It’s not what Chanyeol expected.

He expected what most people expect when they imagine Hell. Flames surrounding a throne of human remains, torture everywhere you look and the little red devil man holding a plastic red trident. Y’know, the usual.

Apparently that all changed, because when Chanyeol was on his deathbed at the age of 27, dying by blood loss from a gun wound to his heart, he didn’t see ‘Hell’ after he out, he saw the New York subway station.

It was kind of like that scene from Harry Potter, really, except without the creepy baby under the bench. Everything was muted tones of colour, dark and dreary, confusing Chanyeol even more. Wasn’t this supposed to be how he got to Heaven? He was raised in a devout Christian family, doesn’t that automatically make him eligible for the Kingdom in the Sky?

Apparently that wasn’t the deal anymore because as Chanyeol looked around he saw the smallest glimmer of light, the only positive thing in this strange existence. Keeping up with the subway theme, the light turned out to be an approaching train, slowly coming to a halt in front of Chanyeol.

The boy raised an eyebrow at the train as its doors opened. His pocket felt heavier so he reached down and picked out a single ticket, looking down to examine it. The sight of his still present gun wound irked him a bit, but he tried to focus on his ticket instead.

It was written in illegible chicken scratch in a language he couldn’t even understand or put a name to it. All those years of learning English really had no use, huh. 

A single hand reached out of the blackness of the subway carriage, beckoning him forward. On command, Chanyeol took two steps forward and placed his ticket in the disturbingly long arm’s palm. The hand grasped the ticket for a second before tossing it to the side, quickly reaching forward a couple of inches to grasp at the neck of Chanyeol’s t-shirt, dragging him onto the carriage.

Then everything was black.

Then it wasn’t.

Chanyeol felt himself be pushed onto a seat and the lights slowly began to flicker back on as the train started to move. 

He looked around at the other passengers, but none of them made eye-contact with him. Every seat was full and Chanyeol was squished between two much larger ogre looking creatures. They were both covered in blood that oozed from wounds in their heads, dripping onto the floor and making a puddle around Chanyeol’s feet.

He grimaces and slowly pulls his feet up onto the chair, hugging his knees to his chest.

It was a long journey, and it felt like they were in an endless tunnel, the windows were out every time Chanyeol looked behind himself.

No one spoke, passengers were either checking out their wounds if they had any, probably thinking the same things as Chanyeol. Confusion and anger at why there were on this subway, that rattled and creaked with every dip in the tracks, instead of drinking in Heaven with the rest of their family. Easy, they all ed up somewhere.

Chanyeol doesn’t like to think he’s a bad person, but he is. Doesn’t want to admit he messed up his life somewhere along the lines, even though he has.

Finally, the train begins to slow to a stop, and Chanyeol sighs in relief as the two ogres stand up from beside him. He spreads himself out along the three seats, soaking himself in their blood but he doesn’t care, he’s been trapped in the vertical fetal position for too long.

Someone above him clears their throat and Chanyeol opens an eye to see what can only be classified as a Demon staring down at him. He quickly sits up and blinks twice at the man in front of him.

“Where did you get on?”

“Uh..” Chanyeol narrows his eyes, racking his brain for what to say. “Earth? I got on at Earth?”

The Demon sighs, looking down at a clipboard he’s holding, pointing his index finger at various stations and tutting every now and then. “You’re not... This isn’t-hold on,” The lights go black and then the Demon is gone.

When the lights turn back on there’s a young boy standing in front of Chanyeol.

“Can I sit here?” The boy asks and Chanyeol nods slowly, moving up to the end of the bench.

Chanyeol doesn’t know to to strike a conversation with the boy, so he doesn’t until the male sitting next to him does.

“Hello,” It’s simple but it sounds lovely coming from the boy’s mouth. “What’s your name?”

“Chanyeol, what about you?” He feels like a child again, he hasn’t had to introduce himself to anyone since he left high school.

“Baekhyun, I’d ask what you’re doing here but it seems pretty obvious. So, where are you from?”

“...Earth?” Chanyeol doesn’t know if that’s the right thing to say but Baekhyun nods slowly. “Yourself?”

“Ganymede, I knew you looked too human to be from outside the Milky Way,”

“The moon?” Chanyeol furrows his brows, unable to comprehend that Baekhyun was in his galaxy at all.

“That’s the one,” Baekhyun smiles widely and if Chanyeol believed in Heaven anymore he’d compare him to an angel.

“Can I ask why you’re here or do we have to wait another thousand years for that?” Baekhyun asks, grinning.

“I was in a gang that did a lot of bad ,” Chanyeol admits. If he doesn’t tell someone he’d wrestle with himself forever. “I paid the price,”

“How old are you?” 

“27,”

“Damn, that’s pretty young to die from something like that,” Baekhyun sympathises, pouting.

“What about you?”

“Old age,”

Chanyeol stares blankly at the boy who looks a decade younger than him, until Baekhyun makes a noise of acknowledgement.

“Our years are longer than Earth years and we live shorter lives,” Baekhyun explains and Chanyeol still doesn’t get it, but he’s got forever for Baekhyun to tell him.

“If you died of old age why are you here?” 

“I’m gay,”

“That’s seriously messed up if that’s why,” Chanyeol frowns and Baekhyun leans closer to him.

“It’s not, but I thought I should let you know,” He grins and Chanyeol turns away, cheeks red.

“Don’t tell me you’re straight,” 

“I’ve never thought about it? I didn’t have time for relationships,”

“Did you have time for yourself?” Baekhyun’s smile turns mischievous as Chanyeol blushes deeper. 

“Can we not?” He whines and Baekhyun laughs, sitting back in his original position.

Chanyeol glances at his reflection in the glass, Baekhyun’s head resting on his shoulder as he cuddles close to Chanyeol. He smiles and looks down at the boy, brushing some hair out of the boy’s hair.

Forever doesn’t seem so long when you’ve got someone to spend it with.