The gang had finally arrived at the mall. Everyone piled out of Yixing's van, most stretching their limbs and taking in the heat of the sun as they started walking.

Once inside of the large complex, Baekhyun stood in front of his friends. "Meet back at the food court by 1:00 alright?" When he received multiple nods, everyone dispersed. Joonmyeon and Yixing stayed together while Jongdae and Kyungsoo went another way, leaving the Medium and Clairsentience with the two spirits. "Let's get a move on." 

It didn't take long for Baekhyun to return the clothes to the store. Seeing as they had a lot of time before they had to meet up with the rest of the group, the four of them walked aimlessly around the mall. 

"Baekhyun-ah, can you buy me a pretzel?" Minseok asked wanting to be his annoying self.

The boy looked at his brother like he was on idiot, which he was, "You can't eat it. Why would I buy it?" 

"Because you love your brother." Minseok gave him a cute smile.

Baekhyun's face became blank at the statement. "That kind of sentence doesn't exist when it comes to you."

"Why are you always so mean to me?" Minseok cried.

They continued with their brotherly banter, giving the other two some form of entertainment as they walked. 

Chanyeol took his attention away from the group for a moment to look around the mall. I haven't been here in so long, he thought. It doesn't feel like almost a year though. 

Something caught Chanyeol's eye as he's mind wondered. He focused his attention on two boys on the other side of the walkway. They looked familiar but Chanyeol couldn't quite put his figure on it. As he pondered more, his head started hurting. 

Why am I hurting? I'm not suppose to feel anything. This feeling was like the feeling he got when he had seen Kyungsoo yesterday. 

In deep thought, Chanyeol hadn't noticed Baekhyun and Minseok calling out to him.

"Chanyeol? Are you okay?" Baekhyun had stopped infront of him, giving off a worried expression.

Chanyeol snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Yeah I'm fine. Just thought I recognized some people." He smiled, trying to hide his own confusion.

"Oh, well I hope they weren't close or anything. It would if you forgot close friends." They began walking again. Chanyeol turned around to where the two boys were sitting again but they were gone. He couldn't help but feel guilty not remembering who they were. In the end, he pushed the thoughts away, temporarily convincing himself they could've just been some random classmates.

"Hey guys." Jongdae waved to his two friends, with Kyungsoo, Joonmyeon, and Yixing following behind, as they waited at the front of the food court for them. 

"It's about time," Baekhyun groaned, "I said 1:00 not 1:36!"

"Thirty minutes isn't that long."

"It is when you're just sitting here doing nothing!" 

"Well the important thing is that we're here and we can eat now." Joonmyeon chimed, ending the argument.

 After they all ate and chatted for a while, everyone decided it was time to head home. 

As they approached the van, Baekhyun spoke, "Hey, I'm going to go to the cemetery so you guys go on home without me."

"You sure you don't want me to just drop you off?" Yixing suggested. 

"Nah it's okay, I'll just take the bus. Plus it's less gass for you." 

"That's true." Yixing nodded, getting elbowed by Joonmyeon, "What? Gas is expensive."

Joonmyeon rolled his eyes, "Are you sure Baek?" 

The boy nodded, "Yes I'll be fine. And this will give you time to get your stuff out of my house. Injoon, I'm entrusting you with my house key. Don't let me down." Injoon gave a small nod. 

"Why can't I get the house key?" Jongdae asked. Multiple eyebrows were raised at his comment, "Okay." He sighed.

Baekhyun said his goodbyes and headed for the bus stop. 

"Mind if I tag along?" 

Baekhyun turned his head to Chanyeol, shaking it. "No, but it's not like I could keep you from coming anyway." 

Once they arrived at the destination, Baekhyun walked right in, greeting the workers inside as well. He and Chanyeol made there way to the hill outside. 

Baekhyun laid down on the grass and just starred at the sky. Chanyeol could see that he wanted this time to just relax so he sat next to him and did the same, knees huddled to his chest. 

Time passed as it had been almost an hour of silence. Chanyeol noticed the other glancing around in different directions. Taking this as chance to start a conversation, he asked something that had been bugging him for some time. "Baek?" 

"Hmm." Baekhyun hummed.

"Why do you get upset when we...float around?" He paused to think of a better word but couldn't.

Baekhyun starred at the taller, who wasn't going to look at him, suprised he would ask that. But he knew he would have to explain this sooner or later. 

"Why?" 

"It's just been bothering me lately not knowing." Chanyeol still wouldn't look at him.

Baekhyun just wished it wouldn't be sooner. He sat up and took his eyes off of the other to watch the clouds again as he started, "His name was Ryeowook. I met him when I was six. At the time me and Minseok weren't very close, he'd always keep busy with school and other things so, to me, it was like I barely had a brother."

"Ryeowook was like the older brother I had dreamed of. When we met, I knew I never wanted to be apart from him and I never wanted him to leave. He would always hover around me trying to scare me or just to make me laugh."

"So that's why you don't like it," Chanyeol said, "Because it reminds you of him." After getting a hum in response he continued, "What happened to him?"

Baaekhyun didn't want to but he pushed himself to answer. "He vanished one day, when I was leaving from school."

[Flashback]

"Wow Baekhyun your really good at drawing for someone your age." A young boy, older than little Baekhyun commented. 

The younger smiled, "Thanks Ryeowook hyung! I worked really hard on it in class today. Do you think Minseok hyung will like this as a present?"

Ryeowook nodded encouragingly to 8 year old Baekhyun. "I'm sure he'll love it Baekhyun-ah, or may I leave this ghostly form and move to heaven." He laughed.

Baekhyun started pouting and playfully hit Ryeowook's hand-though it went right through him- even though he was serious, "Don't say that hyung! You promise to always stay with me right?" 

Ryeowook had a small smile, "Remember I told you to never promise something you don't want to ever come true." 

"I know but at least promise me this. Please~!" Baekhyun whined.

The older one laughed, "Ok ok, I promise."

Baekhyun grinned widely and opened his arms for Ryeowook to hug him. The boy hugged Baekhyun as close as he could. "You will always be like a little brother to me Baekhyun-ah. Remember that ok?" He nodded his had vigorously.

"Baekhyun-ah! Time to go home sweety!" Hyerin called to her son from across the classroom. 

Said boy frowned an turned to Ryeowook who only smiled at him. "Go on, you don't want to get in trouble do you?" 

The little one shook his head and got up to go to his mother. He waved goodbye to his hyung still in his spot on the floor. "Goodbye hyung!" Baekhyun yelled over the kids still making noise, "You'll always be like a big brother to me Ryeowook hyung! Always remember that! I love you~!" All Baekhyun saw was Ryeowook smile from across the room.

Ryeowook whispered, "I love you too, Baekhyun." before he noticed a small glow admitting from his center. He looked worriedly at the sudden light before realizing what was happening. He ran outside to find Baekhyun. He spotted him getting close to his parents car. "BAEKHYUN WAIT!!" He cried, but he then vanished into the light.

Baekhyun turned around at the sound of his name but didn't see anyone. He tilted his head to the side. "Umma." He tugged at his mothers sleeve to get her attention, "Did you here someone call my name just then?" 

Hyerin shook her head and checked behind them, then turned back to her son, "No I didn't. You must just be missing someone that's all." 

"Yeah, your right. Let's go home." Baekhyun hopped in the front seat waiting for his mom to start the car. He looked at the school and furrowed his small eyebrows. Ryeowook always came outside when he got in the car to leave to see him go.

Where's Ryeowook hyung?

[End of flashback]

"After he didn't come outside I tried to brush it off but I knew something was wrong. The next day when I came to school he wasn't there. A week had passed and there was no sign of him. I had asked around but no one had seen him. They told me to face the fact that he might have moved on." A tear slid down his face, "I was so heart broken. I cried for days, to no end. I wouldn't talk to anyone not even my mom."

"I'm sorry." Chanyeol whispered, finally looking at Baekhyun.

"You don't have to say-"

"But I want to." He cut the other off, "You lost someone who was like family to you so I'm giving my condolences." Chanyeol reached over to touch Baekhyun's hand. "I'm sorry Baek."

Baekhyun looked at him with teary eyes, biting his lip in attempt not to cry. 

"It's okay to cry. I may not be able to cry with you but I can hold you as close as I can. I'll be here for you." Chanyeol smiled. 

With that, Baekhyun cried, letting the taller hold onto him. He sobbed into nothing but air. He wanted to just curl into a ball and hold himself as the pain he tried to forget came back to him. But he knew that Chanyeol was here. He's here to hold him even if he can't feel it himself and that's more than enough. 

"I didn't know it was going to happen. It's all my fault. I should've paid attention to what I was saying. I didn't know." He cried harder. 

Chanyeol tried his best to pull Baekhyun closer to him. He closed his eyes as he tried to imagine the pain the other was going through, which probably wasn't even half of what he was feeling. 

After a while the sobs died down. Baekhyun kept his eyes on the ground as he sniffled. 

"Baek, why would it be you're fault?" Chanyeol finally asked, moving back but still facing Baekhyun.

Baekhyun wiped his tears away before answering, "Ryeowook did eventually tell me how he died and the reason why he didn't move on."

[Flashback]

"Hyung!" Baekhyun ran around the playground looking for his 'older brother'. 

"I'm over here!" Ryeowook called out from the underneath the slide. 

Baekhyun turned around and smiled as he spotted him. He ran over, letting out a huff before plopping down in front of the older. "Why are you under the slide? Were you hiding again?" 

Ryeowook shook his head. "No. I just wanted to sit here." 

"Okay." Baekhyun smiled again. "My mom is coming soon so I was looking for you. Do you think you can come home with me today?" Baekhyun's smile looked a bit more hopeful.

"I'm sorry Baek," Ryeowook looked away, "I can't. I really want to but-" 

"Why can't hyung ever come home with me? I promise my room is clean and my dog won't growl at you and-" 

"Baek that's not the point." He cut Baekhyun short. Ryeowook contemplated his actions before continuing, "I had a little brother once. He was two years younger than me. I don't know why but when he was born I hated him. I guess it was because my family started paying more attention to him than me. I felt neglected so I put all of my pain and hate towards my brother."

He saw that Baekhyun seem interested to hear more so he started again, "I would always bully him whenever I felt that my parents weren't giving me the attention I wanted. One day, we were at the park. I was having fun with my friends until my mother told me to go down the street and pick my little brother up from here. I got mad but I did it any. When I got here, I walked my brother out. As soon as we were outside I started running to the park, leaving him to follow me."

"I didn't look back until I got to the front of the park. My mother asked me where my brother was. I thought he was right behind me but when I turned around I didn't see him. I felt so annoyed because I thought he just stayed at the school and didn't follow me so me and my mother ran back. When we were half way to the school, we saw a bunch of people crowding the street. My mother asked what had happened to someone and they said a child was hit by a car."

Baekhyun gasp, covering his mouth as he didn't mean to let it out. "After hearing that I started to panic and I ran and pushed through the crowd until I got to the front of them. My little brother was on the concrete with blood surrounding him. I started crying and held him in my arms until the ambulance got there. I was the reason why my brother died. I let my anger get to me. I just wanted him back so I could start over. I ended up getting sick from my grieving- I didn't eat or sleep and barely left my room- and it ended up getting worse with time, killing me. So I can never leave here. My grief won't let me leave until I get my little brother back." 

Baekhyun was crying, trying to wipe the tears away but they just kept coming. "I'm sorry hyung. I'm really sorry." He opened his arms, gesturing for a hug. 

Ryeowook gave a sad smile before leaning forward, holding the little boy in his arms as best as he could. "It's okay. You don't have to be sorry." 

"Baekhyun! Baekhyun sweety!" 

Baekhyun turned around seeing him mother walking towards him, he came out from under the slide. "Hi umma." 

"Baekhyun I was looking for you. You were suppose to be inside waiting for me." Hyerin huffed. "Have you been crying?" 

"I'm sorry. I was looking for....something." He was careful with his choice of words.

"Well I hope you found it. Come on, we have to get home to cook dinner." She bent down to pick her son up in her arms before walking away. 

Baekhyun looked back at Ryeowook, smiling and waving to him without his mother noticing. In turn, the older smiled back saying "goodbye".

[End of flashback]

Chanyeol thought about the stories Baekhyun told. Looking into his eyes, he could see the utter pain these memories caused him but, somehow, he can also feel that Baekhyun just wants to let it all out. "So because you told him that you loved him and that he will always be your big brother, his soul was put at peace." 

"Yeah." Baekhyun pulled his knees close to his chest, gazing at the clouds again, "I was so caught up in the lime light of our relationship that I didn't know my words could possibly be the cause of him moving on. One thing that I swore to myself, after I calmed down about everything was that I'd never let another soul get that close to me. What happened back then was a huge reminder that they all leave sooner or later. That getting close and opening up is just going to lead to more pain and regret."

Chanyeol been thinking about Baekhyun and Minseok. They're already brothers, they can't help but be close. But me and him... 

"So how is that I can be friends with you so easily?" Baekhyun whispered low so that Chanyeol could still hear him, "Why is it that no matter how much I tell myself that it's going to end the same way, I can't help but somehow get closer to you?" 

Chanyeol just stared at the boy next to him, not sure if he should answer or if Baekhyun was just talking more to himself. He opted to stay silent. 

"I heard what you said last night Chanyeol," Baekhyun turned slightly to the other, "I was awake."

Now the boy was at a lose for words. He didn't know what to say or if he should say anything at all. He managed to push some words out, "I-I didn't know. I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't be." Baekhyun stopped his apology, "It's okay." 

Chanyeol bit his lip as he looked down at the ground, fidgeting with his hands. "So...?" 

"So?" 

He felt like a middle school student again. This so embarrassing. "How do you feel...about m-me?" Chanyeol glanced back and forth between the other and the grass.

Baekhyun's expression was unreadable as he stared at Chanyeol. He didn't have to ponder long on the question but he didn't come up with much of a response. "I can't really put it into words. I mean, we're friends and all but..." Baekhyun paused, sighing as he searched for the right words, "I know that I feel differently. That I might like you." 

Chanyeol felt that if he had a heart beating in his chest, it would've probably jumped out of it's place. "Y-you do?" He asked astonished. 

Baekhyun nodded, slowly smiling at the ghost boy, eyes turning into that wonderful crescent shape Chanyeol grew fond of.

Building up some confidence, Chanyeol asked something that he'd been thinking about for some time, "Can I k-kiss you?" 

Baekhyun was taken aback by the sudden question. "Uh- well...we wouldn't even be able to feel it. And besides," he put on a smirk, "You have to at least by me dinner first." 

Chanyeol chuckled, shaking his head, "So that means I'm never getting that kiss from you then." 

"I wouldn't say never just yet." Baekhyun whispered, getting up off of the ground as he dusted his pants off, "Alright let's go home." He didn't wait for Chanyeol to move and jogged down the hill to the entrance. 

As Chanyeol scrambled to his feet, he yelled "Yah! Wait Baekhyun!" chasing after the cackling teenager.

 "Baekhyun! You're home!" Jongdae greeted his friend at the door.

"Why are people still in my house?" The boy deadpanned. 

"We wanted to be good, loving friends and say goodbye to you first." 

"We said our goodbyes at the mall." Taking off his shoes, Baekhyun plopped unto the couch between Injoon and Kyungsoo. "What happened?" 

"They convinced me." The girl dug into her pockets for something, "Here's your key." 

Baekhyun took his possession, shaking his head at the way his friends are. "Where's the other two devils?" 

"They're in your room." Jongdae said with a tone of voice that made Baekhyun worry- almost frightened. 

"They're not doing anything." Kyungsoo quickly assured before the boy could jump to conclusions. 

Taking hold of his shoes, Baekhyun made his way upstairs. As he entered his room he started to regret it instantly when he saw a giant lump in his bed. "Okay please tell me you're not doing anything disgusting under my sheets." 

Just then, Joonmyeon came out of Baekhyun's closet, "Really? That's the place you chose to hide?" 

Yixing flipped the sheets off of him, revealing only his head. "Look who's coming out of the closet." 

Baekhyun snickered, "That ship sailed years ago."

Yixing sat up on the edge of the bed, "All around the world twice and back." 

"Alright already!" Joonmyeon yelled over the two laughing at their own jokes. 

"Why are you guys in my room?" Baekhyun made his way passed Joonmyeon to put his shoes away. 

"It was a sad attempt to surprise you." Yixing answered.

Once kids, always kids. "And what exactly were you doing before I got here?" 

The couple exchanged glances, "Nothing." they said.

"Gross."

 Baekhyun said a second round of goodbyes to his friends as they departed from his home. Finally back to his room, he fell face first into his bed, groaning. Baekhyun was physically and emotionally exhausted from the events today. 

I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise Hyung...I tried but it was inevitable I guess.

"Baekhyun?" 

Said boy turned his head towards his door, seeing his brother's head sticking into it. "Hmm?" 

Minseok smirked at his little brother, "You sneaky basterd." And with only those words, he left. Baekhyun could do nothing but roll his eyes. Basterd.

.

.

.

"There's something we need to talk about."

"What is it?"

"Baekhyun and Chanyeol are becoming too close. I've told you before what will happen if this gets too far."

"I know. But what am I suppose to do about it?"

"I don't know but we'll have to come up with something. I don't want to see him that depressed ever again."

"Me neither."

"We'll talk about this later. As of now, just watch them closely."

Nods were exchanged and the two put their business on pause, for now.

A/N: FINALLY!!! Hey guys~ have you miss me? I'm sorry this chapter took so long and was probably not what you expected because I'm trying to move the story along and get to the point of things. It has been an entire 5 weeks since I have touched either of my stories and it's just killing me. School is a massive and pain in my colon. And only because of one class: AP history. I have homework every night and it takes 2 hours at least to finish and then there's the forever-taken-up-my-time band and I don't get to sleep until 11:30, I'm lucky if it's 10. Anyway, again, I'm really trying to get this story on the move and finish it before possibly next summer or so. I've had these flashbacks in my notes for at least or maybe over a year now trying to find the right chapter to put them in so finally. And because I was trying to accommodate the flashbacks that's why this chapter is a bunch of mess, I'm deeply sorry for whatever this is on your device screen. 

P.S. I am putting this story on an official hiatus until my homework calms down or when a wonderful break comes. Yeah I know my other hiatus' didn't last very long but this is a greatly needed one for this story and my other one, Until You Take Me (just as soon as I finish the chapter). 

Annyeong~~~