The entire hut was silent. So silent that it was almost possible to hear the rushing blood in one’s veins; the diaphragm contracting on their thoraxes and even the faint ‘thump thump’ of beating hearts.

Nobody dared to move or speak as Baekhyun and Yixing stood face to face, regarding each other with such longing, shock and fear; they weren’t even sure that they were supposed to; after all, they didn’t quite understand whatever was happening.

Sehun was the one who grasped the truth about the situation quicker, although he could see Jongdae slowly joining the pieces together really slowly. As he thought about everything said, done and also the trio’s back story, he understood that this man in front of them, Yixing, who they had been trying to include in their pack, was none other than Baekhyun’s brother, the one who had been separated from Baekhyun when he was a child; his proper brother, per say.

 How did he know? First, he remembered the story that Jongin had told them: there was no irrefutable or physical evidence that his brother had ever died, so him being in front of them was really not impossible. Secondly, Baekhyun was just saying to Sehun that he smelled something familiar, a smell that he couldn’t identify although there was familiarity. And lastly, the look on Baekhyun’s face as the words proffered by Yixing, which were the realest and best clue ever.

Yet, Yixing and Baekhyun were still face to face, unsure of what to say or what to do, which Sehun thought was understandable, what would anyone do if they found their brother, whom they haven’t seen for years, in front of them, while they lived a miserable life thinking they were dead? Sehun could not begin to imagine.

Jongin was the one to interrupt the challenge by coming near Baekhyun’s back, supporting his brother in case it was needed.

“Can one of you explain what’s happening? Because I don’t think anyone understands what’s going on, except maybe for Sehun who has an air around him of understanding that I lack!”

“Want to explain, Sehun?” asked Baekhyun calmly, eyes still poised on Yixing’s form in front of him.

“Yixing is Baekhyun’s brother.” Replied the taller male after a few seconds of hesitating.

“What the hell does that mean?” asked Chanyeol, growing agitated and beginning to growl a little.

“Exactly what I meant!” snapped Sehun; it was not the moment for Chanyeol to vent up his pent up aggression, especially on Sehun who really didn’t have the patience to deal with him on top of all of the other things.

Chanyeol made a move to say something, probably not nice, to Sehun but a glance from Jongdae stopped him from doing it. Sehun didn’t know if was because he didn’t want to worsen up the situation or that he didn’t want to worsen up his relationship with Jongdae; it’s not like it was bad but Jongdae had, indeed, glared at the taller man and he guessed that the taller wasn’t really into having the smaller angry at him for obvious reasons.

Jongdae approached Yixing by his side, careful enough as to not overstep the man’s personal space. He looked at the men in front of him, eyes widening slightly as he too understood the predicament they were in, his mouth hanging open slightly before he composed himself.

“Oh!” he managed finally, putting all the puzzle pieces in their correct spaces. “So this was the brother that Jongin told us about once.” 

“What?” asked the aforementioned male, a spark of understanding crossing his eyes. 

“Jongin, you told us about how Baekhyun had a family that was massacred when he was small, that he was separated from his brother who was presumed dead. Well, if my assumptions are correct, which I think they are, I think that Baekhyun’s brother was never dead and that they just met each other.”

Both Chanyeol and Jongin’s heads turned to both men with widened eyes, clearly shocked, which made Sehun huff a little: it wasn’t as impossible as everyone made it to be, and Yixing did call Baekhyun his brother.

The silence that spread around the hut again was somewhat uncomfortable, especially now that the figurative cat was out of the bag and also due to the faces that… well, Chanyeol was making.

Sehun slid his eyes back to Baekhyun and his heart ached for the man; the usually stoic Baekhyun looked absolutely distraught and there was a clear internal fight that was messing the man up.

It was only natural, thought Sehun, finding the last piece of your childhood, of your innocence, in front of you after so many years of living a lie would take its toll on anyone. It was hard enough that it was Baekhyun’s last family member, who brought so many wanted and unwanted memories and, on top of that, it was a part of Baekhyun’s life that he didn’t know; how could he know Yixing after so many years apart? Of so many years surpassing the most atrocious obstacles just to survive? Baekhyun didn’t know Yixing anymore and Yixing didn’t know Baekhyun either. They were siblings, a bond linked them together permanently in a strong and indestructible way, but who was that person that they called brother? Who was in front of them? Nothing more than a stranger and that was sad and heartbreaking and it was the first time that Sehun saw the vulnerability in Baekhyun’s voice. He truly looked like a small child inside of a rock solid body, unsure and scared.

“Baekhyun!” called Yixing, sounding very overwhelmed, in the brinks of tears, at the sight of his brother.

Baekhyun didn’t answer his brother, he wasn’t sure if he was able to do it. This was Xing, his big brother, no doubt about that, he could see it in the other’s face: the similar shape of their eyes, although Baekhyun’s looked a little droopier than Yixing’s, the angular yet oval shape of their face, the high cheekbones, long necks, fair skin and elegant and long fingers, on a hand that was, by itself, slender. The only thing that differed a little was their height, the shape of their nose and the fact that Yixing, who was older than Baekhyun, looked a little more mature, the lines on his face, beginning to indicate that he wasn’t a pup but a full adult while Baekhyun was still a young adult.

However, when they were put side to side, the resemblances between them were more evident and the more everyone looked, the more similar they looked. 

Yixing was the first to really move by lurching forward and embracing the slightly smaller male in his arms holding him tightly against his chest. Baekhyun went stiff as a board as his brother’s skin made contact with his own, not used to this kind of affection, much less coming from a person whom he thought and assumed, was dead. Baekhyun simply wasn’t the one for such gestures.

“You are alive!” exclaimed Yixing in such a happy tone that lifted some of the awkwardness and tension in the air. “You survived! You managed to survive all these years! I am so thankful and in shock, you were so little! I am so grateful to Mother Earth for looking out for you and allowing me to find you after all these years.”

The older man’s hand traced very gently the contours of Baekhyun’s face, as if he was trying to convince himself that the other was real and the situation was real as well; Sehun could understand how much of a dream the current situation looked like.

“How did you survive? How did you make it?”

“I managed to survive off of fruits and vegetables until someone found me and took me in. Mother.” replied the male stiffly, gaining a frown from Yixing because their mother was dead, that he was a hundred percent sure of: he had seen it.

“Our mother!” replied Jongin from the other side, pointing to himself and Chanyeol. “She found him in the forest one day and took him home. I wasn’t born yet but she told us the story a vast amount of times.”

“Thank you!” said Yixing to both. “Thank you so much for taking of Baekhyun, and for giving him shelter and protection. He’s grown into a fine young man. I wish to express my thanks to your mother!”

“Our mother’s dead.” replied Baekhyun in a dead tone, making everyone look at him.

The male was pale in the face and looked extremely upset. Sehun didn’t know the male too well but, from the looks of it, everyone was so utterly shocked at the fact that Baekhyun and Yixing were brothers, that no one noticed how the man’s breathing patterns had changed and how he was growing agitated: he was about to have a meltdown and that, for sure, Sehun knew it.

It was no surprise for him; he couldn’t really speak for the rest of them. Baekhyun disentangled himself from Yixing’s touch and moved near the window inside the hut, the one that they had climbed in from.

“Baekhyun!” called Yixing agitated, feeling protective and anxious at the lack of his brother’s presence: it had been too many years without him; Yixing wasn’t going to let Baekhyun out of his sight that quickly. 

But Baekhyun was feeling cornered and a cornered wolf was a scary thing; it was too much at the same time and for someone like the berserker who had already gone through so much, this proved to be the breaking point.

“Baekhyun!!” called Yixing again throwing a hand in the other’s direction and hoping that the other would accept it.

Caught a little in the panic that was building inside of him, Baekhyun took a couple of steps back knocking into a bookshelf which rattled enough to send a wooden bowl with some acorns that Jongdae had picked up, onto the ground. The sound was enough to make Yixing back away a little, trying not to step on the acorns that, in turn, bumped into Jongdae; the beta stumbled back as well, almost falling into the ground if not for Chanyeol’s quick reaction.

Using the distraction that the moment had provided, Baekhyun vaulted out the window, effectively running away from them and camouflaging himself into the wilderness behind the other’s house.

Yixing, noticing his brother’s actions, made a move to follow him but was stopped by Sehun’s soft but commanding tone of voice.

“No...” exclaimed the beta, shaking his head in Yixing’s direction. 

Yixing stopped and looked over at Sehun, pain written clearly on his face, expecting the male to give him a reason.

“It will do you no good going after him. I know he is your brother and you want to see him but, try and understand him and what he is feeling right now, just a little.”

“I have feelings too Sehun...” replied Yixing, in a much softer way than the beta expected; his mind had been prepared for the alpha to act like his wolf rank demanded and be easily incensed at his actions.

 “I know you do, I respect your feelings, but Baekhyun is someone who was alone for a long time and whose social skills are lacking a little, although I commend him for not turning up on you because he felt cornered. Baekhyun is great and fantastic aat hunting and chasing prey, he is a good protector of others and he will die for them, but he simply isn’t good when it comes to his feelings and he’s overwhelmed right now. It’s too much for him to grasp and he doesn’t know how to act or behave. The part of him that he thought was forever lost, his tie with what he knew as an infant is back, and that’s shocking. Obviously, you had a pack that could help you to grow up and develop yourself in a natural, normal way; he didn't. Just... give him a little space.”

“But he’s alone...” replied Yixing and, for the first time, Sehun saw a glimpse of a blood red color coming up to the alpha’s eyes.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll talk to him.” Stated the beta calmly, moving to get up and out of his bed.

“I should talk to him!” cut Chanyeol quickly, still encasing Jongdae’s gently in his arms. “He is much as my brother as he is yours!”

“Sehun will do it!” interjected Jongin in a midnight, obscure voice that made everyone turn to him and see his light, light, green eye glowing. “He will help Baekhyun; he’ll know what to say and Baekhyun will listen to him.”

“But I’m his brother!” replied Chanyeol at the same time, making Yixing growl slightly in his direction, making the taller growl as well, feeling threatened by the other.

“Stop it you two!” growled Jongdae this time, surprising everyone at the sudden display of authority, which wasn’t usual for the serene beta, especially considering the state of his voice. “Listen to Jongin, he knows what’s best!”

Jongdae knew that following Jongin’s words would be their best option, after all he experienced first-hand how accurate his words were, making the beta stick to what the other’s said and listen to him.

The order seemed to have the desired effect as both Yixing and Chanyeol stopped growling immediately and relaxed a little, although they still remained as stiff as boards.

“Good!” huffed the beta. “Now, Sehun is going to talk with Baekhyun; please do not strain yourself! As for the rest of us we are going to wait for them here and the four of us are going to talk a little and try to understand each other better in order to help Baekhyun, is this understood?”

Sehun said nothing but laughed as he, as well, vaulted from the window, wincing a little when his strained and hurt back protested at the movements, leaving the foursome to discuss whatever they wished to discuss. Jongdae was in a no nonsense mood, and he trusted his best friend to keep things in order until he came back. Right now, his priority was to retrieve and calm the other wolf. His priority was to find Baekhyun.

Baekhyun ran into the wilderness without a care to who he might’ve found. He needed to get out of that hut, the anxiousness and nervousness were making him vulnerable and he hated the feeling with a deep passion.

He stopped near a small clearing that was used to extract sap from trees from what Baekhyun could see. It was still raining so no one would be here at this moment. The wolf sat down by the side of a tree, partially hidden by a bolder and he let his head fall back. 

His mind was blank; completely and utterly blank. Or rather there were so many thoughts in his head that they blended together and created a white noise effect that made it hard for him to concentrate on a single thought, and dissect it.

He sighed; it hadn’t been his intention to leave like this, to run away from his family and what he could call friends, but he felt himself losing control and he couldn’t possibly stay there much longer in fear of doing something really stupid. He knew that Yixing had probably been hurt by his actions, at least that was what he gathered from the man’s reaction when he bolted out, but it had been better than this. He hated losing control and he hated being vulnerable; he would never want to feel both, especially in front of those who relied on him.

A noise made him look around, alert and ready to attack until a familiar voice reached his ears.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding?”

Sehun appeared in his line of vision seconds after his voice cut the air, and Baekhyun looked over at the taller beta, frowning a little when he saw how the other moved slowly, hunched figure dragging his feet on the ground. 

The tall man stopped in front of him, making him look up at the sharp features and soft eyes in front of him.

“May I sit down?” asked Sehun softly, pointing with his chin for the place near Baekhyun.

“Why are you asking?” questioned Baekhyun back, eyes narrowing the slightest fraction, even though he wasn’t even mad.

“Because you might not want me to. I came to check up on you, as you probably figured, everyone is a little worried and I came to see if you are okay and, possibly, talk to you a little. However, I am not going to overstep any boundaries, if you don’t want to talk or you want to be alone, I’ll leave.”

The beta’s words, as his face, were sincere, Baekhyun could tell as much.

The rain still fell down harshly and Baekhyun noted that the taller’s hair was completely sticking to his forehead, the dark color accentuating the fairness of the skin, even fairer than his own. It was pretty, he thought absentmindedly before scooting over just a fraction, allowing Sehun to sit next to him, and cover himself a little with the leaves from the tree above them. It was not very much of a cover but it stopped the water a little.

With a bigger amount of effort than he would’ve liked, Sehun sat down on the floor and tried to settle himself into a position where his back wouldn’t touch anything that it shouldn’t: it still hurt at times and it was sore. Baekhyun seemed to note his predicament and took of his own robe, balling it up and placing it up behind Sehun’s back. It wasn’t like a pillow, not by far, but at least, helped a little with the discomfort and it was better to his back, even if only by a small margin.

“Thank you....” mumbled Sehun, sighing a little as his upper back dug into the soft material of the robe.

Without the robe, Baekhyun’s shirt was quickly wet and Sehun looked, with a greater amount of interest as it begun to stick into the other’s form, revealing tight skin and compact muscles that he knew Baekhyun had, despite the soft and round face that showed.

“You shouldn’t have come after me.” Begun Baekhyun quietly, voice calm and low, not giving away a hint of the anxiousness Sehun knew the other was feeling. “You’re hurt.”

Sehun looked at his left, to the smaller male who watched attentively. He prepared to say something in his own defense but Baekhyun beat him to it.

“Regardless, thank you...”

“I was prepared to leave you alone if needed.” Stated Sehun with a small nod. “This must be a hard situation for you. It has far too big of an emotional charge for you, and let’s be frank, you don’t deal with those very well.”

“I don’t.”

“How are you feeling?” asked Sehun gently, not looking at Baekhyun, opting to focus on a small hare that had leapt into the clearing and was hopping around in search for some grass to munch on, if Sehun was to say something about it.

“Overwhelmed. Very overwhelmed.” replied the smaller male instantaneously, letting a hand rub at his face. “I don’t know how to deal with this. I don’t know what to do…”

“Understandable.”

“It shouldn’t be. I am running away from my brother, what does that say about me?”

“That you’re human. Despite him being your brother, we have to remember that you had a rough childhood and that many years had passed from then to now. We have to acknowledge that the person that was, today, in front of you, is not the same person that you knew when you were a toddler. He grew up and you grew up; apart, under different circumstances, with very different people. He’s a stranger to you and you are a stranger to him. At the moment, that knowledge is stopping him from seeing that, he’s too happy to be reunited with you to realize that he doesn’t know you, and you feel the same but give him time.”

Baekhyun sighed, a sound that came from deep within his chest; he knew that Sehun was right but it made him feel strange and awkward and he didn’t like the feeling.

“It’s just strange.” He whispered. “There’s something in me that recognizes him as someone important in my life, I want to have him by my side and I want him feel the same, but a bigger part of me says that I don’t know him at all, that I shouldn’t want all of that because he’s someone that I had let go of a long time ago, that I force myself to accept that I was never going to see again, and that I would have him only in my memories but now… he’s here.”

Sehun hummed, completely understanding what the other was saying. It was not an easy situation; he certainly wouldn't want something like that. 

“Well, I can’t give you much advice about this subject: it never happened to me so I don’t really know what I would do, or what’s best to do in this sort of situation; however, I do advise you to talk to him, just to clear up things and so that you can come to an understanding between the two of you.”

Baekhyun gave a little smile in Sehun’s direction, thanking the man, wordlessly, for the piece of advice, for understanding him and, well, for the whole conversation and sentiment all together.

“It would be easier if I just wrestled a bear in the woods somewhere.” He ultimately grumbled with lilt that showed that he was being playful.

Sehun chuckled, realizing that the air between them was a little more peaceful and less tense, since Baekhyun was a little calmer after voicing out his inner struggles, even if the man didn’t speak much.

“Do you want to go?” asked Sehun, although he was quite sure that the older man was going to say no.

“No.” replied Baekhyun, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. “Not yet.”

Seeing that Sehun made no move, Baekhyun looked over at the male, frowning a little at him. Sehun must’ve sensed the eyes on him because he turned to look at the older with a pretty smile painted on his lips.

“I am staying.” He stated simply, giving the answer to a question that wasn’t made aloud.

“It’s raining, Sehun. You should take cover; you should also lay on your bed and rest enough so that your back heals properly.”

The small smile that Sehun gave him wasn’t enormously blinding or even a huge smile that made the muscles of your face hurt but it was very soft and endearing, and Baekhyun couldn’t really help but to feel his chest ignite a little, heat spreading up through his entire being and making him warmer than he would like to be. 

The smile made the younger male’s eyes crinkle a little at the corners and a small dimple, barely visible, appeared on the other male's soft cheek. For once, Baekhyun was utterly clueless at how to react but perfectly okay; he usually stressed a little if he couldn’t think or act properly in a certain situation, hence why he had run away from Jongdae’s hut earlier on but, somehow, it didn’t really affect him in this case.

“Thank you.” Said Baekhyun to Sehun, thanking the other man for keeping him company, despite being injured.

“It’s nothing.” Replied Sehun with a laugh bubbling out from his lips. 

“It is.” Replied Baekhyun back with a small chuckle that surprised Sehun. “I am grateful that you are lending me an ear and keeping me company even though you should be resting.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“It is something. It’s difficult for me to talk about … well, me, to people is general but it’s quite easy to talk to you.”

 “That’s because I’m cute!” stated the taller man jokingly, making a little adorable gesture with his hands that gained him a smile from the other wolf.

“Personally, I think it’s because you are not judgmental.” Seeing Sehun’s confused face, Baekhyun explained it further. “You don’t judge me or my brothers for being different. You don’t demand and pressure me to talk about whatever I am thinking or feeling. You also are calm and soothing and that relaxes me. People have a really solid idea of how I should act and behave and, honestly speaking, it doesn’t match how I generally act. It’s difficult for others to understand that I am not what people think I am. Sometimes, I wish I could express this, that I could express myself, to others and that people would listen but I don’t want to burden them with this. It’s silly,”

“It’s not silly.” Replied Sehun softly, smile so, so gentle that even the cold rain fustigating them didn’t matter anymore.

Baekhyun was kind of amazed how anyone could be this warm, this understanding. He had only met a small amount of people like this in his whole life; he could actually count them with a hand, unfortunately, all of them were dead.

Sehun seemed to notice a sort of dazed air about the older wolf and was quick to diffuse it with a humorous jab.

“However, I still think it’s because I’m cute.” He quipped with a playful smile.

The stunned expression on Baekhyun’s face and his subsequent laugh, a deep rippling sound that echoed in the clearing was reward enough.

When Baekhyun and Sehun finally returned to the hut, it had been several hours later; Sehun was actually thankful that it was raining so much because no one was on the streets, which allowed Baekhyun to move freely without being caught by someone.

After the small conversation they had, both wolves had remained in silence for the most part of their time in the clearing before Sehun actually began shivering and Baekhyun, wordlessly, offered him a hand, helping the man to stand up, and leading him to Jongdae’s hut.

When they got inside, both males where surprised to see both Kyungsoo and Minseok were there; when they left, there had been four people inside the place and now? Now there were six and one of them, read Minseok, was not supposed to be aware of the existence of Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongin.

Baekhyun was taken aback by the sudden presence, however, he didn’t say anything and he didn’t even show that he was surprised; instead, he led Sehun to the bed, assisted him in sitting down and even handed him a towel so that Sehun could warm and dry himself.

Only when the male was properly buried in blankets, did Baekhyun turned to their audience, silently asking them why they were reunited in the hut, looking so somber and preoccupied. 

“What happened?” asked Sehun with a sigh, reading the atmosphere in the same way that Baekhyun did, knowing right away that something had happened.

“It might’ve been my fault.” Replied Jongin serenely. 

“What did you do?” asked Baekhyun, looking over at his brother with unreadable eyes.

“I told them about what we found in their village.” Replied the tanned male.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened slightly, almost imperceptibly, chastising himself for not remembering to discuss it with Sehun.

“What did you find?” asked Sehun, eyes sharpening, understanding that the issue was a serious one.

“You didn’t tell him?” asked Chanyeol. “No, it momentarily slipped my mind and I apologize for it.” Replied the male, speaking to Sehun in particular.

“Sit down and hold on tight.” interjected Jongdae with a serious face. “This is going to be a hell of a bomb.”

Sehun sighed; whatever they had to tell him was going to be horrible. He let himself fall on his side, giving an opportunity for his back to rest a little and relieve some of the tension that settled there: it was going to be one hell of a conversation, so he might as well be comfortable.

A/N: Hello everyone, how have you been doing? I hope that you are doing really well. Well, here I deliver another chapter with much more SeBaek moments than ever, their dynamic will begin to switch slowly and fall into place eventually and this chapter is the turning point for them ^^
I would like to thank to the lovely, most amazing person out there:  -lubehan, for beta-ing this chapter for me and for helping me improve my stories, not only for you but also for me. YOU ARE AMAZING! <3
I hope you enjoy this chapter, if you do please subscribe, upvote and comment, and that you'll stay tune for more.
As a warning, I may not be able to update this story next week due to the fact that I am going on a trip for work and, therefore, my time to write will be close to nothing. I do make a promise to try though.
Have a magnificent week and enjoy it to the fullest. Remember: be safe and healthy, love others and allow them to love you and be incredibly HAPPY, at all times!
Lots of love <3 <3 <3