Cursed Freedom

Worry In Love

(Story under construction  🏗)

<Tooth rotting fluff alert. If you can't handle sweets, don't eat 'em! Lol! No but seriously, this is a really sweet chapter.>

   For the two weeks after the 'incident,' Baekhyun couldn't focus on anything except Chanyeol. He did absolutely everything with the giant.

   He skipped his afternoon naps in exchange for laying his head in the taller's lap in the library while they talked and laughed quietly, Chanyeol gently running his fingers through Beakhyun's hair.

   He even woke up early and finally took up Chanyeol's offers to workout and would mosey down to the gym with him, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, yawning.

   Finally, during dinner on the 13th consecutive day of this, Chanyeol slid a plate of spaghetti and meatballs across the table to Baekhyun, who, as usual, dug into the delicious meal prepared for him immediately.

   Chanyeol however, just sat, with his hands folded in front of his face, elbows on the table, eyes on Baekhyun, and cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to get the latter's attention.

   Baekhyun finally looked up at this, his mouth full of spaghetti and half a piece of garlic bread. He choked a little before chewing everything in his mouth and swallowing it down before attempting to speak.

   "Is something wrong?" He asked, the worry evident in his voice.

   "Babe..." Chanyeol sighed, looking for the right words to begin with. His eyes wandered around the kitchen, but eventually settled back on Baekhyun.

   He didn't, at all, want to hurt his feelings. If anything, he adored the clingy little thing, no matter how much time they spent together. However, the reasons for his change in behavior were obvious, and it was clearly affecting Baekhyun more than he was letting on, and it needed to be addressed.

   "What, Yeollie? You're freaking me out," Baekhyun said and put down his fork and napkin to reach across the table for Chanyeol's hand.

   Chanyeol sighed, but reached out and squeezed the smaller's hand anyways before he launched into the speech he'd been preparing in his head all day.

   "Listen," he began, "I know what you've been up to lately, and I get it. But you don't need to be so worried about me. I know what happened was scary for both of us, but I promise..." he looked down at their hands and intertwined their fingers, "I promise with all my heart, I'm okay."

   Baekhyun looked away for a second and then back at his lover, "I'm..." he searched for the right words to say under the circumstances, "Yeollie, I'm sorry..." he said and hung his head. "I didn't mean to be so... so all up in your business. I'm just so scared of losing you again. That was the hardest thing I've ever had to witness someone go through... and what if it happens again? I can't let you do it alone..." he trailed off, trying not to cry at the dinner table.

   "Oh, Babydoll..." Chanyeol said his voice laced with affection, "God, I love you so fucking much," Chanyeol, overwhelmed by emotion, murmured loud enough for Baekhyun to hear.

   Chanyeol cleared his throat and spoke louder, "I love you so much for worrying about me. And I'm the furthest thing from mad, I swear. So, don't you dare apologize for giving a shit about me!" He laughed slightly, hoping to lighten the mood.

   "I'm actually a little worried about you..." he said softly and rubbed his thumb across the back of Baekhyun's beautiful, delicate hand.

   "W-what?" The smaller one stammered out, his brows knitting together in confusion, "W-why?"

   "Are you getting enough sleep? Are you just doing these things with me just because I want to do them? Because this is a two-sided relationship, sweetheart. And as much as I love spending all the time with you that I can, I don't want you to do all this just because you're worried.

   "You need your rest, baby. I see it in your face when we go to bed at the end of the day. You have dark circles under your eyes, you take really rushed showers, and then you're out within minutes.

   "Honestly... you need to take care of yourself as well. I couldn't live with myself if... well, I need you to be happy too, baby. And right now, you're pushing your own limits, I can tell. And you don't need to do all this."

   Chanyeol sighed yet again. "Baek, I went years without going back to that dark place, and it's not going to happen again. I promise you, I'm fine." He pleaded with the petite boy with everything he had, begging him with his eyes. "It's my job to look after you too."

   "Chanyeol, I just... it scares me when you're not around me..." he looked away from the other's desperate eyes and down at their intertwined hands.

   Chanyeol observed him for a moment, fidgeting, until inspiration struck and he smiled, "How about we compromise?"

   Baekhyun looked back up at him, "Like... in what way?" He asked, tilting his head curiously, "How do you mean?"

   "Like... you sleep in while I do my workout, I'll come back upstairs and kiss you awake, and we'll have breakfast and lunch and everything in between together, and if you want, and I mean only if you want, I'll lay with you when you take your afternoon naps. And I'll shower you with kisses to wake you up after that as well." He said and lifted Baekhyun's hand, still held tightly in his, up to his mouth to kiss it multiple times as an example of his intended affections.

   Baekhyun couldn't help but smile and blush at the adorable, caring, perfect man sitting across from him. "What did I do to deserve you?" He said with a sigh and a smile, his eyes shining.

   "You exist." Chanyeol replied simply, smiling back.

   "God, Yeollie, you're such a cheese-ball sometimes." But his smile perked up even more anyways, a deep blush creeping up his face, all the way to the tips of ears.

   "What do you say?" Chanyeol asked him seriously, but with a ghost of a smile still on his face.

   "Only if you promise me that if you feel off at all, you'll come and find me. No matter what time it is. No matter what I'm doing. Promise?" Baekhyun pleaded.

   "I promise, Baekkie. I promise." Chanyeol replied.

   "And I would love to have you lay next to me while I take my naps," He blushed even darker, "the kisses don't sound half bad either." He smiled, again, at Chanyeol to find the man already giving him a big toothy grin.

   "I can't imagine a better set up." He replied, and with one final squeeze to Baekhyun's hand, he let go and picked up his cutlery to twirl a fork full of sauce and noodles before slurping them up, causing both men to giggle together like little kids.

   They chatted lightheartedly for the rest of dinner and laughed, teasing eachother, even splashing soapy water everywhere during their attempt at cleaning up afterwards.

   And just like that, all was right in their own little world of two.