Chapter Eleven: Falling Apart II

Warning: Mature themes ahead. sorry :-(

+

Baekhyun sat on the steps outside the pub, shivering as another gust of chilly wind blew past him. He wounded his arms tighter around himself, cursing silently at the weather for being so cold that night. He had made a call, just an an hour ago, and so there he was, awaiting his ride back home.

It hadn't been awkward, really. It was his last option but it was one he had not much of a choice of, unfortunately. He had spent the last of his change for the bus ride to work, and all he had left in his pockets were a wad of used tissues and loose thread. Of all the days he chose to forgot his wallet, it was the day he had no other friend to rely on. Yixing was busy with his wife and work commitments, the bartender today was a scrooge and Kris wasn't in town. And as he scrolled through his contacts, his phone had beeped with a message from Chanyeol that read:

I hope you don't mind, but Sehun's staying with my parents for a few days. It's been awhile since they spent some time together so I dropped him off at their place.

Baekhyun had taken a few minutes to convince himself that it was okay, and when Chanyeol had replied with a yeah, alright, sure, I'll be there in a few, Baekhyun had muttered a quick thanks and see you soon as he quickly ended the call with his heart racing. 

A familiar car pulled up by the sidewalk across the street and the headlights were turned off, the engine cut, before a tall, lanky man in his usual business suit got out from the driver's seat and made his way towards the small form huddled on the curb.

"Have you been waiting long?" Chanyeol asked as soon as his face was visible under the streetlights. Baekhyun got up and dusted his pants.

"Not really," Baekhyun said with a small smile. "Thanks for coming. I would have taken the bus, and this is embarrassing, but I left my wallet at home and I have literally not a cent on me right now."

Chanyeol chuckled with a shrug, "Don't worry about it. I just clocked off work anyway. Had a pile of paperwork to sort through."

"Come on, let's get going. It's cold out."

Baekhyun nodded, following close behind as they walked back towards the parked car. Chanyeol started the ignition, only to be greeted by the sounds of choking and spluttering of engine. Baekhyun sat back in the passenger's seat, wondering how on earth he manages to get himself in such situations with Chanyeol. First the elevator, and now a dead car.

Chanyeol tried it for a few more times before he finally gave up with a frustrated cry and a defeated sigh, slumping back into his own seat.

"I guess I should have taken her to the mechanics last week," Chanyeol said meekly as he turned to look at a weary Baekhyun who laughed weakly.

"Yeah," Baekhyun agreed, "But there's nothing we can do now."

"I'll call the tow truck to come get the car. Let's take a cab home."

Baekhyun nodded once again at Chanyeol's solution and they got out. The mechanics were definitely closed for the day, so they decided to leave the car parked at the side and make a call first thing the next morning.

"There aren't many cars here. I think we should get on the main street and hail a cab from there." They trudged silently along the sidewalk, arms barely brushing against each other's, as they were each left to their own thoughts. Baekhyun kept his eyes on the ground, too tired to even lift his head and too cold to even try.

"It's a little cold today, isn't it?" Chanyeol broke the silence, as if he had read Baekhyun's thoughts. Baekhyun nodded with a grim smile. Before he could register anything else, he felt his hand being tugged from the cross he had over his chest and then he was staring numbly at Chanyeol who was fervently rubbing his small hand in between his own larger ones.

"Gosh, Baek, your hands are freezing." It took Baekhyun another half a minute before he was spluttering, "Y-Yeah."

"It's not even winter," Chanyeol teased lightly as they reached the main street. All Baekhyun could do was return a sheepish smile because he couldn't really hear Chanyeol over the sound of his heart beating loudly in his ears. Chanyeol was still rubbing his hand and Baekhyun was still in a daze at the gesture; the first contact they'd had in a long time. How could Chanyeol could do this to him and act as if it were all pretty normal? Sure it was; but that was years ago.

Chanyeol, however, must have realised what he was doing when he finally picked up on Baekhyun's silence and his eyes flew to their hands, actions coming to a halt, before he was retracting his hands at lightning speed. He coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head with a hand, choosing to keep his eyes peeled on the road for any incoming cab instead.

"You should keep your hands in the pocket of your pants, though. It'll keep them warm for the time being," Chanyeol muttered after a moment of silence, keeping his gaze away from his ex-husband.

They stood waiting for a good few minutes before Chanyeol felt the awkwardness at his previous blunder melt away, and he finally turned to face the shorter man when he felt like he could again.

"Are you tired?" Baekhyun shrugged in reply, not trusting his voice. "There aren't too many cabs here at this hour..."

Chanyeol moved to turn away again but paused when his eyes caught a dark, reddish mark above Baekhyun's collarbone. His face paled at the realisation of what it was.

"Did someone do that to you?" Chanyeol asked, voice frighteningly low as his eyes burned the mark on Baekhyun's body. Baekhyun trailed the man's line of sight and quickly tugged at the collar of his shirt in horror when he remembered the parting gift his last client had rewarded him with.

"J-Just one of them who got carried away," Baekhyun stuttered, squirming under Chanyeol's intense gaze. 

"I don't understand you," Chanyeol finally said, anger apparent in his tone despite how controlled his voice was. Baekhyun remained silent, not wanting to pursue the topic. Weren't they over this? Haven't they gone through the fact that it was Baekhyun's life now, that Chanyeol had no more say, and that this was what Baekhyun has to overcome for their children's future?

"I don't ing understand any of this," Chanyeol let out an angry breath. Baekhyun thought it was over, but then Chanyeol let out a sudden string of hysterical laughter, hands on hips as his head snaps back to look at Baekhyun with cold, hard eyes.

"Actually, I think I get it now, Baekhyun."

Baekhyun's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Chanyeol in confusion at his words.

"I know why you're doing this," Chanyeol continued, an eeriely uncharacteristic smirk forming upon his lips, "You like it, don't you?"

Baekhyun's confusion grew, but there was also fear in his eyes. "What are you talking about, Chanyeol?"

"You enjoy doing this..."

"You like it when they touch you," Chanyeol said, voice growing louder with each accusatory word, "You like letting all those erted men feel you up, don't you?"

In the silence of the night, there was a sudden loud, shrill sound of the slapping of skin.

"How dare you," Baekhyun's lip trembled from the anger and disappointment that was building rapidly within him, shame creeping up behind his ears, "How dare you."

Chanyeol had both hands to his right cheek where Baekhyun had slapped him, though he knew that it couldn't compare to the hurt shining brightly in Baekhyun's eyes.

"You..." Baekhyun let out a shaky breath, unable to continue. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill. Swallowing hard, he composed himself as he brought his gaze to lock with Chanyeol's that were filled with regret.

"You of all people should know how much it kills me to go back there," Baekhyun finally murmured, softly and slowly. His eyes flickered towards the street where he spotted a cab in the distance. He hailed it, opening the door even before the vehicle had come to a complete stop, and climbed inside before the tears could fall.

The ride home was spent in silence where Baekhyun kept his eyes fixed outside the window, letting the heavy tension settle between them.

+

"I swear to god, Yixing-hyung, you better have a perfectly reasonable explanation," Baekhyun warned into the receiver. There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. He hadn't spoken to the Chinese male in weeks, and he hadn't had the chance to give Yixing crap about the messed up divorce papers. Baekhyun would have marched over to the man's house but then he remembered that Yixing was probably busy, with Kiko's due date nearing and all. 

"I'm sorry, Baek. I totally forgot about them. Chanyeol has sent them back to me and I'll take another look once I find the time. Kiko's had a rough morning but we're just glad it's over."

"Wait, she's gone into labour?" Baekhyun shrieked.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to let you know! I'm so sorry, Baek, it's just... it's been a rather crazy day."

"Don't worry about it, hyung!" Baekhyun said excitedly. "How's the baby?"

"A healthy baby girl at 8pounds... Couldn't have asked for anything better. She looks amazing."

"Ah, I can't wait to visit you guys!" Baekhyun squealed, holding tighter onto the receiver. "I'll come by this weekend... is it okay? Jongin will only return from his trip next Wednesday and Sehun will be with Chanyeol."

"Yeah, just give me a call!" Yixing said. "Anyway, do you have something to tell me, hmm, Baekhyun?"

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Yixing sounded stern over the phone but Baekhyun had genuinely no idea what the other was referring to.

“I heard from Chanyeol that you guys had a lunch date a few days ago… and that you are on friendly terms with him now.”

Oh.

“Well…” Baekhyun started, though he didn’t really know what to say to that. He could already sense Yixing’s disapproval from over the phone.
 

There was a sigh. “Baekhyun…” Yixing’s voice was gentle, the kind of tone he used when he was concerned for the younger man. And Baekhyun knew what was to come next.

“…You can’t just…” Another sigh. “It’s not going to work out.”

“It will. It has,” Baekhyun said indignantly, “Things were really good, you should have been there.”

“I don’t doubt it, but, Baek… I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“I’m not getting my hopes up,” was Baekhyun’s quiet response, though he hated to admit that it seemed like it.

“He’s going to let you down again. And I just don’t want to see you go through anymore of this. He’s done enough.”

“He can’t let me down again,” Baekhyun said, more to himself, as if he was trying to convince himself that this was the truth. In reality, he knew that the Chinese man might be right.

Yixing suppressed his sigh this time. Baekhyun could be really stubborn. He just hoped things wouldn’t go wrong again, because he wasn’t certain if Baekhyun could handle another heartbreak. He had been through far too much.

"I've got to go now. Kiko's just woken up."

"Okay, tell her I said hi." They bade each other one last goodbye before Baekhyun hung up, letting his thoughts be consumed by that of a newborn instead. He remembered the day Sehun was born. After all, it had only been five years ago. It was definitely one of the happiest times in his life. The memory brought a small smile to his face.

Baekhyun's smile faded, though, when he thought about his inevitable meeting today with his new client. He had tried putting it at the back of his mind but every single time it managed to invade his thoughts, he would be left with chills and goosebumps of what was to come. He tried convincing himself, though, that it was only a one-time thing and that nothing would go wrong. Just last night he had encountered another bump in his newly established friendship with Chanyeol. Baekhyun had gone to bed feeling awful about what he had done, because he had never laid a hand on Chanyeol, and he had let his emotions get the better of him. He made a mental note to himself to apologise for his rashness later, when Chanyeol got off from work.

Just do your job and it'll be over soon. Baekhyun inhaled an air of confidence and straightened out his shirt for the last time before heading out the door. Kris had given him the address via text, and he'd hopped into a cab to bring him to his destination. It was a forty-five minute drive into the city where Baekhyun found comfort in the bright lights that blend together as the cab breezed through the streets. Baekhyun was still relatively calm as they pulled up in front of an established building where an usher greeted him with a welcome and a grand smile, but his heart started palpitating in anxiousness as he rode the elevator up to the penthouse where he was told his guest was awaiting his presence.

Baekhyun said a small prayer under his breath before he brought his finger to buzz the bell at the side of the door. Seconds later, the door opened with a click and he made his way inside with wary steps and heart heavy as lead.

"My, my," a deep, low voice called as soon as Baekhyun turned the corner and into a spacious living room that had windows that overlooked the city's skyline. The voice sent chills down Baekhyun's spine, and a shudder ran through him when he lifted his gaze to meet his client's dark, scrutinizing eyes.

"So you're my special treat for t'night?" The man, in his thirties but devastatingly handsome and impeccably groomed, let out a low whistle as he leaned back to admire Baekhyun's capivating form. Baekhyun's head lowered on instinct, something he was accustomed to when interacting with clients. He had come to learn that most men liked their company to be submissive. I paid for your services, so you're beneath me. That's the aura they exude, and that's what Baekhyun had to conform to.

"You're Baekhyun? The one who'll give me pleasure like nobody else can?" 

Baekhyun felt anger bubbling inside but bit back the urge to talk back, to defend himself like Chanyeol had taught him to back when he'd been working at the pub. Instead, he lifted his gaze ever so slightly and mustered the sweetest smile he could.

"Kris sent me here. He says to show you a good time." Baekhyun manages his practised smile. "I'm here to do just that, Daehyun-ssi."

Daehyun's eyes narrowed. Baekhyun tried not to flinch as the man visibly raked his eyes over him, pausing at what Baekhyun believes to be his sharp collarbones that jut out so prominently in the low necked shirt he was instructed to don.

"Come 'ere," Daehyun beckoned with a finger, his free hand swirling the ice in his drink. Baekhyun did as told, making his way over with a spring of faux confidence in his steps, pausing when he was just a few feet away from the leather sofa.

"On my lap," Daehyun murmured lowly, his voice turning raspy and eyes heavily lidded as he patted his thighs with a hand. Being that close, Baekhyun could get a better sense of how drunk the man truly was. He wondered how much he had consumed but shook the thought away. His clients were rarely sober when they request for his company. This shouldn't be any different, though the nagging voice in the back of his mind was back, telling him that this was different because Kris wasn't around to pull an over-enthusiastic drunkard off him if things got too wild.

But Kris' words about Daehyun being his best and most loyal client rang in his head. He can't screw this up. Not when he was so close to getting a big break.

Baekhyun complied with the client's request, slowly slipping into the man's lap. He tried to keep away from the man's face, but in a swift movement, Daehyun had set his glass down on the table at the side with a loud clank and wrapped his arms around the frame of Baekhyun's waist, startling the smaller man.

"Keep still, lil' vixen," Daehyun murmured into his ear, his hot breath heavy against his skin. Once more, Baekhyun did as told, not wanting to offend the client even more than he probably had.

"Y'know..." Daehyun gave an experimental to Baekhyun's earlobe, "Kris tol' me that you're amazing. But I don' just wanna talk tonight..."