The wind howled outside, the loud whistling echoing throughout Chanyeol’s empty apartment. It was cold inside, dark, empty too. The rain drummed against the ceiling loudly, leaving Baekhyun on edge. It was his first time experiencing a storm quite as bad as this, and he was doing it alone.

“Don’t worry,” Baekhyun reassured himself for possibly the hundredth time that day, “Mister Giant will be home soon. Then everything will be okay.”

It was true, Chanyeol had told him there were a few errands he needed to run. He had asked Baekhyun if he would like to tag along, but the thought of being stuffed into a backpack or a jacket pocket didn’t seem too appealing, so Baekhyun insisted that he was brave enough to stay home alone.

Well, he wasn’t home entirely alone. He had Byun, Chanyeol’s teddy bear to keep him company. And to snuggle up to whenever he was frightened. The deafening rumble of thunder reached Baekhyun’s ears and he whimpered, burying his face into the bear.

“Don’t be scared,” Baekhyun whispered, his eyes pinched tightly shut. “Don’t be scared. Mister Giant will be home soon.”

Another rumble of thunder, another whimper from Baekhyun.

Things wouldn’t have been so scary if there was at least one light on in the house, but Chanyeol had left the house well before the storm and Baekhyun – try as he might – had no chance of reaching the light switch.

“Be brave Baekhyun,” he whispered, wrapping his fingertips around the fleece on the teddy bear in an attempt to escape the storm. “Be brave for Mister Giant.”

A strike of lightning forked across the sky, and the dark interior of Chanyeol’s house was briefly illuminated in a pale blue. Everything looked so scary now; silhouetted, big, unfamilliar.

Baekhyun felt his body begin to tremble uncontrollably.

“Please hurry home, Mister Giant,” he whimpered, his voice muffled by Chanyeol’s teddy bear. “I’m scared.” 

Awkwardly cradling his purchased to his chest with one arm, Chanyeol’s free hand dipped into the pocket of his saturated jacket, fishing around for the keys to his apartment. Finding the keys – though taking a good thirty seconds to retrieve them – was the easy part; letting himself in took a great deal more time … And skill.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol called as he peered his dark living room. The inside of his apartment was almost as cold as it was outside.

Chanyeol cussed quietly. It was sunny when he left, so he didn’t think to put the heater on for Baekhyun. Chanyeol made his way through the dark room, dropping his purchases onto the small coffee table that stood in the center.

If Baekhyun was cold, Chanyeol decided, he would be smart enough to find a blanket or a slipper at the very least to snuggle into.

“Baek,” he called again. “I’m home!”

Striding into the hallway, Chanyeol flicked on the living room light. “I got a few things for you,” he said. “Sorry for taking so long!”

A quiet sniffle reached his ears and Chanyeol felt his heart drop.

“M-mister Giant?” Baekhyun whispered, prying his tear stained face away from Chanyeol’s teddy bear.

Following the voice, Chanyeol quickly crossed the distance between where he stood in the hallway to where Baekhyun was; cuddled up in the far corner of the couch with Byun the bear. Baekhyun shivered with fright as another crack of thunder echoed throughout the apartment, a tiny squeak escaping his lips.

“Baekh-” Chanyeol began as he took a seat on the couch. The moment he sat, Baekhyun had wrapped his tiny arms around Chanyeol’s wrist as tightly as he could and began to cry.

Chanyeol stared down at him for a long moment in confusion before something clicked in his mind. Baekhyun had been left alone, in the dark and in the cold during a storm. It was him that had made Baekhyun cry. It was his fault that Baekhyun was petrified.

“Baekhyun,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, I …”

Lifting his head, Baekhyun rubbed his watery eyes with one hand, the other was wrapped as tightly as possible around Chanyeol’s wrist.

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun managed to say, his voice still quivering in fright. “I’m okay now that you're here, Mister Giant.”

Chanyeol spent a great deal of the evening organizing things he had purchased for Baekhyun. Small rolls of fabric in varying colours, materials and thicknesses; buttons; needles and thread.

“All to make you clothes with,” Chanyeol had explained. “I don’t want you to be wearing those paint stained clothes forever.”

Baekhyun tugged on the hem of his cotton shirt in embarrassment. “It didn’t come off when I tried to clean it,” he said quietly. “So I tried painting the shirt white. I think … I think I might have made it worse.”

Chanyeol chuckled quietly to himself. “Maybe,” he said. “But that’s okay, because we can make you all kinds of clothes. Shirts, a nice warm coat.”

Reaching out to the coffee table, he lifted a long, thin box, bringing it to rest on the couch between himself and Baekhyun in one swift motion. The top had been cut off the box, leaving only a few centimeters of cardboard around the sides. The inside had been filled with all sorts of soft materials; fleece, cotton.

“I made you a little bed, too,” Chanyeol said, proud of his handiwork. Baekhyun couldn’t contain his excitement. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he clapped his hands together.

“Mister Giant?” he asked eagerly. “Is it bed time yet?”

A small smile tugged the corners of his lips upwards. Scooping Baekhyun up in one hand, he placed him gently on the tiny makeshift bed.

“If you want,” he chuckled, “then sure. It’s time for bed.”

Carefully picking up the box, Chanyeol carried it into his room, placing it at the foot of his bed. It was right near the heater, so he was certain that Baekhyun wouldn’t get too cold.

“There,” he said, “you should be comfy there.”

“Mister Giant?”

“Yes?”

“Good night!”

“Night, Baekhyun.” 

Chanyeol had long gone to bed, his soft breaths filling the otherwise quiet room. From outside, the wind howled and the rain drummed loudly against the roof. Baekhyun had drawn the fabric blankets up to his nose, but was wide awake. He sat upright, his back resting against the tiny pillow Chanyeol had made him, his knees drawn into his chest.

Across from him was a window, covered entirely in beads of rain. Branches of the large tree that stood just outside Chanyeol’s apartment block crashed and scraped against the window.

Baekhyun shivered, wrapping a square of fleece material around him tightly. He was exhausted but he was too afraid to sleep.

Tying the piece of fabric around his neck as though it were a cape, Baekhyun climbed out of his box-bed and slowly made his way through the darkness and up the length of Chanyeol’s bed.

“Mister Giant,” he called softly when he reached Chanyeol’s pillow. “I’m scared.”

But Chanyeol didn’t answer.

This time, Baekhyun reached out and tugged gently on Chanyeol’s pajamas. “Mister Giant?”

Again, he received no answer.

Baekhyun puffed out his cheeks in determination and took a step closer to the sleeping giant. Slowly, ever so slowly, he reached out and gave Chanyeol a sharp prod in the cheek. Groaning, Chanyeol’s eyes opened and groggily, he looked around in the darkness.

“Baekhyun?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. “It’s four o’clock in the morning. What are you-”

“Mister Giant,” Baekhyun interrupted. “I’m scared.”

“It’s just a storm, Baek.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight? Please?”

Chanyeol sighed. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. “Why?”

“Because I feel safe when I’m with you.”

Not quite sure how to reply, Chanyeol moved over slightly, giving Baekhyun room to wiggle his way into the small gap between Chanyeol and his teddy bear, Byun.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun whispered quietly. “Goodnight Mister Giant.”

“Goodnight, Baekhyun.”