Baekhyun felt tears b his eyes as the door was slammed shut, caging him in the unfamiliar car. He stared longingly out of the blackened window, watching Luhan argue with one of the men who had lead him to the car. His eyes scanned over the confused faces of his classmates who, only in a short time, Baekhyun had started to feel comfortable around.

He managed to look away from the faces that he’d probably never see again, staring at his shaking hands, he was nervous, nervous of what would happen to him at the mends of not only Chanyeol’s family but his own. But most of all he felt betrayed by Chanyeol, he really let himself believe that Chanyeol wanted to be friends with him, he was stupid, why would someone like Chanyeol want to be friends with someone like him? This scenario made much more sense in Baekhyun’s mind. Chanyeol was building a trust with him to get secrets from him, and when that didn’t work he called his dad to come and kidnap him. Chanyeol was just like the rest of them and Baekhyun had been stupid enough to let his guard down.

He watched, glossy eyed, as Chanyeol got out of the car in front of him, he silently prayed he wouldn’t come and taunt him, joke about how easy it was to trick Baekhyun into trusting him. The taler didn’t look like himself, his eyes were full of anger and hurt as he swung the door of the backseat open and got in next to Baekhyun, closing the door behind him.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Baekhyun staring blankly at his lap, refusing to acknowledge the taller’s presence. While Chanyeol stared intently at the small cowering boy, taking in how weak and broken the male looked.

Only the sound of Chanyeol’s soft breathing and the muffled shouts from outside could be heard and the tension was killing the smaller.

It wasn’t long until Baekhyun felt Chanyeol move up into the middle seat, not taking his eyes off his face and approaching him as you would a scared animal. He didn’t think twice before wrapping his arms around the smaller male’s stiff shoulders, resting his chin on the top of Baekhyun’s lowered head.

Baekhyun didn’t move, he didn’t havethe will to push Chanyeol off or the compassion to hug him back, he just sat there, eyes glued to his lap listening to Chanyeol’s rhythmic breathing, exhausted, he started to fall asleep.

“Alright Sir, home sweet home.” The driver turned to face Chanyeol in the back of the car, who was cradling a sleeping Baekhyun like he was the most precious thing on the planet.

Chanyeol reluctantly tore his eyes away from Baekhyun’s sleeping form to see the mansion he had grown up in before being shipped off to boarding school at age 9, only coming back home for holidays, this term he was here early.

Unstrapping Baekhyun’s seatbelt he lifted his small frame bridal style out of the car, squinting at the sunshine that made the large driveway glow.

“Chanyeol! Put him down, let Jiyoung take him.” Mr Park ordered as Jiyoung tried to lift Baekhyun out of Chanyeol’s hold.

“Don’t touch him.” Chanyeol growled, holding Baekhyun closer to his chest as he walked past his father into the house.

“Yeol! You’re back!” His mum gasped, running towards him but stopping when she saw the face of the sleeping boy in his arms. “W-where did you find him?” She asked, her hands covering . “Is he alright?”

Chanyeol frowned. “You know who this is?”

She nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Byun Baekhyun, I almost didn’t reconise him with his pink hair.” She looked around, as if trying to decide what to do with him. “Why do you have him?”

“Dad didn’t tell you?”

His mum looked confused, his dad rarely discussed things like this with her. “Tell me what?”

“I’ll explain later, can you get Hyuna to cook something warm up while I take care of Baek?”

His mum nodded, turning and walking towards the kitchen, looking back one more time at Baekhyun, frowning. Chanyeol got the feeling she knew things he didn’t.

Chanyeol kicked open the door to his bedroom, peeling back the duvet and laying Baekhyun down slowly and gently, careful not to wake the small boy, getting under the covers with him.

Baekhyun stirred slightly, frowning before falling back to sleep, his lips parted and face peaceful, Chanyeol didn’t know people could look this perfect whilst sleeping. His hand cupped Baekhyun’s face, remembering the time he had kissed the smaller outside his tent. It all made sense now. Baekhyun had never kissed anyone because he wanted allowed to, not because no one wanted to. But the one thing Chanyeol couldn’t get his head around was the marriage comment Baekhyun had made... about having his first kiss at his wedding. Is that why Baekhyun ran away? Arranged marriages weren’t uncommon, especially in families like Baekhyun’s so the idea wasn’t so far-fetched.

Chanyeol felt the guilt weighing on him. This was all his fault, Baekhyun ran away for a reason. He thought back to the way his mum had looked at Baekhyun, with so much hurt and sorrow in her eyes, it seemed like he was the only one who didn’t know what had happened to Baekhyun.

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol whispered, and he meant it. He wished he could go back and just leave Baekhyun alone. He probably hated him now.

He snuggled closer so that their foreheads met, fingertips brushing over the tearstains under Baekhyun’s eyes. “You don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve you.”

Baekhyun woke up in a strange room with unfamiliar sheets and an unfamiliar bed. His first reaction is to scream but then the memories of the early morning came flooding back to him and he swallowed down his fear. He was in Chanyeol’s room, he could tell by the big ‘PCY’ sign above the TV.

The door creaked open and Baekhyun pulled the covers over his head, expecting Chanyeol to walk in, instead he heard the sound of high heeled shoes on the wooden floor. They stopped next to the bed and he felt the mattress dip as the woman had sat on the edge of it.

“Baekhyun?” He voice was sweet and melodic, yet unsure and nervous.

He reluctantly pulled the covers down off his face to look at the small woman. She was about the same height as him, with straight dark hair tied loosely in a low bun. Her skin was flawless apart from a few wrinkles near her eyes and forehead.

He nodded as she smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. “Chanyeol brought you in here but I’ve arranged another room for you across the hall so you have your own space, my son can be a bit overbearing sometimes but he means well.” She smiled fondly at the thought of her son. It reminded Baekhyun of his mum. He wanted to go back to her, he wanted to go home.

The thought of his mum worrying about him at home made tears spill out of his eyes, ducking his head in embarrassment as he sat up, trying to wipe his tears but they just kept coming.

Mrs Park gasped, running around to Baekhyun’s side of the bed frantically and grabbing his hands, holding them in her own. “Oh Darling I’m so sorry and I know that doesn’t mean anything but I have to urge you that this is not your fault.” She told him, her eyes pleading. Baekhyun wondered why she cared so much.

He sniffed, letting the tears roll down his face onto the duvet. “I-I miss her.” He choked out.

Mrs Park nodded, understanding. “Of course you do, but Hyerin is a strong woman and she’d want you to be strong too.”

Baekhyun stopped crying, turning to meet Mrs Park’s caring eyes. “How do you know my mother’s name?”

“Oh.” Mrs Park looked down at her hands, which were holding Baekhyun’s shaking ones. “Your mother and I were- no are, very good friends.”

“What happened?” Baekhyun prompted, confused to why his mother had never mentioned her.

“I had the chance to bring you back to her.” Mrs Park paused for breath, clutching Baekhyun’s hands tighter. “Twice in fact, but I didn’t, I couldn’t.” She swallowed thickly, her eyes meeting Baekhyun’s “I’m sorry Baekhyun I really am.”