Debt

Yixing and Baekhyun have a small chat.

Aka the BaekXing chapter I never had, because I was clearly a coward. 

Set: Chapter 35 of Cutlass (which is the kiss chapter lol).

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Baekhyun had to admit that he was a bit concerned about Hei passing out in the bath because she’d barely had proper food or drink and had lost quite a bit of blood, but there was no way to bring it up without crossing a line or making the offer to stick around sound inappropriately invasive. In the end, he decided that it was an irrational worry and headed to the deck.

The mess hall was empty save for Yixing, which was fine, because Baekhyun had been searching for his friend in the first place. He was eating some sort of food, and when Baekhyun neared, he could smell that something had been burning. At closer glance, it seemed to be Yixing’s dish.

“Baekhyun,” Yixing greeted, then gave him a wince when he saw Baekhyun looking at his meal. “Luhan told me he felt bad that he assumed I was dead, and tried to make up for it by cooking me one of the dishes from my hometown.”

“Luhan can’t cook,” Baekhyun pointed out.

“It’s awful,” Yixing agreed. “But his heart was in the right place, so now I feel obligated to finish the meal.”

Baekhyun managed to laugh slightly. Yixing looked extremely gaunt, which wasn’t surprising, given that Jaekyung had probably given him minimal food and water for weeks. The fact that he’d been stabbed in the chest before that wasn’t helping his cause. At least he looked slightly better now in clean clothing, blood washed off and any wounds disinfected and bandaged.

Yixing prodded unenthusiastically at his charred food. Then he seemed to give up on trying to convince himself it was edible and set down his chopsticks.

“Baekhyun,” he said, and Baekhyun turned his attention from Luhan’s cooking to look up at Yixing.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” came the answer. “For believing I was still alive, and for coming to save us. Luhan told me you didn’t give up on me even after he did.”

He blinked, the bleak terr