For Baekhyun and Chanyeol, it was like fate.

Baekhyun was older than Chanyeol but he died later while Chanyeol died earlier. Because of this, Chanyeol became someone similar to a ‘sunbae’ to him. Chanyeol taught Baekhyun the guardians’ way of life and living, all while being happy and cheerful.

Baekhyun thought the other was insane. If you die and then get resurrected into an unknown place, why the hell would you be so happy? He saw Chanyeol as weird every time he smiled or laughed in a torturing place like this. He didn’t know that later that same smile and laugh would be his source of happiness.

On the other hand, Chanyeol secretly admired Baekhyun. He admired his face, his voice, his bod- er, his personality… It even came down to Baekhyun’s eyelashes, he admired them too. However, Baekhyun was always so cold. Chanyeol tried really hard to crack his shell, and one day, he did it. After that, he couldn’t get enough of Baekhyun’s smile. It was like seeing the real Baekhyun, so Chanyeol wanted to make him smile every single day.

The two were soon infatuated with each other, and they both knew it. They both swore that they’d protect each other, no matter what the consequences were.

Chanyeol failed to keep that promise right away.

When Chanyeol found Baekhyun unconscious and beaten one day, it was like a nightmare. The curse mark from Lucifer haunted him in his dreams, and he wasn’t the one that was cursed. Chanyeol became anxious with each passing day, wondering when the day he will lose Baekhyun be. Baekhyun kept him busy from those thoughts, just by smiling. However, it wasn’t enough.

Eight hours. Eight hours of that bloodcurdling scream of pain. Chanyeol couldn’t take it. He felt pained himself. But he couldn’t look away. He couldn’t take his eyes off the cursed Baekhyun; the Baekhyun whose curse went off and went into eight hours of nothing but pain.

Chanyeol couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t do anything to relive the pain, much less stop it. He felt pathetic. The love of his life is being tortured, and he sat there like a sitting duck and did nothing. But at the same time, he didn’t want anyone touching Baekhyun either.

“Well, .” Kai swore, witnessing the terrifying scene in front of him. He and Kyungsoo had just arrived at Chanyeol’s Landing, where Baekhyun and Chanyeol were. Neither of them seemed to be fine though.

Baekhyun screamed constantly, twitching his body out of oblivion. Nothing would reach him, and he couldn’t speak.

Chanyeol was kneeling beside him, crying. He couldn’t take his wide eyes off of Baekhyun. Nothing would reach him, and he wouldn’t speak either.

“W-What do we do?!” Kyungsoo stammered. He glanced at Kai, who was thinking intently.

“Go get Suho-hyung.” Kai told him, and Kyungsoo ran off to find their hyung. Kai stared at the two in pain for a while, and slowly approached them. Chanyeol noticed.

“DON’T COME NEAR US!!” he yelled, making a circle of fire between them and Kai. The latter flinched when the fire almost touched him.

“Chanyeol-hyung,” he tried calling. “You need to calm down.”

“HOW THE AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN, YOU CROTCH STAIN?!”

Crotch stain? Kai almost snapped with anger. He sighed. Obviously there was no helping Chanyeol. He thought about the curse itself. Why would it activate now, of all times? Nothing had happened for it to go off, unless…

“Is this what happens when a guardian goes to another asylum?” Kai mumbled to himself.

Chanyeol paused.

“I guess it’s my fault…”

In a flash, Chanyeol ran through the flames and had his hands at Kai’s neck.

“IT’S YOUR FAULT! IT’S YOUR FAULT HE’S IN PAIN! IT’S YOUR ING FAULT!!” He screamed, ramming Kai against the ground.

“GH-CHAN-STOP-” Kai was losing air. He couldn’t teleport away; he couldn’t get out of this. Hurry up Kyungsoo!

Suddenly, Kai felt water splashed onto him. It was just water to him, but to Chanyeol… It was an extinguisher.

Chanyeol winced, falling over next to Kai. Kai sat up coughing, looking up to see Suho.

“Serves you right,” Suho merely walked pass the doused Chanyeol, who had smoke coming off him. “Don’t try to murder other guardians, Chanyeol.”

Suho walked pass the flames, extinguishing them as he did, and up to the screaming Baekhyun.

“D-DON’T…” Chanyeol started crawling towards Suho. “DON’T T-TOUCH HIM!”

Annoyed, Suho sent a liter of water his way. Chanyeol screamed on contact, more smoke sizzling out of him. “Shut the hell up, you dimwit. Your pathetic won’t save Baekhyun if you keep acting like this. You-”

Next thing he knew, Suho was socked across the face with a mound of dirt. Kai looked behind him, and Kyungsoo was there with his arm raised.

“Suho,” he started. “I’ve had enough with your ignorant attitude. If all you're going to do is be an and hurt Chanyeol, then you're better off dead than a guardian!" Kyungsoo spat, anger showing all over his face. 

Suho rubbed his cheek where he got hit. His eyes were stern, but he kept quiet. It seemed like he knew that he went wrong. The leader sighed and turned his back to Kyungsoo and Kai.

"Dry Chanyeol," Suho calmly ordered. "...I'll put Baekhyun out of his misery."

Kai's eyes went wide with shock. "WAIT, HYUNG-" He was a step too late, Chanyeol had exploded.

"WHAT THE DO YOU MEAN, 'PUT HIM OUT OF HIS MISERY'?! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!!" Kai and Kyungsoo had to restrain him from murdering Suho. The elder stood there glaring; he definitely wanted to drown Chanyeol to death, but refrained from doing so.

"So you're telling me to leave him in pain for god knows how long, instead of killing him and relieving him of his torture? , you're a ing sadist." Suho lashed.

"This is no time for jokes, Suho!" Kyungsoo yelled. "There must be another way!"

Suho sighed again and stared at the screaming Baekhyun. Suddenly, he looked at Kai. The latter gulped; as if every time Suho looked at Kai was about to go down.

"Bring Lay here." He demanded.

Kai was skeptical. "W-What?"

"Bring Lay here!" Suho repeated with more force. 

"B-But aren't they parallel?! Lay won't be able to heal Baek-hyung without them both disappearing!" Kai protested.

"It's worth a shot."

Kai nervously took a glance at Kyungsoo. The latter looked away but Kai could tell his aura darkened. He slowly let go of Chanyeol's arm that he was restraining. 

"...Sorry." was all that Kai said before he vanished.

While Chanyeol was screaming at Suho, Suho screaming at Chanyeol, and Baekhyun just screaming, Kyungsoo painfully sobbed heavy tears.

-throws angst at you-

If you guys find the story confusing, I'll be glad to clarify anything. :D