Ever since Sehun had apologized to Baekhyun, things in the household had been quieter and the atmosphere far more serene. Truth was, ever since that night, Baekhyun looked at Sehun with a different mindset and vice versa; Baekhyun tried to see past Sehun cold exterior and Sehun learned to take into consideration the other’s word. It was really like everyone entered in a parallel universe.

Although the conversation between the two had played a big role into leading them into better terms, the fact that they had to pass a lot of time together thanks to Siwon’s unwanted presence in the house helped a lot. They shared a bed, because Siwon had a nasty habit of barging inside their, now, shared room at ungodly hours in the morning; they shared a bathroom, they went swimming together Baekhyun to continue the treatment on his knee and Sehun to stay fit; and they actually spent a lot of time in the library room, since both of them liked to read and because Baekhyun had completely fallen in love with the grand piano sitting just in front of the balcony doors. It had been quite the shock for everyone to realize that the petite male played the piano beautifully, more so when they discovered the voice that he had, which was almost unrealistically good. As the winter months dragged on, it wasn’t uncommon to see Sehun reading a book in front of the library’s fireplace while Baekhyun sat on the piano, pulling astounding melodies on it while he sang enchantingly, beckoning all sort of people into watching: the staff, their friends, Siwon… everyone. When he was asked about his talent, Baekhyun just shrugged his shoulders and told everyone that he had taken music throughout middle school, high school and college as electives since music was something that he enjoyed.

One of the results of the increasing time that Baekhyun and Sehun spent together was a decrease of the time that he spent with Jongin. Sehun had found Jongin brushing the tinier male’s hair once, when the smaller had fallen asleep in front of the TV and made him switch positions with Minseok, which meant that the older male now followed Baekhyun like a shadow while Jongin was buried with small missions along with Tao or Kris, sometimes both, that consumed most of his time. Sehun didn’t feel guilty about that one bit, after all, he did warn the younger about it.

Baekhyun, being the enchanting little social butterfly he was had taken Minseok’s presence like a duck to water, immediately bonding with the slightly older male and being able to rip some smiles out of the usually stoic man with his charismatic self and overall adorableness, even if no one, but Kris, Jongdae and Siwon, dared to say that to his face; as it would guarantee a huge pout and a punch in the gut.

It was precisely one day, when Baekhyun was inside the library, pulling note after note from the piano, a sound that reverberated through the house, when Luhan entered his brother’s room, after Sehun had went to play tennis with Junmyeon, since the latter liked the sport so much, and stated, without much preamble that he needed to take out Baekhyun out of the house.

Sehun, clad only in a small towel around his hips, dripping wet from the shower he just took, blinked at his brother before raising one judging eyebrow towards his direction.

“And, pray tell, do I need to take Baekhyun out of the house? Especially when Jia is after them, not to mention that is freezing cold outside.”

“Baekhyun has been encased inside the manor for almost a month now! He does not spend a great amount of time outside, as a matter of fact, he rarely goes outside. I am, based on his behavior, inclined to state that it is affecting him more than he lets on.”

“How so?” asked Sehun, genuinely intrigued. He had noticed that, lately, Baekhyun looked a little sadder than he was entitled to be, and Sehun used the term entitled since he and the others prefer to see the tinier male in his usually lively spirit.

“His mood as not been as joyful as it normally, for quite some time, and he does, sometimes, stares longingly through the window, which is a rather clear indications that something is not right with him. I suppose you’ve noticed, since you always seem to do.”

“I did and it is true: he hasn’t been himself lately.” contemplated the taller of the two “Do you, perhaps, have an idea to why he is like this?”

“I do not. I would risk to say that it has something to do with the fact that you’ve sent Jongin and Kris to China to spy on Jia’s men; as you are most definitely aware, you sent away two of his favorite people away. However, while I do think is a very high theory I am certain that it is more than just that, after all Baekhyun had endured with Kris’ absence for longer periods of time and never once he was sad; worried, but not sad. Well, at least not like this.”

“I think you might be right.”

“Like I usually am.” said Luhan with a soft smile “I suggest that you talk to him to try and decode whatever thoughts are swimming around on his mind.”

“However, I must ask, why are you telling me this and not Chanyeol? We all know that Baekhyun listens to him far more than any other person, including Kris.”

“Hmm…those two have become such good friends.” mused Luhan more to himself than anything else before focusing on the conversation again “That aside, you still are the person inside this house that dictates what it is safer for everyone, so, that will guarantee you a third of his attention.”

“And the other two thirds? How do I achieve to get those? Because I may talk and advise him” stated Sehun ignoring the small ‘order him’ that Luhan mutter “but he just goes around doing whatever he wants in the end.”

“Very true, however, you two did manage to develop your relation a tad bit more and you are at a level that I would, personally call, ‘frientances’, which means you are more than acquaintances to each other but not exactly friends. You do have a complex relationship…”

“I will talk to him, rest assure Luhan. Despite whatever people may or may not think, I don’t want to see him, or any of you for the matter, unhappy.”

“I know that. I’ve always known that; I and can guarantee you that I am thrilled at the fact that you have been less…jaded; let’s put it like this, lately. Baekhyun does you a lot of good!” replied Luhan with a kiss onto his brother cheek, leaving the room in a rapid, but still elegant, as Luhan never did anything without being elegant, not letting Sehun reply to his not really dissimulated comment about Baekhyun; leaving Sehun, instead, thinking about the words that his older brother had just uttered at him.

Baekhyun had been watching the snow accumulate itself on the pavement, hand poised on the cold glass, warm breath fogging the transparent window, when the door opened and an obnoxious voice made itself be heard.

“Baekhyunnie!” came Siwon’s voice from somewhere on the door’s direction.

“Go away Siwon.” muttered the smaller, not even turning around, feeling far too drained to deal with Siwon at moment; not that he ever felt otherwise.

“What’s the matter sweetheart?”

“You breathe! That’s the matter but let’s not discuss it.”

“You are so rude to me, sweetheart! Always kicking me when you already down!”

“Then stay down…not breathing would be great!” muttered Baekhyun, a tint of disdain painting his voice.

He jumpstarted when a pair of arms encircled his waist, more so when Siwon’s head nestled itself on his shoulder. Putting a lot of strength in his body, Baekhyun threw his elbow behind him, hitting Siwon in the gut, who let a grunt, not expecting the powerful jab.

“Do not!” growled Baekhyun, eyes narrowing angrily.

“I cannot help it, sweetheart. You are just so appetizing.”

“And very much engaged, so back off!” stated Baekhyun firmly, showing his engagement ring in order to prove a point.

“Do you think I care?” asked Siwon with a feral tone, approaching the smaller male who gave him a warning glance. “I don’t care if you are married to Sehun or anyone else in this world. I find you interesting and breathtakingly beautiful and, I got to be honest, I want you. And what I want, I get, nobody stops me.”

With every word, Siwon got increasingly closer to Baekhyun, going as far as grabbing the male by the arm rather violently; a move that startled Baekhyun greatly, since he had never seen the man getting so violent before, even if he didn’t show it, maintaining his posture.

“I am very sorry to disappoint but you don’t own people, much less me.” replied the smaller, voice firm as ever, despite the shivers running through his spine “And, if for some reason, I would feel as if I was owned by someone, it would not be you. I love Sehun.”

It was a whole lot of bull, he was not in love with Sehun, not by a long shot, even if the male was attractive and they got along, once they put their bickering aside. But, at the moment, it was necessary.

“I don’t care about Sehun.”

“You should.” came Sehun’s voice from the doorway “Because I am very good at making people disappear, much like Houdini. The only difference is that I have a particular interest in breaking people’s limbs, maybe rip them apart, when they don’t listen to my advices, or should I say warnings.”

Siwon let go of Baekhyun so fast that the other slightly stumbled on his feet, only to be steadied by Sehun’s long arms, which brought his body next to his taller frame. Baekhyun sent him a thankful look and Sehun nodded slightly, before using his other hand to caress Baekhyun’s cheek, sensing the other’s covered distressed.

“Strike two Siwon; as much as I tolerate you and appreciate your work, next time you’ll decide that is a good idea to taunt my fiancé, I will not be so compassionate.”

“You can’t do a thing because I am the one dealing with his brother’s stuff.”

“You are important” drawled Sehun “but not irreplaceable. So mind your attitude.”

“I don’t understand you.” yelled Siwon completely altered, bits of saliva coming out of mouth due to his fury. “How the heck did you become such a protective little jerk? You kill people for a living, you are a cold as ice Mafioso and, suddenly, he comes and you forget about your brothers? You are refusing to share your little boy toy to me, to your brother?”

Sehun was disgusted at Siwon’s words; the male had indicated very clearly that he didn’t possess any kind of love interest for Baekhyun, just lust. He was trying to do as he always did with his conquests: seduce them, bed them and threw them aside. As much as Sehun didn’t have very high social skills, or morals for the matter, he would never do that to someone; he would never force himself over a human being for , which was precisely what Siwon was trying to do. Unconsciously, he pulled Baekhyun tightly to his side, trying to shield the other male from the verbal abuse and any other stupid idea that may have crossed Siwon’s delusional mind, thanking whoever may hear that Baekhyun wasn’t like the other pretty faces that Siwon used to snag.

“Let’s clear something up because I am beginning to doubt your sanity at the moment; my brother’s name is Luhan and there is no other people who can share the title with him. I do have friends and they live in this house with me, I have an almost brother in law in China and a fiancé right next to me; all the other people who were not mentioned are merely acquaintances, who I deemed to be allies or enemies. At this moment, you are on the verge of falling to the enemy category for disrespecting my fiancé. More so, Baekhyun is not a possession nor he is meant to be shared; everything he does, he does it by his own free will, whether it is to eat an apple, killing someone or marry someone. Also, I am growing immensely tired of you objectifying Baekhyun and trying constantly to bed, using force as I just witness to make him comply with your wishes. I know that he is simply gorgeous, I know that he has a body to die for, I know that is very exciting to see that he fights you and outsmarts you at times, because he is just as intelligent as he is beautiful and that makes you crave him so badly it hurts and hitches your skin…”

“But I’ll never choose you over Sehun.” interrupted Baekhyun in a soft, but very firm voice. “

Sehun gave Baekhyun a surprised look, not expecting the male to say anything since he looked a little green when Siwon was talking, disgusted as he was with was spewing over the other’s mouth. Baekhyun looked up, back at him, and smiled at him, making his brown puppy eyes crease adorably.

Siwon kept looking at them, eyes furious and mouth turned into an angry scowl.

“So you won’t share him?”

Sehun sighed, whether if it was from pity, annoyance or both, even he couldn’t tell; he knew that Siwon was a flirter and that he was a bon vivant, sleeping with everything that appealed his eye and caught his attention, looking at no means to achieve his goal, but this was ridiculous.

“No. I will not share him. You don’t share someone when in love.”

Baekhyun nodded at his words and Siwon didn’t stand long enough in the room to hear anymore, he shot them a venomous glare and walked briskly out of the room.

“He is getting out of proportion. He is getting increasingly angry over this, what if he does something stupid?” asked Baekhyun timidly, a little concerned over his own security.

“I am hoping that he does nothing of the sort, especially considering my warning but, as it is I am going to ask Minseok to keep an eye on him, more so, I will give you those devices that are used to find objects, you’ll have the remote and Minseok or another other of us will have the beeping one. If he is around you, you press the button and we will know to get you. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

Baekhyun nodded, feeling more relaxed at the comforting words. Sehun looked at the smaller male, not voicing his own thoughts; he too was concerned about the increasing rage that Siwon was openly manifesting at the fact that Baekhyun had nothing to do with him but, his own words and the newly theory had assured himself that Baekhyun would be safe.

He gave the other male a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before addressing the topic that he wanted to discuss with Baekhyun on the first place.

“I am sorry to spring this on you without much finesse, but I do not know how to address this with much sensitivity; lately I, and everybody else, have been noticing that you have been a little pensive, melancholic even and, frankly, it is kind of worrying, especially knowing that you are usually lively and bright spirited. Is anything wrong? Is it Kris absence?”

“Yes…and no.” replied Baekhyun, head tilted, as if he was deep in thought “I miss Kris, of course, he is my brother and I sure miss him when he is gone, but I know that Tao and him and very good team and that they have each other’s back. But…I actually miss my mother the most. Her favorite season is winter and it is snowing and I just think of how much I would like to see all of this. I wish she could see lot of things.”

It was probably the saddest smile that Sehun ever saw on Baekhyun’s face; it was pretty, yes, but so sad that Sehun found himself thinking that he would like to swipe that smile for the smaller male. It wasn’t fitting of him and Sehun felt, for a minute, powerless.

“What would make you feel better?” asked Sehun gently, hand coming up to rest at the other’s shoulder.

Baekhyun looked at the other male, looking surprised. He clearly wasn’t expecting the question, much less from Sehun.

“I don’t want anything” he began “I just wished I could spend a day like me and my mother used too, well, I mean, not in the literal sense but I just want that feeling of family and warmth again, nothing more.”

Sehun nodded; he understood what the other meant, he, himself, didn’t really remember how it felt to just take a day and enjoy it with family and friends. He had them around, sure, all the time; however, he didn’t really take the time to really be with them. He looked at the smaller male’s expression and felt all the longing in the other’s eyes; such a simple wish he had. His subconscious, ever annoying and much more present this last few weeks, started to whisper at him how undeserving he was of the life he lived, how he looked over the people who cared for them and, at times, mistreated them for money and reputation. It was exceedingly mocking, especially considering the man in front of him, who had to be one of the most selfless people in the world. There was a squeezing feeling inside his chest and he let a hand clasp the material of the shirt above his heart, making Baekhyun look at him startled, hands coming to cover his.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” replied Sehun surprised at the smaller’s concern. “I was thinking of something.”

“Oh! So…you’re okay, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good!” interjected the tinier with a smile and a rosy tint to his cheeks, patting his chest softly, before Chanyeol poked his head inside the room, hurrying him to follow him, which had Baekhyun’s eyes sparkle in joy, at the sight of his friend, leaving the room in a hurry or at least, as fast as he could since his knee was still a little off from perfect, even after the leaping improvement he had shown.

He stood inside the room, by the window, eyes tracing the same landscape that Baekhyun was previously watching. It was beautiful, resplendent and white. Oh, so white, much like a winter wonderland would look, if he ever saw one. His thoughts ran after Baekhyun’s words, wishing, even if he wasn’t kind of sure as to why, that he could do something, anything really, to bring a little joy to the small nurse because it just didn’t feel right having him so down.

Suddenly, he stopped his motion to touch the cold window, as an idea formed itself in his mind. His eyes grew a little wider and a smirk formed itself on the corner of his mouth, even if anybody else would call it a smile. He had just the perfect idea.

Baekhyun was feeling a little grumpy. It was a Saturday, which meant everyone was home, read: Kris was home and Baekhyun had been asked, by Luhan, to go and buy some kind of miracle tea for him, since the staff was a little busy at the moment. Not wanting to upset the older male, who he was quite fond of, he yelled for Minseok who drove him to the specific store that Luhan told him, almost half an hour away from their manor, because no one would allow him to go alone.

On the way back, once he got the weird Pu-erh tea that Luhan wanted, he sat on the passenger’s seat, a little more animated since there were Christmas carols on the radio, making him sing along to them, Minseok smiling at his karaoke skills as he drove through the busy streets.

Once a favorite of his played its final accords, he turned to the older man, gently asking if liked Christmas carols.

“Not really but I enjoy hearing you sing though.”

“Why not?” asked Baekhyun with innocent curiosity as he almost smoshed his face against the mirror once he passed through the snowy riverside.

“I never liked winter; it’s not a really happy season for me.” when the other male looked at him with inquisitive eyes, Minseok gave a little sigh before answering the unasked question. “My parents abandoned me when I was seven years old, outside a church, in the middle of the winter.”

Baekhyun’s eyes grew wide at Minseok’s words; hand coming to join the older’s on the shift gear of the car. Minseok shot him a look.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know…”

Minseok shook the other’s apology with a wave stating that he had nothing to apologize for since it was an event that was very well off behind him and in the past.

“Besides, I’m learning to enjoy the magic of winter again.” he added lightly before pulling a car to a stop in the garage. “We’re here.”

They both got out of the car and up the stairs that led them to the living room, chatting about lighter topics than those mentioned in the car. Minseok could really tell the other was feeling guilty and embarrassed of asking the question so he dwelled into more trivial matters.

However, to Baekhyun’s surprise, as soon as he opened the door, he saw white. Everywhere! The living room had been decorated as to resemble a winter themed room, with a fire crackling on the fireplace, a white and silver Christmas tree sitting on a corner of the room, while the piano had been brought downstairs to join him. The usual dark and broody paintings on the wall had been changed for winter landscapes and the shelves and tables, previously bare, had been filled with candles and winter themed objects. There was the scent of chocolate the air, soft and velvety, mixed with the citrusy smell of oranges and spices.

He didn’t have any words to describe it other than perfect; it looked simply perfect. He was brought back to focus as a smiling Luhan handed him over a glass of sparkling cider.

“Welcome to the Oh’s winter wonderland.”

Sehun had been enjoying the day; everyone was gathered at the ample living room, talking animatedly and simply feeling good and comfort with their friends. He had planned this day ever since his talk with Baekhyun and, with the help of Kyungsoo, Luhan and the staff, he had managed to organize it and prepare it all to the day after Kris and Tao’s arrival.

The face that Baekhyun had made had, without a doubt, set free the knot that had formed itself of his chest, especially after seeing the smaller’s unadulterated happy expression. Plus, he had been content all afternoon, talking to everybody, fluttering around them in excitement and, frankly, it was good to see.

Baekhyun deserved a little bit of normalcy from the previous events that he had gone through and this was the present gift for the male. Everyone seemed to think as well as they shot him thankful and appreciative glances that he pretended not to notice after all, this wasn’t about him.

“Do you know where Baekhyun is?” asked him Jongdae coming to him, a glass full of cider and the other with pie on his hand.

“No, I do not. Why do you ask?” questioned Sehun, looking around looking for the said male, closing the book he was reading.

“He told me he was going to the bathroom a little while ago since he was feeling a bit dizzy and he hasn’t come back yet. I searched on the bathrooms to see if he was alright but he isn’t in any bathroom of this damned house.”

“Did you check our room and his room?”

“Yes… not there. I even checked the kitchen, the library, Chanyeol’s computer room and outside. Nowhere!” exclaimed Jongdae emphatically.

Sehun’s mind screamed in alarm for some reason at the other’s words. Now, Sehun had been a man who was trained to listen to his instinct which he did. His eyes swept rapidly across the room, quickly noticing the missing presence of Junmyeon, Jongin and Siwon. His eyes narrowed immediately. He stood up forcefully, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. The six words uttered next were the catalyst for the chaos that happened next.

“We need to find Baekhyun now!”

A/N: Hellooooooo! How have you all been doing? It took me a while to update and I'm sorry for that but, as a disaster comes, apparently in pairs, I had double problems this week, for once I got an inflammation in my eye due to allergies and now my tendinitis is acting up again. The eye is all better, a few eye drops and bye bye, but the wrist... well it got to the point where it hurts to pick something up so I had to go to the doc who gave me (gave...pfft, bought it!) a splint type of elastic brace, so my thumb is partially immobilized as my wrist; the result? I can't type properly, I keep on clicking the wrong keys or hitting wrong ones with my thumb! Joy! BUUUUT I will get better, get this thing off and write properly, so sorry for all the inconvinience again!

ANYWAAAYS, what do you think of this chapter? Hating on Siwon yet? Or hating on Sehun for keeping Jongin away from Baek? They are getting closer though! Tell me all about your thoughts, come on, don't be shy! If you like, go check other stories, comment, vote, subscribe, the usual deal.

Finally! As always: Be healthy, Stay safe and Be happy!

Have a lovely day! Lots of love!

<3