scared to break him if he goes any harder. Baekhyun grips onto Chanyeol's jacket as they slowly explore each other's souls, his eyes shut and mind at ease. 

It's like it is never ending as they continue to embrace one another in the passionate kiss, neither want to pull away. Though they slowly come to a stop and rest their foreheads against one another, eyes closed in the blissful moment.

“I also love you, Baekhyun.” To Baekhyun, that deep voice and that gorgeous bright smile outshines the spurge of light from behind them, by a million.

They spend the rest of Christmas night in bed, cuddled up in each others arms, and Baekhyun thinks he knows how home actually feels like. Home is where he feels at peace, it's where he feels nothing but comfort, it's where the heart is– it's wherever Chanyeol is. 

His head lays on Chanyeol's firm chest and he has his arms hugging the man, the smile on his face unable to be washed away. He plays with Chanyeol's fingers like a small child playing with a new toy, except when this ‘toy’​ grows old, Baekhyun never plans to leave it alone to rust, ever.

After a small while of the cozy quietness, Baekhyun shatters the silence with a small chuckle. It makes the other man curious, so he begins to rub Baekhyun's back in question. “What are you laughing at, hm?”

Baekhyun only shakes his head, nudging himself further into Chanyeol's side. “I'm just happy.” Looking up at his beloved through his eyelashes, he sends him a bright grin. “Really happy, at that.”

Chanyeol smiles a small smile, bringing his head closer to peck his l