Chapter 16

Baby's Breath

*Chapter 16;

It took a while for Chanyeol to finally notice what was missing from the familiar spot, the clay pots and fragrant smell of daffodils and roses greeting him. The splash of color to the otherwise gray neighborhood was gone, boarded up with old planks with chains swinging to and fro in the wind. For a long time, Baekhyun watched Chanyeol, his lips pulled into a thin line and gaze averted.

Chanyeol's lips moved ever-so-slightly, as if to read the word off of the unfamiliar sign in his head, then translating it to speech. It took a while for him to read the red "SOLD" emblazoned on the barricades, and a little longer than that for him to understand just what it meant. He looked at Baekhyun, confused, silently asking, pleading for answers.

"Chanyeol... It's..." he sighed, unable to reassure Chanyeol because he was shocked, too. After his grandmother had passed away, his mother had been so determined to keep the shop despite the financial difficulties they had. Even when they were thousands in debt, his mother had never sold the florist shop to any interested land collectors because it was all they had as an heirloom. The memory of the place was precious to their family. It was precious to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol stared at the sign for a long, long time, and Baekhyun didn't have the heart to make him move until the taller boy stooped down to pick up some of the shattered clay pots discarded on the ground. Most of the flowers had been thrown in the trash, the wilted ones smashed into the dirt to decompose as it was in nature's way.

"Hey, don't pick those up," Baekhyun warned, worried that Chanyeol might cut his fingers on some of the sharper pieces of pottery and ceramics.

There was a fence beside the florist shop that was used to store recycled dirt for the potted plants, and even that was torn down. The sight of the perfectly white picket fences torn by the fibers was a gruesome sight, but it didn't stop Chanyeol from stepping over what used to be his haven to start wordlessly picking up the bruised flowers.

Baekhyun followed him, swatting away flies and webs that infested the area with his hands. He knew there was a reason he avoided the back lawn. "Chanyeol, it's getting dark," he said, "We should go home before..." He was at a loss for words when the back lawn came into view. It was a small, square lot of dirt when he last saw it, but now, it was covered in what looked like plumes of white Baby's Breath flowers. It seemed like it was snowing all over. All of the bushes were carefully trimmed and perfectly arranged. Baekhyun almost heard the flowers giggling when he stepped into the snowy garden.

He had never seen so many Baby's Breath flowers clustered in one garden before, especially by themselves with no rose or any other flower in the center.

Chanyeol didn't mind that Baekhyun had discovered his wonderland, and squatted down to start digging the rich soil with his bare hands. Carefully, he laid the wilted flowers he brought in his arms in the shallow hole, then covered them up again.

Baekhyun almost felt like he was at a formal funeral because he had never seen Chanyeol so serious in his life that he felt like he needed to respect the burial and stand aside.

"Flowers... have feelings too," Chanyeol smiled softly, pausing and his lips as if he was thinking of what to say next, "People think... that... because they don't listen."

"Really? What's it saying now?" Baekhyun chuckled, deciding to play along as the other man plucked a stem from a young cluster of white Baby's Breath flowers and tucked it behind Baekhyun's ear.

"You... are so smart, Baekhyun. You can do it," he said, albeit shyly, "That's... that's what they're saying."

 

 

While they were walking back home, there was a safe distance between them, not like when they had first started on their way after the soccer match. It was a little awkward, but Baekhyun thought it was just him since Chanyeol was too busy being distracted by the wallflowers growing on the brick walls and the neighborhood dogs (Chanyeol would bark back at them).

The sun had clearly sunk below the horizon line when they were close to their shabby, but cozy home. Baekhyun stopped in front of the gates when he saw that the lights were on, which meant that his mother had come home early from her night job. Someone else was with her, although Baekhyun couldn't see who it was over the wall. All he knew was that it was a man by the voice that he heard through the gates.

"They should be here any minute now. You see, Chanyeol's a very sweet boy, he wouldn't harm anybody..." Baekhyun heard his mother say to the stranger.

"Yes, I understand, Mrs. Byun, but as circumstances stand, we don't have a choice. He will have to leave in three days. A staff member will be here to pick him up in the afternoon, so please have the paperwork ready by then."

Baekhyun swallowed, withholding the urge to barge in and argue with the man through whatever means necessary. In reality, he knew a temper tantrum wouldn't fix anything, especially when it came to these types of ordeals where "kids" had no say. He hated how his mother was being treated, he couldn't stand how this man talked about Chanyeol like he was just some pet dog he could move from one place to another like cargo.

"Come on," he muttered to Chanyeol, grabbing his wrist to tug him away from the door. He didn't even stop to throw his duffel bag over the wall or remove his soccer cleats because he was so overwhelmed with selfish rage and spite that he couldn't help but think like a child again.

Chanyeol followed him without a word, even when they ended up walking for miles and miles until they passed every bus stop and train station nearby. Finally, Baekhyun decided to take the subway and lined up behind a man in a heavy, peppered coat. When it was their turn to purchase a ticket, the window closed.

"H-Hey! Excuse me!" he yelled, trying to open the glass door with his hand, "We need two tickets!"

"We're closed," the lady snapped.

"We need it, please." Baekhyun said, slapping down a few bills that corresponded to the exact amount. Thankfully, the lady accepted the fare and handed them two one-way tickets.

"Where... are we going?" Chanyeol finally asked when they were standing in front of the railroad pit, the mechanical hum of subway trains whizzing to and fro echoing through the underground station. In all his life, he had never ridden the subway, since his father always home-schooled him and there had never been any opportunity for him to go out on his own. He would get lost by getting off on the wrong station, or not getting off at all.

"It's okay, we're going on a trip. You've never been on a trip?" Baekhyun asked, arching an eyebrow, "You know, like fishing trips or a family trip up to the mountains?"

Chanyeol stared at him blankly.

Baekhyun sighed and turned back to face the front when the train skidded to a halt in front of them. He had to tug Chanyeol quickly inside to find them a good seat, when the whole train was nearly empty due to it being late. There were some teenagers nodding off with headphones on blaring loud music, a homeless man lying across three seats, and an elderly woman sorting out her day's groceries near the door. Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol over to two empty seats and dumped his heavy duffel bag on the ground.

"My dad used to teach me how to play soccer." Baekhyun finally said after a while, jogging his legs a bit and massaging the bruise that was now a light shade of purple on the side of his kneecap, "He bought me my first soccer cleats and said I'd make it big, maybe into the World Cup if I practiced hard enough. What about your dad, Chanyeol? Do you remember anything about him?"

Chanyeol slowly shook his head and smiled dumbly.

"What about your mom?"

"She... She liked Baby's Breath flowers." Chanyeol answered right away, "Because... Because they made her feel happy... and it makes Chanyeol feel happy too..."

"I guess you miss your mom a lot, huh?"

Chanyeol nodded.

 

 

After the tenth stop that they passed, the subway train hissed to a halt and the doors opened permanently for all the passengers to file out. Having no idea where they were, Baekhyun and Chanyeol walked out again and found a hole-in-the-wall snack corner for them to buy a bowl of ramen for himself and a roll of kimbap for Chanyeol. The food tasted like honey after a long journey.

When they had dinner solved, Baekhyun still didn't know where they were until they came to a directory board that showed all the subway lines color-coordinated for his reading convenience. They were at least an hour away from home, although the time seemed a lot longer. He knew he hadn't planned this out very well.

Baekhyun saw the groups of homeless people lined up against the wall of the subway station and thought they didn't look friendly at all, so sleeping in the subway station was out of the question. Most transportation services were shut down except for taxis which would cost too much money than he had at hand.

His only option was to head for the cheap spas that were open twenty four-seven with discounts for customers staying overnight. It was the closest and safest bet he could make at this point, so Baekhyun took it.

Luckily, the two found one nearby and Baekhyun paid the last of his pocket change for two sets of towels and clothes. They both took a shower to rinse the dirt and grime off of their bodies, and Baekhyun made sure to scrub Chanyeol down really well this time. When he washed his brother's hair, he felt the thick scar on his scalp again, and his bare fingers massaged it gently. He didn't get any suds in Chanyeol's eyes.

 

 

"Chanyeol, I want eggs."

"Your name's Chanyeol. My name's Baekhyun," Baekhyun mumbled on his side, using his rolled-up towel as a pillow. The heated floor they were lying on was warm, and he felt so refreshed after the shower and putting on a clean set of clothes that exhaustion came quickly.

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol whispered behind him, but quieted down when he didn't hear a response. After a long time, Chanyeol must have gone to sleep too, because both of them were very quiet.

Twenty or so minutes passed, and Baekhyun was still awake, but had his eyes closed. Then, he felt Chanyeol's warm body pressing against his back, and he tensed up just a bit as an arm wrapped around his waist. He felt Chanyeol's warm breath slipping down the nape of his neck. He wasn't sure how to describe the feeling, but he decided describing it would be weirder and finally fell asleep, because, for once, he felt safe enough to let go, but selfish enough to hold on.

 

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jindeul
Chapter 15 will be up tonight or tomorrow!

Comments

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27leialimel27 #1
Chapter 26: Please if someone can answer my question, I finished this story in one day and maybe it is because I am French but I don't understand something : what happened to luhan, why did he try to suicide ? Was he depressed or something and Chanyeol helped him ? and also for the author, do Chanbaek finish together as a couple at the end ? I love the story so much but I want to know more about luhan please
mahtao #2
Chapter 13: I think it's interesting.
It's not a common life for everyone but I can feel baekhyun feeling.
Thanks
Pinku2haru #3
Chapter 31: I read love this story and I'm so thankful to you that you put a happy end for items, it reminds me of :the letter c : which the couples were kai and kris, I love the both story so much
ramsha23
#4
Chapter 14: this is an absolute masterpiece. My heart hurts >.<
KpopFanficaddict #5
THIS WAS THE SADDEST STORY EVER!
chanbaekii #6
Chapter 29: IM IN TEARS THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FICS I'VE EVER READ IN MY WHOLE LIFE
Ze_Lay #7
MY EYES HURT SO MUCH FROM CRYING QQ
real_cmh
#8
Chapter 29: woah, Jindeul, youre so mean! you made me cry! T_T
OceanicKey #9
Chapter 30: Is it still possible... perhaps to get a hard copy?
meurtrier #10
gets me all the time. forever my fave! <3