Cursed Freedom

A Curiosity

The moment Chanyeol turned the knob to the door of his elegant prison, he was facing away from it and instead facing the inside of the entryway of the mansion.

The boy that had been on the porch a moment ago was kneeling before him on the worn carpet of the front parlor room in the same position that he had been in moments before. He looked up and around cautiously, taking in his surroundings.

Although Chanyeol would, yet again, not be escaping the mansion today, his visitor was a shocking curiosity, as he was the first person he had seen in almost a decade of confinement.

The boy finally looked up and locked eyes with Chanyeol. He gazed at him with wide eyes. He seemed both relieved and nervous to be inside the mansion and no longer in the forest. His eyes shined like a galaxy of stars on a clear night. He coughed and tilted his head slightly, as if he was inspecting his rescuer. Chanyeol's breath caught in his throat. Despite the boy's rough appearance, he couldn't help but think that he was beautiful. He had nothing and no one to compare to, but Chanyeol had forgotten that fact just then.

After that very brief moment, Chanyeol immediately reached out a large hand to the boy so that he could pull him to his feet. He was anxious, but cleared his throat so that he could speak for the first time in a long while.

"Hello. My name is Chanyeol." His deep voice boomed throughout the usually quiet parlor room.

The boy reached his hand up to accept Chanyeol's and let the taller help him up onto unsteady legs.

"Baekhyun." the boy replied by way of introduction, his voice raspy. Once standing, they slowly shook their already joined hands before breaking apart. Chanyeol couldn't help but notice that Baekhyun had pretty hands. Unlike his own, they were soft and slender and quite elegant, in a way. However, they were also freezing cold, and he was visibly shivering.

He was no taller than 5'9, and Chanyeol stood almost a full head taller than him. He had shaggy pale brown hair and delicate features, with smooth skin. He had beautiful light brown eyes and a very pretty pink tint to a pair of bow shaped lips. His strong and sharp jawline made Chanyeol ponder at his true age. He was undoubtedly older than he had first appeared when he had been all folded in on himself outside just minutes ago.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Baekhyun." He replied genuinely, a friendly, crooked smile creeping up one side of his face. That was literally the understatement of the century, but Chanyeol kept his excitement in check and quickly jumped at the need to make Baekhyun more comfortable as he, frankly, looked like a disaster. His clothes were thin, torn, and he was filthy. His jaw was quivering from the cold.

"You look like you're freezing!" Chanyeol finally said. "Come with me. Let's get you into some warm clothes."

Baekhyun didn't question this, only nodded and smiled as Chanyeol led them up the vast winding staircase to the third floor. This is where all the bedrooms sat, most of them empty and without any living soul besides Chanyeol, and apparently now Baekhyun as well.

The rooms contained everything that Chanyeol had ever needed, which changed as the years passed. And as he got older, the house gave him nearly whatever he desired, except, of course, the things he wanted most: company and a way out of the mansion and the forest.

Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun into one of the cleaner, more elegant suites. A large four-poster bed dominated the room. It was covered in thick blankets and large piles of pillows.

Chanyeol invited Baekhyun to sit on the edge of the bed and handed him a thick throw blanket that had been draped over a sitting room chair nearby. His new guest gratefully wrapped it around his shoulders and gave Chanyeol a very relieved, breathy, "Thank you..." followed by a deep, pleasured sigh as the warmth wrapped around him.

Chanyeol opened the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of pants and a button-up shirt with a warm sweater to throw over it. Although he had done his best to pick out the smallest clothes he could find, they would still be a bit big on Baekhyun. He seemed not only to be short and quite petite, he also looked very thin, like he could benefit from putting on some weight after starving in the forest, (and on the streets,) for God knows how long. These were Chanyeol's clothes, and the man was not just quite tall but also had a healthy, muscled body, with wide shoulders and long, lanky legs.

As he rearranged a few things around the room for its new occupant's comfort, his curiosity began to eat at him. He glanced at him and said, "I never asked how old you were, Baekhyun." He tilted his head slightly to the side and handed him the clean pile of clothes.

Baekhyun smirked in return, as this was a common question that he was asked. He looked up at Chanyeol and replied, to his great shock, "I'm 25. Today would be my birthday... actually..." he chuckled and grabbed the offered items of clothing.

At that, Chanyeol was no longer just casually willing to help his unexpected visitor, and he was not just curious, but downright fascinated by him! "Today is my 25th birthday too!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Chanyeol stopped actually celebrating his birthday a very long time ago, but he had always kept count of the years while letting the day pass as any other would, and with little care.

He sat down next to Baekhyun on the large bed, suddenly very surprised by the irony, and he wondered if it was only a coincidence. Nothing in the mansion ever seemed to be a coincidence, and he had become used to assuming that nothing ever was.

Chanyeol looked down at his folded hands and then up at Baekhyun. "So... how did you end up in these creepy woods and on my doorstep with barely any clothes on, on our joint birthdays, Baekhyun?" He asked with a smile and an edge of humor in his voice.

To Chanyeol's surprise, Baekhyun laughed loudly and genuinely at the question. "That is... a long story." He replied mysteriously and looked up to meet Chanyeol's eyes with a smile.

His eyes... they burned with a deep ocean of secrets. For some reason, Chanyeol felt as though he were almost able to read the eyes of his bizarre visitor, and it all made his insides stir. He wanted to dive into that ocean.

Chanyeol laughed as well, "Well... I have all the time in the world, Baekhyun." Now, THAT was the understatement of the century!