Chanyeol gently held onto Baekhyun’s wrists as the smaller of the two held it out for him. They were red, the colour obvious against the paleness of the rest of his arm. His wrists were bruised and bleeding, stained with red and splashed with clouds of blues and greens. Chanyeol winced but he still gingerly held onto the wrists in his large hands. 

He placed a soft kiss on Baekhyun’s forehead, his lips just barely brushing the skin. But it was enough for Baekhyun to stop looking away. Baekhyun just couldn’t make himself look Chanyeol in the eyes. There was too much hurt, too much guilt and disappointment in them. 

Chanyeol started off by dropping a wrist onto Baekhyun’s lap. The smaller male was seated on top of the counter, next to the sink. He was still in his pyjamas, the yellow squeaky duck prints marred with red. He held onto the other wrist still in his hand as he dabbed a soft cloth into the warm water of the sink. Careful not to break the atmosphere, Chanyeol spoke softly and gently.

“This will sting a bit.”

Then he started to dab at the wounds. He cleaned most of the blood surrounding the cuts but he soon started to almost the wounds as he tried to clean any dried blood off. There was barely any sound from Baekhyun, except for the occasional whimper when Chanyeol wiped over an especially deep cut. Then Chanyeol would pause for a moment before continuing. It was hard for him to do this, painful even. Probably not as painful as what Baekhyun was going through right now but painful enough that it made Chanyeol’s chest hurt and he swore he was starting to tear up. 

Although it took quite a while, soon Baekhyun’s wrist was clean. The pale skin was starting to show again, with the exception of the bruises that had started to flower. Chanyeol had then rinsed the cloth, leaving the colour of the water in the sink rusty. 

Chanyeol wringed the cloth, while watching Baekhyun from the corner of his eye. Baekhyun was completely docile, like a doll. His cleaned wrist was next to his still- stained one and Chanyeol quickly left the cloth on a rack to dry a bit. He took the first- aid kit from under the sink and opened it up on the floor before he picked out the things he would need.

Baekhyun watched the clear bottle of brown fluid appear on the edge of the counter as Chanyeol mumbled to himself. Then he saw the roll of bandage appear as well, then the cotton gauze, then lastly, the butterfly stitches. Baekhyun stayed quiet as Chanyeol stood back up and started to open the bottle and unwrap all the different bandages. 

Picking up the clean wrist, Chanyeol laid it gently on the counter top as he tore off a bit of the cotton gauze and placed it on the top of the bottle, plugging it with his thumb, he flipped the bottle up and down. He removed the now brown- stained cotton gauze and approached Baekhyun’s wrist. Repeating exactly what he’d said earlier, he set to work as he picked up Baekhyun’s wrist again.

Chanyeol dabbed at the cuts gently, as softly as he could. But his heart still tugged whenever he heard a hiss or whenever he saw Baekhyun’s hand clench into a fist. He continued, despite the suppressed groans until he was sure all the cuts were covered in disinfectant. Throwing the cotton gauze into the dustbin right by the sink, Chanyeol started to unroll the bandage. 

Baekhyun’s heart was about to give out. It really was. Chanyeol was treating him so gently, he had never seen this side of him before. Sure, Chanyeol could be dubbed the “Gentle Giant” but this was a completely new level of gentle. Chanyeol was treating him, holding him as if he was made of glass. Every time he looked up from his wrist, and at Chanyeol’s face, he swore he was going to cry. The concentration on Chanyeol’s face as he tried not to hurt Baekhyun could have rivalled the look he has when working on his final thesis. 

Wrapping up the wrist as gently as he could, after he made sure the cuts had stopped bleeding, Chanyeol used the pin to keep it in place. He kept the butterfly stitches for the much deeper cuts, hoping that it would hold without the need for stitches. 

After dressing the other wrist as well with the same slow painstaking pace, Chanyeol put away all the objects on the counter of the sink. He rinsed the now brown- stained rag before he threw it into the hamper by the door. Then he had stood back upright, his gaze traveling down to meet Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun had both his arms resting on his thighs, his eyes almost painfully looking up just to meet Chanyeol’s. 

Baekhyun didn’t want to be babied. He didn’t deserve it. He really didn’t. All he did was cause trouble, especially to Chanyeol. Everyone thought just because they were close that whenever Baekhyun was having a bad day it was up to Chanyeol to cheer him up. That was what led to this situation anyways. If the members hadn’t pestered Chanyeol to find Baekhyun and cheer him up, Chanyeol would never have found out. And Baekhyun wouldn’t be sitting on the countertop feeling sorry for the both of them right now.