Chanyeol had disappeared after that. The season was nearing spring, the air smelled like melting ice mixed with dirt and the three had small green buds forming at the tips of branches. His lover had attended Kyungsoo’s funeral and just like that, the army general had called on to another conflict. It was a harsh and cruel cycle that never ended. This time, at least, the father of his children would be warm in the trenches.

Baekhyun was in no shape to join the effort and so for another year, he remained alone, cold, tending to his twins.

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The birth of his twins had brought on a different insight about life to Baekhyun. He thought that there was no one else in the world that he would protect than his children. He was surprised to hear that he was to have twins. He didn’t know if it ran in his family, but then again, he really knew nothing about his family. The boy, who had grown to look a little like Baekhyun had a sharp nose and jaggedy black hair. He named him Kyungsoo. He got along well with his twin sister, Sooyoung. Whom was the exact replica of Chanyeol. Her ears pointed like an elf, a goofy smile to match her comedic sense.

They were his everything and yet, Baekhyun felt empty knowing that he still needed Chanyeol to feel full. 

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Baekhyun was itching for a letter from Chanyeol, even a small sign that he was still alive and well. Nothing came. Chanyeol had not even said a proper goodbye to him when he had left for war perhaps as a means to allow them some space. The young boy who was once in the care of his parents, in a large mansion was now taking care of his two children in that very village. Baekhyun was twenty years old now. He felt younger. He knew deep down perhaps his outsides had aged but he truly knew that once Chanyeol would arrive all his maturity would wash away and he would become young again.

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Gathering his things, he took the twins out to play in the snow. The sun had just gone up and Baekhyun found the snow nice and fresh enough for the kids, now aged six to play around in. It wasn’t sticky, but fluffy so that they could jump in it and make snow angels.

Baekhyun threw on a big red scarf trudging around the knee high snow, making a path for his little ones so that they may walk easily. He had forgotten to head to the market to get snowshoes this winter, their last ones had broken.

He finds himself on the porch, sipping at a flavorful green teen he’s laid out on the bench. Flipping pages to a book he finds mildly interesting. 

Green tea has always been his favorite. The herby taste, the lingering bitter feeling it left in his mouth.

“Don’t go to far Kyungsoo!” He says, waving for them to come back.

“It’s a monster!” His son points up at the hill beyond them, pointing to the village, the one he had visited too often. His finger follows an olive green vehicle.

Baekhyun pauses to think about what Kyungsoo was referring to. Trying to match his gaze, he realizes it is not a monster. It’s a massive military truck. 

He jolts up suddenly, almost dropping his tea when he shakes the bench. Taking the hands of both his children, he rushes towards the direction of the village, heart beating fast, and head turning in circles.

The twins are too focused on the truck to pay attention to their father’s sudden shock.

Baekhyun finds himself near the truck now, his eyes glimmering at the soldiers that unload from the truck, dropping down and nodding a small greeting. From the line up he follows a tall one, who smiles right at him. Baekhyun learns to breath again, as if the air in his lungs fully fills now as he inhales. A true, fresh breath of air.

Rushing foreward, he wraps his arms around his love, squeezing his eyes shut, because he hopes that none of this is a dream.

“You’re going to choke me, dear.” Chanyeol’s laugh fills his insides.

“I-I’m sorry,” Baekhyun pulls away immediately, turning red as a tomato and then bringing his children forth.

“K-kyungsoo and Sooyoung, they-”

Chanyeol wastes no time, kneeling down and bringing the twins close to him, holding them like they’re on the edge of a cliff. Baekhyun realizes this is the first time he’s seeing his children, the first time he gets to hold them. It’s a miracle.

He pats their heads, “I’ve been gone too long, I’m sorry little ones.” He smiles sadly.

The twins give him a confused look, their small, imaginative brains not quite grasping who this man was, but still feeling the warmth they give him. They smile to their absent father, before getting distracted by a tank, and running off the look at it.

Baekhyun looks at chanyeol now, clearly, noticing every small thing on his face, a mole under his eyes, a small bruise on his forehead. It’s all clear, before his teary eyes couldn’t make out such detail.

“I’ve-” He begins but Chanyeol shakes his head, removing his bullet cap.

“I’m sure you’d like to make me some green tea. Shall we?” He says, gently taking Baekhyun’s hand in his own.

He nods his head, but before they can gather the kids and walk back to the house, he feels something cold run up his finger. Baekhyun looks to his hand, which is now adorned with a beautiful silver ring. He feels Chanyeol’s calloused hand remove themselves from his own, as Baekhyun stares in amazement at the piece of jewelry.

They don’t need to speak, its as if they had married long ago. Since they met. It’s as if this was only a measure to let the world know that they would be together forever.

“I made it with some twine I found and I stole some jewels from a mine back in Europe. I know it really isn’t much.” Chanyeol says.

Baekhyun feels his heart melt, but feels foolish, like an adolescent boy whose giddy and tingly. He doesn’t like how Chanyeol is always so sly with his words and has the ability to make him feel this way. He wants to try it too. To feel like he had the upper hand.

“Well, It is clever,” Baekhyun says, “Perhaps it would be of use if I wasn’t already married.” 

Chanyeol face is comedic, his eyebrows sowing together as if to form a question he doesn’t know how to ask. Baekhyun likes that he makes him confused, flustered, maybe jealous. Baekhyun sports a small smile, looking at the soldier in triumph.

“You-I...wow I thought you actually.” Chanyeol shakes his head.

Baekhyun smiles now, genuinely his ears moving along with his cheeks, “I was very close,” He says.

Taking the side of Chanyeol's uniform he joins their lips together. Reconnecting their lost lives. A lost generation they would call it later on. Baekhyun had imagined they would meet in the afterlife, he would see their children at an older age, and then they would be at peace. He’s content that they meet now instead, his battle scars, morphine pricks riddling his skin and Baekhyun’s sickly yellow leg.

It’s all of these things that Baekhyun knows makes them who they are. The world may never be at peace, but Baekhyun’s heart finally feels the warmth that green tea could not give. 

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AUTHORS NOTE:

Alright, so I'm sorry for the readers who literally had to wait so many months for this kind of short final. I had many idea's planned out, one of them involving dragging the story furthur and stuff but I decided this wasn't a soap opera and it needed to be ended. I think this ending fits best, If I added one more conflict I feel like that it would just be unfair to the characters, they've been through too much. Anyways, if you enjoyed this, please checkout my other stories. ALSO I have a new one coming out, it's a police officer AU it's MUCH MORE light-hearted than this one. It's more of a romcom because I wanted to try going back into that genre.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!