Promise Me [ ChanBaek ]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲ ＩＶ

          Days passed by like that one. Lazy and nothing much going on. Other members doing their own things while Chanyeol's cough worsens and Baekhyun is left to take care of him and worry on his own.

          Everything was happening so quickly. One day their sleeping in the same bed, snuggled up closely to the other with small smiles spread across their faces even in their sleep. And suddenly loud coughs break their slumber and Chanyeol is forced to sit up and nearly blow his lungs out. That pattern had slowly begun happening more and more frequently and now it's almost twice a night that Chanyeol wakes up coughing while Baekhyun tries his hardest to soothe him back to sleep.

          What's going on? Baekhyun doesn't know but he wishes he did. The other members are also growing more concerned for Chanyeol's steady decline in health, but none of them are as scared as Baekhyun is. He doesn't even know how to cope with the fact the person he knows he loves is slowly withering away right in front of his very own eyes.

          "I'm taking you to the doctor." Baekhyun spoke up when he entered his shared room only to see Chanyeol standing in front of the window.

          "No." Chanyeol immediately shot back as he turned around to look at him. "I'm fine Baek so I'm not going to go." The smile he tried to give was obviously fake.

          Baekhyun wanted to scream out in frustration at this point. It's been about two weeks since that night Chanyeol collapsed on stage and he hasn't gotten one single straight answer as to what is wrong with him. Though he can't deny he finds it amusing how persistent Chanyeol is in insisting how 'he's fine'.

          His skin is even paler than before and he's somehow managing to get skinnier with each passing day. Chanyeol can barely do a normal dance practice without feeling faint and weak. It's so clear that something is eating away at him from the inside out and yet he still tries to smile, for Baekhyun's sake.

          "You're not fine idiot." Baekhyun mumbled under his breath as he walked over to Chanyeol, stood on his tiptoes, and flicked the giants forehead.

          "Ow! What was that for?" Chanyeol whined in response.

          "For being stubborn..."

          And with that, Baekhyun left the room. He didn't want to be near Chanyeol when he knew he was lying. It makes him feel horrible on the inside just knowing that no matter how much he begs, Chanyeol will always refuse to go seek medical treatment regardless of anything he or the other members say.

More days passed and more sleepless nights ensued. EXO's comeback was officially pushed back and they were put on a hiatus until Chanyeol's condition improved.

It never did.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol would spend countless days over at the nearby park next to the dorm. Many nights just staring up at the stars. It had became their meeting place away from the watchful eyes of others. It was their place, all to themselves.

Earlier that night, they had snuck out of the dorm one after the other. Baekhyun had left first and waited a good hour before Chanyeol deemed it safe for him to sneak out as well which very nearly resulted in him tripping over countless random items that littered the dorms floor. Thankfully he didn't because lord only knows what Junmyeon or Yifan would have done if they found one of their precious children in the act of sneaking out late at night...

"So how long do you think until Suho finds out about us?" Chanyeol asked with a derpy grin as they lied on the grass side by side and stared aimlessly up at the stars.