Sehun couldn’t sleep and, in good reality, no one could really blame him. Everything was confusing, irritating and, so, so messed up. Like a ball weaved out of troubles, spiraling without control like a tornado.

In truth, he had never expected to encounter Baekhyun again; once people ran from him, they ran! They didn’t just come back, not like the smaller made have done, never like him.

He wasn’t an emotional person, years of tragedies and experiencing losses had turned him into a rather stoic man and impervious to feelings all around but then came that tiny version of a person, bulldozing through his life and leaving him shaken, if he was perfectly honest with himself.

Byun Baekhyun was someone easy to like, he was a likeable person: charismatic, cheeky, funny with a sarcastic edge to him, stubborn but very loyal and, in a way, very humble too. Sehun wasn’t supposed to like him, he was far more temperamental than the normal poised and elegant people that Sehun associated with and liked but he did. Despite everything, even when Baekhyun had hurt him deeply, allowing him to bury himself into the smaller’s male life, entwining himself deeply with the other, only to find out that everything had been a lie. All a big lie. He was used to hurt other people, intentionally or unintentionally, either with words or with actions; that was how sensitive he wasn’t, but this time it had been him.

For weeks after Baekhyun’s admittance, Sehun eyes were trained to the door, hoping to see the smaller man coming inside the house and telling him that everything was a lie; for once he wanted to doubt reason but he really couldn’t! He lost all focus for a while, feeling too conflicted, too many emotions for him to get a grip on reality. He knew he had been a bastard to everyone. Heck, he was doing it on purpose at times; it was his method of coping.

However, nothing stays normal, or relatively normal, for too long and Jia, that vile woman, took away Luhan, and made Baekhyun return to the Manor, return to him, to his life. And there he lost the little control he held on to. It was hard, he lost control the same moment he saw the petite little man standing in front of him. He hadn’t look very good, pale and looking tired but Sehun had ignored it, letting his rage speak louder. Jongdae he didn’t even care about, the man could go screw himself sideways, he had been the mastermind behind all this clusterf*ck.

Despite his disdain for Jongdae, he agreed to talk to the man and Chanyeol had been present too. Sehun had no right to point any fingers at him because he had been a horrible guardian towards the boy, man now he supposed, and he kind of deserved the treatment that Chanyeol was giving him. After Yoora, after she died, Sehun had a hard time dealing with the loss and neglected the poor boy, forgetting that it was him that had lost all his family and all of those who cared. Yixing, well, Yixing had chosen who he liked the most, plain and simple.

The conversation with Jongdae had been enlightening and that had been the reason why he had said so little. Jongdae had told him that Baekhyun had been caught by Jia, who had harmed him and he had actually seen a glimpse of a wound on the shorter man’s neck and something on his hands, he wasn’t sure of what exactly. And it was so very tempting to just go to him and reassure himself that he was okay but he couldn’t, that would be too weak on his part and he wouldn’t allow himself to be weak, not again and not with Baekhyun.

However, all that powerful logic had a flaw: Sehun had underestimated his own consciousness and his own desires. He stood up from bed, throwing his comforter aside and left his own room, padding softly through the empty corridors. It was late, very late; almost anyone would be sleeping, if they were normal that is. He spied Jongdae and Chanyeol talking in one the the balconies, smoke billowing around them in enchanting spirals.

He continued forwards encountering Kyungsoo, who had just come in, out of someplace that Sehun wasn’t really certain of what it was.

“Sehun!” exclaimed the shorter man, surprised to see the older.

“You’re returning home really late. It’s not quite like you. Actually, I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“I had business to take care of. You know that I am a very busy person.”

“That you are…”

“I heard that Baekhyun returned…”

“He has returned, in fact. But I am really not too keen on talking about it.”

“Very well.” nodded Kyungsoo, fingers tapping against each other in a rhythmic pattern that was very distracting before adding “We will discuss it later, as you wish. Goodnight Sehun.”

Sehun didn’t bother to answer, Kyungsoo didn’t expect it either; Sehun stopped saying it on the day that Yoora had died. He watched Kyungsoo disappear along the corridor, a strong smell of women’s perfume coming from him, finger still tapping, a little like a nervous tick he got, Sehun supposed; Kyungsoo was a peculiar person after all.

He bypassed Minseok’s room, knowing to be careful since the man was asleep because he had been sick for a while, a nasty flu proving to be a worthy enemy for his immune system that was, at the moment, losing.

Tao’s room was next but he knew the man wasn’t there; he was wandering around on the ground floor, patrolling the house and making sure everything was okay, an obsessive habit the younger man had.

Luhan’s room, Kris’ too, he’d guess, was empty; Luhan wasn’t there and Kris was, most likely on Baekhyun’s designated room, or maybe in the library, overdosing himself with glass after glass of bourbon. He could go and stop him, before the man did any more damage to his liver, however, Sehun knew that Kris was having an extremely hard time at the moment, he had actually never seen Kris like this, but the point was that he understood the other’s pain and therefore, he would allow Kris to have this night as an escape from the reality.

He finally got to the room that he wanted. He didn’t bother to knock but he opened it gently, especially when he noticed that the lights were off, there was only a lamp on the bedside table and even so, the light was very dim. He padded through the soft carpeted floor, looking around. Yixing was sleeping on a couch, arm covering his eyes, to block the light, snoring slightly.

However, what he truly wanted to see, or rather, who, was sleeping on the bed, burrowed in the blankets. He approached the bed taking in Baekhyun’s soft, sleeping features. Baekhyun was not a “loud” sleeper; which was odd, since the man couldn’t stop moving or talking, but when he slept, he did it in a peaceful way; hands balled in front of his face, lips parted and breathing in a soothing cadence, hair falling in front of his eyes. For a moment, Sehun wished he could touch the other’s smooth face but his brain screamed at him that Baekhyun wasn’t deserving of his affections.

His eyes stopped on the other’s pace neck, watching a white thick patch of gauze firmly covering the place. He pulled the blanket aside from the man and noticed that the gauze covered an extensive portion of Baekhyun’s neck and back. Also, a closer look revealed burn marks across the milky shoulder, since the sweater he was using, no doubt Chanyeol’s, was far too large for him.

“Gruesome, isn’t it?”

Sehun turned to find Yixing staring at him, eyes dark with sleep, all in all looking not very coherent and very tired.

“Was this what Jongdae told me about? The torture that Jia’s men inflicted on him?”

“Yes, it is. We don’t know what really happened when he was taken. He doesn’t want to share detail about it.”

“How much time did they had him?”

“Three days.” replied Yixing, propping himself more comfortably on the sofa. “They had him for three days before, somehow, he managed to escape and found his way back to us.”

“How was he?” asked Sehun. There was a lot of mixed feeling when asking this question; on one hand he wasn’t too keen on finding what had happened, on the other, he needed to know. He’d rather know than remain oblivious to the fact that Baekhyun had been hurt.

“It wasn’t the worst I have seen but it was still awful enough. It always seems worse when it happens to someone that you are fond of.” Sehun found it easy enough to talk with Yixing; the man was very rational and impartial and Sehun knew that Yixing only had gone with Baekhyun because he had a better connection with him than anything else. “He came home bearing burns on his body, circular burns, which makes me guess they used cigarette butts to burn him. There’s the cut on his neck and shoulder, whoever did that knew for sure what he was doing, they pressed down hard enough to draw blood and scar on the neck area but carved him like an animal on the shoulder. He had a dislocated shoulder but I am guessing that it was self-made in an attempt to escape, the area was just badly bruised and once I popped it into place that was that remained. His feet were severely wounded; I guess they beat him up there, since It makes it harder for someone to ran away. There was some chaffing on the wrists and ankles, his face was punched to death, his nose was broken, they made a small tear on his ear, bruising on the abdominal area, some bruising around the neck and they must have hit him with something really heard on the head because he had a mild concussion and some small cuts. I think he must have broken a window at some point because there were little cuts on his hands.”

Sehun took in the information provided, trying to process all that Yixing had told him. He glanced at Baekhyun, who still slept away, completely undisturbed by the conversation that was taking place, not that Sehun and Yixing were talking loudly anyway; they were actually almost whispering to each other.

There was a sudden rush that ran through his body and Sehun let a single finger slide against Baekhyun cheek; through a part of a body that was still mending from such a brutal attack. Baekhyun was small, he wasn’t bulky like Minseok or had the same built as Kris, or even Chanyeol but he could take care of himself, he was quick on his feet, smart and he knew hapkido, Sehun knew that very well, he had watched Baekhyun throw Tao to the floor once, when the man approached a completely distracted Baekhyun.

He didn’t want to fight anymore; he didn’t want to fight the urge to protect the small man, he just wanted Baekhyun, no matter how pissed he was at the smaller male, no matter how sad his actions had made him, no matter how traitorous he had been. He liked Baekhyun, he did. He did goddammit.

“I thought you were avoiding contact with him…I’m not going to even mention the fact that you just choke him some hours ago. I don’t doubt your feeling for him just make sure that this isn’t just because you are feeling bad because he’s in this poor state.”

“It’s not…I am beginning to doubt that it ever was. I want to stay away from him, he made me question everything that I know and that I do, but somehow I can’t just ignore him.”

“That’s the beauty of falling for someone.” commented Yixing gently, trying to make Sehun understand that this, between the two of them, was something that was borderline love “I am not trying to make it sound like I have all the answers to the world, nor am I the best adviser in the world, nothing like that but you like him Sehun, we can all see that; there is a fond expression on your face whenever you see him, you smile at him, you become a whole different person and not necessarily a bad one. I know that you are very confused right now because it’s something really new, a lot of different feelings, new perspectives, a new meaning for life, in general but you chose what to do with the novelty, you choose to turn things into a negative or a positive thing. Baekhyun really suffered a lot for what he did to you, the self-recrimination, the hatred, he really felt bad about deceiving you and it was sincere, that I can guarantee you. I don’t think you should forgive him easily, I love him like a little brother but what he did was far too serious to be taken in lightly but, at some point just talk to him and discuss things, say what has been swimming on your mind and let him open his heart too. A bend or break kind of conversation because you need to turn the page and move on with your life. Hurt goes both ways Sehun, don’t forget about that. Also, deep down in your heart you know that Baekhyun…”

The door opened revealing a flustered Yuna that quickly informed them that Mistress Jia Wu was calling them on the landline, making both males looking at each other in worry. They didn’t need to say anything to bolt down the stairs, Yixing asking Yuna to keep Baekhyun company until they got back.

After what had happened Yixing was very adamant about not letting Baekhyun have any contact with Jia and only came to help Sehun and Kris because he couldn’t really stop Baekhyun, one thing was to prevent Baekhyun from knowing, a completely different one was to having him knowing about the problem and trying to stop him…which he clearly didn’t or else they wouldn’t be here.

Sehun walked, exuding power, into the office, where Chen and Chanyeol already were, no doubt alarmed by one of the staff, along with Tao, Minseok and Kyungsoo, while Kris spoke on his phone with his mother, red painting his face in a vibrant, aggressive color, while the man spited angry words at the woman.

“… and you went past the point of reasonable. Luhan had nothing to with this; he was just an innocent man which you used as a pawn in your make belief game of power. You ought to know better mother.”

“Kris dear,” replied the woman calmly, on speaker, as if Kris’ yell at her weren’t fazing her, which was probably true. “when you have defined goals, such as I do, you have to understand that there the means justify the end and that every move you make has to carefully analyzed in order to have the desired effect. You chose to run away, with that disgusting bastard your father helped to create, and you forced me to act like this. I know very well that both you and your friend Sehun care a lot for the man and I can guarantee you that no harm has been done to him so far, however, that can change quickly if you resist me further.”

“And pray tell, Jia, what is it that you so desperately want from him?” asked Sehun, lowly, voice reverberating smoothly through the room, scaring some of the people already in it.

“I want his death, plain and simple!” she stated, earning some gasps and probably would earn Sehun a smashed phone if Jongdae had not pulled Chanyeol to his side. “I am not going to sugarcoat it; I do not want that filth to own what I’ve achieved throughout the years, with a lot of effort, just because my husband couldn’t keep it in his pants. And now, with your publicity about your fake engagement, you can’t fool me on that, he is everyone’s sweetheart which has made my plans a lot harder, because people absolutely love him, especially the media.”

“That is very true.” hummed Sehun “However, I also made him untouchable. If you ever do something to him, people will know and there will be a riot. We can also be pretty strategical when we want to.”

“Valid point; however, I now have Luhan, which balances things. You do want your brother back Sehun, don’t you?”

“Of course but is my fiancé we are talking about…”

“We all know that the engagement is nothing but a very well developed scheme to protect that mutt, so please, abstain yourself from making such comments, they are not flattering to my intelligent or yours.”

“I am just stating a fact.”

“Don’t tell me that little rat has gotten into you? From what I was told, by my men, he did scream out your name when they…played with him.”

“Is that what you are calling it now?” asked Sehun with a chuckle; Yixing could see his trembling hand. “I don’t like your proposal, not even a fan of what you are planning to do so, unless you come with a much better one, I will leave you to your devices. You can call me when what you have to offer is more satisfactory; after all, you know my number, apparently.”

“What about Kris? Does he know that you are forgetting his lover and his brother, for the sake of an unwanted child? Can he live with the fact that every bruise that will be cast upon your brother skin, due to your stubbornness, could be stopped and he didn’t do a thing?” the noise that Kris made: a guttural sound from the back of his throat was enough answer. “It’s a big burden isn’t it Kris? Especially when it comes to your lover. Since I am a very and willing person, I will allow you one day to think about what you are going to do before Luhan starts to pay for your misbehaving. I bid you farewell and hope to hear a favorable answer from you very soon.”

Kris looked very lost, not looking at anyone in front of him, eyes focusing instead on the spots that weren’t occupied with someone.

Noting the silent that had been cast onto the room Jia wasn’t that thick as not to notice, she hung up, not making any other sound.

“What are you planning to do?” asked Yixing, looking at Sehun, eyes perfectly neutral, even if Sehun could detect a hint of pleading behind them.

“I think” began the auburn haired man “that you should ask Kris about that. He was the one who practically said nothing the whole conversation, even though it seems he has a lot to say, isn’t that right Kris?”

Kris panicked face set the first alarm ringing on Sehun’s mind; the second alarm came when the giant opened his mouth.

“She is going to hurt Luhan! She is going to beat him and we can’t allow it. We can ask Baekhyun…”

“No!” came the flat, short answer from Sehun, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Yixing and even Minseok.

“Are you really sacrificing your brother like that Kris?” asked Minseok completely shocked at the words he was hearing “Does he means that little to you?”

“Luhan was brought into this mess because…”

“Don’t even finish that sentence or I’ll punch you in the face.” growled Jongdae, looking furious. “He wanted none of this, all he wanted was to live in peace until your mother came into the picture and killed his, forcing him to face the world alone for years because of that psychopath. The most he learned about love was from books and sometimes he tells me that he will never know what love is because he is no pretty heroine from a book. Do you know how ed up that is? He was forced into this situation and you kept pulling him to do things he was against; moving here agree to be Sehun’s fiancé…rings any bell? You all need to stop blaming him for every freaking problem. When did you stop looking at him as your brother and chose to look at him like a burden?”

The words were spoken with such harsh brutality and with such venom that people actually recoiled; a furious Jongdae was a force to be reckon, even if the smaller man tended to not be involved on drama.

“Calm down, Jongdae.” begged Chanyeol, grabbing the smaller’s

“Calm down? Calm down?! I can’t calm down knowing that that giant pile of blond is trying to sell his own brother for the sake of a man he likes, without trying to think about another solution, without considering all options; that is what is angering me so much: the fact that he takes the easy way out and actually is thinking of doing with so easily.”

“You don’t have to be upset; he is not doing anything to Baekhyun.” stated Chanyeol calmly, looking sharply at Kris “We won’t let anyone do him any harm.”

“I need to check on him!” declared Jongdae suddenly, acting with a sudden anxiousness that was rather unexpected.

“He’s fine…”

But Jongdae was already out of the door, no doubt, taking swift steps into their shared room, Chanyeol following him,

There was suddenly an awkward tension on the room, especially since Sehun was glaring at Kris who looked more lost, and a little bit angry, probably due to Jongdae’s accusations.

“Minseok, return to bed, since you are not yet up to the best condition, Kyungsoo please go with him and assure yourself that he is resting. Tao, go and tell the staff to go and sleep and lock everything, make sure you activate the alarm.”

“What about Jongin?” asked the tall male.

“He is probably drinking himself stupid at some bar, like he has been doing, so he’ll only return tomorrow, don’t worry about it.”

Suddenly there was only Yixing, Sehun and Kris in the room. The older ones, as it should be, discussing this. It made sense, in a way, since Yixing was defending Baekhyun, Kris wanted Luhan back at any cost, and Sehun wanted them both safe.

“Tell me you are not considering it Kris, or I am going to lose all the respect that I have ever felt for you.” said Yixing, eyes focused on the other man. “Jongdae might have been really harsh but he made a very valid point. You are panicking and offering Baekhyun as a sacrifice, without thinking of options to make things work for us. You are giving up on your brother, who came here to help you, despite not being recovered, and submitting him to the same torture, torture that could lead to his death?”

“Recovered?” asked Kris dumbly.

“Yes, your mother messed him quite good some time ago.”

“I did not know that…”

“Of course you didn’t,” scoffed Yixing “you were more concern about him being here, since it would lead you to Luhan. It was the meaning behind his appearance, not him.”

“I didn’t…”

“Don’t try to convince me that it wasn’t like that because it was exactly like that” cut Yixing, his semblance darkening fast.

“I think it’s really pointless to try and convince people that it wasn’t like that. I understand your motives Kris but they aren’t enough to throw your brother under the bus like this. We will find a better way to make this work and you are forbidden to do anything without my permission.”

“You’re forbidding me?” asked Kris, dismay evident in his face.

“Yes, I am.” replied Sehun with a sharp edge to his voice that hinted at a threat.

“You cannot forbid me to do whatever I want to!”

The sudden hand grasping at his neck made Kris stumble back, eyes widening in panic at the sudden action and the lack of air that passed through his airways.

“You aren’t going to move a finger on anything related to this matter because if I find that you do, I’ll cut your fingers one by one and rip your tongue out. You will not harm Baekhyun in any way.”

“You are singing a different tune.” gasped Kris “I thought you hated my brother. You almost murdered him when you found him again.”

“Baekhyun is untouchable! We might not have the best of the relationships at the moment but that is between us, you have no saying in that.”

“He’s my brother!” argued Kris hotly.

“And he is my lover!” replied Sehun just as hotly, making Kris shut up very fast and Yixing’s head turn to him, in a swift movement that was sure to give him whiplash. “He is my lover and I am refusing to sacrifice him over my brother or Luhan for him. They are irreplaceable and I will find a solution to this problem.”

Using the hand gripping onto Kris’ collar, Sehun dragged the man to the entrance door of the room they were in, pushing the man out of the room.

“Now, get out of my sight. You’re disgusting.”

He closed the door after Kris turned around to look at him, opting to stay away from the man and cool off, sitting on a chair, hand placed on top of his eyes, tired of all the problems that

“Your lover?” he heard Yixing ask, the lilt of his tone seemingly both inquisitive and surprised. “Have you told him that?”

“Don’t ask questions that you already know the answer.” replied Sehun, uncovering his eyes, to look at the man in front of him. “Of course I haven’t.”

“Are you planning on doing it? I think it would be beneficial to the both of you. You’re each other’s best therapy, you can heal each other.”

“What happened to the stay away from him?”

“Vanished from the moment you defended him from Kris. I know you like him; it was never a secret, you can disguise the negative feelings well, you are used to him but not what you feel for him, it much too new for you to be able to do it. Also he really likes you.”

“Glad to know I have you approval.” mumbled Sehun sarcastically.

“Be thankful for it, I am the only one who has your back right now.” replied the man “Now, I’ll fix you a drink. You both need it. Also, it gives us some think to think over this situation and to try to come up with an answer to our problems.”

“Bring the whole bottle.” grumbled Sehun, making Yixing laugh, moving to lie on the leather couch on the room. It was going to be a long night.

“Everything is going according to what was planned; Kris was undoubtedly swayed by your proposal, he didn’t even flinch at the possibility of selling his own brother to you. It’s very clear where does his interests lay, in this case Luhan.”

“That is very good; very good indeed.” purred Jia, her Chinese accent coming out more clearly with her good disposition. “I am very happy with this outcome; my son priorities could not remain forever with that little blond bastard.”

“I can assure you that they are not. Luhan has become his priority and Baekhyun is now the key to his problem, not his brother.” remarked a dark, low voice, to the mouthpiece of the phone.

“You have been a very loyal ally, my son, and the job you are doing there is remarkable. Surely it took a very long while but it will all be worthy in the end. We will come out of this victorious, covered in glories, after defeating both Byun and Oh Sehun, with just one, clean, sweeping motion.”

“I surely hope so; I have been working far too hard for this moment and I do desire to watch them crumble.”

“You shall be rewarded immensely.”

“There is no better reward or one more satisfying than to see them dying and finally recover all that should be mine!” commented the voice, a terrifying lilt to his voice that made Jia, on the other side of the line, shiver slightly, goosebumps on her arms. “I will have it all and they won’t. Death never sounded more appealing.”

The connection was shut soon after and the man walked to the balcony of his room, as the day he was born, his loyal cigarette placed between his fingers, peering into the dark winter sky.

“Yes.” he whispered into the night, a languid drag of nicotine from his cancer stick, blowing it to the cold air. “Death will look magnificent on you.” 

A/N: I wish I could have another excuse but I really don't, work has been kicking my and I couldn't update this any sooner T-T (I want vacations...scratch that, I NEED THEM!!!!) But, after a long struggle between working and writing, it's finally here. It's another filler chapter, focused more on Sehun and his struggles (what struggles? he pretty much admited that he is cray cray over a certain someone) and Kris favoring Luhan over his brother (all hail to stupid Kris!!)
Also, Junmyeon will appear soon enough and so is Jongin, I didn't forget them ^^
So tell me, what did you think of this chapter? Did it much or it wasn't that bad? I hope you come and talk to me, whether it is through PM's or comments. Also, subscribe if you like it and maybe upvote (pretty please???)
I hope all of you are doing really well and, to those with exams, all the luck in the world, do great! 
Be safe, be healthy, love, be loved and be HAPPY!
May you all have an amazing weekend, week, year, life!
Lots and lots of love ^^