With his legs drawn up to his chest, Baekhyun sat; he had barely spoken to Chanyeol in three days Worrying Chanyeol was the last thing Baekhyun wanted to do, but he couldn’t help it. Chanyeol already knew something was bothering him.

The lounge room was silent. What was once filled with the laughter – and often arguing – of nine others was now empty. Heaving a heavy sigh, Baekhyun rested his chin on his knees and closed his eyes.

Taking a seat on the couch next to Baekhyun, Chanyeol watched him, concerned.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked gently. “I made you a new cape.”

Baekhyun didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t need to pretend he was brave anymore, but acting like this certainly didn’t help. Chanyeol would think him childish, but Baekhyun couldn’t seem to stop.

“No thank you,” he replied, his voice muffled by his knees.

Chanyeol frowned. Baekhyun couldn’t have really given up on capes, right? He had to keep trying.

“Baek,” Chanyeol repeated, equally as gently. “Would you like to go on a date? We can eat ice cream.”

Baekhyun’s heart felt as though it skipped a beat. This was something he had been dreaming of for the longest time – Chanyeol had asked him on a date! But still, Baekhyun did not open his eyes. Instead, he turned his face away from Chanyeol, his chin still resting on his knees.

“No thank you.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol said quietly, getting to his feet. “If you don’t feel like going out, I’ll bring the date to you.”

He felt determined to bring the smile back to Baekhyun’s tiny face. It hurt Chanyeol to see him so upset. Crossing the living room, Chanyeol scooped up his house keys, coming to a halt at the front door.

“I’ll be back soon, alright?”

Baekhyun didn’t reply. Instead, he merely nodded, his eyes still closed. He waited for the sound of the front door to swing shut, the click of the lock – the sound of Chanyeol’s footsteps growing fainter as he made his way down the hallway of the apartment towards the stairs.

“Please hurry home, Mister Giant.”

A loud howl drifted in through the open window and Baekhyun opened his eyes, sighing once more.  Getting carefully to his feet, Baekhyun made his way slowly to the end of the couch, his eyes fixed on the window.

“Why are you sad, puppy?” he asked softly. “Are you lonely, too?”

For the first time since he had to say goodbye to his friends, a small smile tugged the corners of Baekhyun’s lips upwards. Carefully, he climbed down the side of the couch and padded quietly towards the window.

“I can be your friend. Then we both won’t be lonely.”

Yes, that was it. He would go and spend some time with the puppy next door. That was sure to make the both of them happy. But Baekhyun couldn’t just leave without telling Chanyeol. He could wait until Chanyeol got home, but that would just mean the puppy would continue to howl; they would both continue to be alone until Chanyeol returned.

A note.  

Yes, that was exactly what he should do! Hurrying over to where a box of crayons sat neatly, untouched since his friends had gone, Baekhyun tugged the blue crayon from the box, scrawling his message hurriedly. 

Now, the only thing for him to do was leave it somewhere that Chanyeol would find it. By the door, perhaps? No, Chanyeol would step over it. On the coffee table? Not there, either. The note would get ruined if he tried to put it up there.

With one sharp push, he rolled the heavy blue crayon out into the middle of the lounge room. Chanyeol would find the crayon, first. The note could stay here.

Baekhyun smiled to himself as he hurried to the bookshelf that stood next to the windowsill. Clambering up one shelf at a time was a lot harder than he had intended. Kris made it look so easy.

The cool wind washed across Baekhyun’s face as he wiggled through the small gap of the window, perching on the brick ledge outside. He could see into the backyard that the puppy lived in, but he couldn’t see the puppy. Maybe it was hiding?

A long, thick wire ran the length of the apartment building, from just below the window ledge right down to the fence. Baekhyun smiled at this. in a deep breath, he clung tightly to the brick ledge – stretching his legs down until the tips of his toes touched the thick cable, Baekhyun gently lowered himself down.

He didn’t need a cape to do something like this. He was brave. The only thing Baekhyun needed now was a friend.

With a shopping basket looped over his arm, Chanyeol made his way up and down the aisles of the supermarket. He was determined to see Baekhyun smile again, and if a date with him was so important, Chanyeol would make sure it happened – and with all of Baekhyun’s favourite things.

He scanned the contents of his basket; strawberries, ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. This would make a perfect three course meal, Baekhyun style. But he couldn’t just leave it at that. Something was missing.

Heading down the toy aisle, Chanyeol frowned, his hand hovering over a stack of My Little Pony dvd’s. He wasn’t sure what ones Baekhyun had and what ones he didn’t. With a shake of his head, Chanyeol grabbed a handful of the plastic cases, dropping them into his basket.

Continuing his way down the aisle, something pink caught his eye – a stuffed Pinkie Pie plush. Yes, Chanyeol thought. This would make him smile.

It just had to.

Gritting his teeth, Chanyeol balled his fists together.

He had to do what was best for Baekhyun, not him. Chanyeol knew he had been selfish; he had continued to push Baekhyun away, he had continuously denied Baekhyun the happiness that he deserved.

Chanyeol was determined to see Baekhyun live happily. Even if that meant giving him up to Joonmyeon so that Baekhyun could be with his friends again.

He hoped it wouldn’t have to come to that, but if it did … Chanyeol would do anything to ensure his happiness and wellbeing.

Even if that meant never seeing him again.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of Baekhyun’s adventure was climbing down the fence; the wooden rungs were so far apart and he was almost certain he would fall. Carefully, Baekhyun lowered himself down, the rough wood of the fence cutting his fingertips and covered the palms of his tiny hands in splinters.

His toes touched the ground after what felt like forever and Baekhyun let out a quiet sigh of relief as he climbed off the fence. The grass in the backyard was tall, some blades reaching far above his head.

Shooting a quick glance over his shoulder, Baekhyun could only just make out the window of Chanyeol’s apartment from which he had climbed. Puffing out his cheeks that were flushed with exhaustion, Baekhyun nodded with satisfaction. The first leg of his journey had been complete.

Now he just had to find his new friend.

“Puppy?” Baekhyun whispered quietly. “Don’t be sad, I’m here now.”

The walk up several flights of stairs with his arms weighed down with groceries was always going to be exhausting. Chanyeol looked forward to nothing more than ridding his arms of the plastic bags and spending time with Baekhyun.

Wrestling with the flap of his jacket pocket, Chanyeol fished out his keys and – awkwardly – unlocked the front door to the apartment.

“Baekhyun,” he called. “I’m home!”

As expected, he received no response. Chanyeol frowned. Baekhyun can’t still be upset, can he? Forcing a smile onto his face, Chanyeol glanced over the back of the couch where he had left Baekhyun.

“I’ve got a surprise for --” he trailed off, his eyes scanning the empty couch. Maybe Baekhyun was hungry? Or maybe he took a nap? Making his way into the kitchen, Chanyeol dropped the groceries onto the kitchen counter before heading into the bedroom.

“Baekhyun? Are you there?”

Parting the long grass as he walked, Baekhyun took in his surroundings. The backyard was big, but almost completely barren. It was messy, and the unfamiliar stench burned Baekhyun’s nostrils.

A tiny box with a tall, triangular roof sat to one side of the concrete slab that was the majority of the backyard. Baekhyun beamed happily.

“That must be Puppy’s house! Oh, but I didn’t bring anything with me.”

He patted down his pants sadly. It was always impolite to go to somebody’s house without bringing a gift. Maybe he could pick a flower and give that to Puppy as a gift? Yes, Puppy would like that!

Something long zig-zagged across the concrete; on occasion, it would tremble, scratching roughly against the abrasive surface of the concrete. A chain? But that didn’t look like any chain Baekhyun had ever seen.

This one was metal and looked old, rusted. Baekhyun only knew how to make chains out of bright craft paper.

“What an odd decoration,” he murmured quietly, balancing on his tiptoes to scan the yard for a flower. “At least, with my gift, I can brighten up your house, Puppy.”

Chanyeol was frantic. Had Baekhyun wanted to leave that badly? Why didn’t he say something earlier? Chanyeol wanted to at least say goodbye.

His heart felt heavy as he tore the cushions from the couch in hope that Baekhyun was simply hiding.

“Baekhyun!” he screamed, his eyes stinging. “Where are you?”

Dragging his shaking fingertips through his hair, Chanyeol slumped to the ground. Baekhyun had to be here somewhere, he just had to be! Blinking back his tears, Chanyeol noticed something sticking out from behind the leg of the coffee table.

A crayon? That wasn’t there when he left.

Confused, Chanyeol crawled towards where the crayon lay on the ground; lifting his head, he saw a single piece of paper next to the crayon box. A note? Dropping the crayon, Chanyeol scrambled towards the paper, the breath catching in his throat.

“Gone to play with Puppy … Oh no. Baekhyun!”

A loud growl made the ground under Baekhyun’s feet tremble. He froze immediately, a single daisy in his hand. Was this the Werewolf, come to terrorise him and his new friend, Puppy?

Baekhyun’s hands began to tremble as he turned around, lifting his gaze slowly to meet the beast that stood behind him. There, with a thick, spiked collar fastened tightly around its neck, heavy chain hanging from a large hoop in the middle stood the most horrifying thing Baekhyun had ever seen.

This wasn’t a puppy. It was a dog.

The dog opened its mouth, a plastic doll, no bigger than Baekhyun, fell to the ground with a quiet thud. It was headless. Baekhyun whimpered quietly, taking a step backwards.  

“M-Mister Giant,” he whispered quietly as a savage snarl ripped from the dogs throat, its beady eyes fixed on him. Without a second thought, Baekhyun took off, heading for the tall grass.

“Mister Giant, please! Help me!"

Diving into the tall grass, Baekhyun lay as still as he could praying the dog wouldn’t be able to find him. Closing his eyes, Baekhyun drew in a sharp breath.

“I don’t want to die!”

Blinded by tears, Chanyeol tried desperately to break through the side gate. He could hear everything; every snarl and every bark. But what sent chills down his spine was the blood curdling, agonized screaming. Baekhyun’s screams.

And then silence.

“Baekhyun!” he cried, throwing his body at the gate again and again. “Baekhyun, please!”

The hinges on the gate buckled, giving him a thin gap to squeeze through. Chanyeol’s body shook violently as he scanned the backyard for any signs of Baekhyun. When he spotted Baekhyun lying motionless next to the kennel, the dog standing over him, Chanyeol’s heart gave a sickening lurch.

Sprinting forward, Chanyeol shoved past the dog, ignoring the pain that washed through him as it wrapped its jaw around his calf. Scooping Baekhyun’s mangled body up in his hands, Chanyeol did all he could to shield him from the attacking dog.

“Baekhyun,” he whispered frantically, shooting a quick glance down at Baekhyun’s bleeding face. “Please be okay … Please.”

Chanyeol bent over Baekhyun’s limp, bloodied body and cried. He had tried everything once he had gotten Baekhyun safely back into the apartment. He had cleaned each and every one of Baekhyun’s wounds, but they wouldn’t stop bleeding. He had gently felt for broken bones – anything abnormal. Nothing.

But Baekhyun wouldn’t open his eyes. No pulse. No breathing. No anything.

Chanyeol’s lungs burned as he tried to draw in air, his entire body shook with each sob. He didn’t want to leave Baekhyun’s side. He couldn’t. A soft keening escaped Chanyeol’s lips as he rocked from side to side, the sound gradually growing into an agonized wail.

He never got a chance to see Baekhyun smile one last time. He never got a chance to say goodbye.

Fighting back another sob, Chanyeol leaned forward, placing his lips on Baekhyun’s bloody forehead.

“Goodbye Baekhyun,” he whispered. “I love you.”

It started with a twitch of a finger, then a crinkle of the nose. Chanyeol’s sleeping form felt heavy against Baekhyun’s chest. His body throbbed with pain, but for some reason, where Chanyeol’s head lay, he felt warm.

It took a good deal of effort for Baekhyun to push himself up into a sitting position, and when he did, Baekhyun’s eyes scanned the darkened living room. It was well into the night now and Baekhyun didn’t want to wake Chanyeol, who was sleeping so peacefully on his chest.

Baekhyun’s brow furrowed. When was Chanyeol able to rest his head on Baekhyun’s chest? Did Chanyeol shrink? Baekhyun had to be dreaming.

Rubbing his eyes, Baekhyun extended a heavily bandaged hand, placing it gingerly on Chanyeol’s shoulder. Why was he sleeping on the floor?

“Mister Giant?” he whispered quietly.

Chanyeol sat up groggily and peered through the dark lounge room.

“Baek … Hyun?”

His eyes widened and Chanyeol threw his arms around Baekhyun, burying his face into the others neck.

“You’re alive,” he managed to choke, unable to hold back his tears. “You’re alive.”

Baekhyun smiled, returning the hug.

“Mister Giant,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean--”

Lifting his head, Chanyeol's lips brushed against Baekhyun's cheek, silencing him.

“Don’t be,” he breathed, brushing the matted hair from Baekhyun’s eyes. “Just ... Please don't leave me.”

I can't actually apologise for this.
Baekhyun growing by this method has
been set in stone since chapter four.
(Maybe I'm just a little angst deprived?)

This was written for my friend SongEunKi to
cheer her up. Not once did I expect so many 
people to read it, let alone leave comments.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your
encouragement, advice and never ending support.
I can't even begin to tell you how happy reading each
one of your comments made me. <3

I apologise for rushing through the last seven chapters,
but I need to focus on not getting kicked out of my
University for failing. Plus a few severe work related issues
that have been bubbling away since december.
These take my top priority.

Yes, this is the end of Baek in a Box.
No, it is not the end of Baekhyun and his Mister Giant. 

Yes, there will be a sequel.

I miss his cape. T^T