Baby's Breath

**Chapter 23**

The thunderclouds rolled in quite fast that night, blocking out his view of the sky that should have been pink, orange, and purple. Baekhyun knew he was in trouble, too, when he opened his cellphone to discover that his mother had called sixteen times with minute intervals in between. He sort of gave up thinking of a good excuse, so he decided not to answer her call (expecting the sheer fury he would have to face tomorrow, if he got back).

Once the weather started to go gloomy, though, the neighbors dispersed and the home was abandoned except for the old lady who still sat on the front porch, fanning herself with a thick clump of newspapers.

"You'll have to stay for the night, it's going to rain until tomorrow." 

Baekhyun glanced up, his hands still warmly wrapped around Chanyeol's, then nodded slowly. All he managed was a simple "thank you" even if he meant to be a little more sincere to the old lady who had shown the two nothing but kindness for the past few hours. She was different than the rest of the townspeople who were quick to judge and accuse Chanyeol of being crazy, even if she hadn't said much to them ever since Baekhyun found Chanyeol there.

Judging from the stillness of the neighborhood, he also guessed she or anybody else hadn't called the police yet, but he knew it could be a different story the next morning. 

For a long time, Baekhyun sat in the dark with Chanyeol, ignoring how exhausted or hungry he was because he was afraid Chanyeol would open his eyes and he would miss it by doing something else like sleeping or eating. He wanted Chanyeol to wake up knowing his brother was physically by his side and not transient, only reachable with words and bittersweet hopes of a tomorrow that might not come. He wanted Chanyeol to know he was loved even while he was sleeping, because he hadn't received enough of it while growing up.

There were so many things left unsaid that Baekhyun wished he had more time to tell him, not on paper but spoken face-to-face. While Chanyeol slumbered, Baekhyun recited those words in his head, still lacking the courage to say them even if he had the perfect opportunity to. 

I missed you. Life is boring without you. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you and everything I might do to you in the future. I'm so happy you're my brother, Park Chanyeol. 

He hadn't even noticed that the old lady had gone to bed in another room of the small house that had just one other room spacious enough to fit two people. He had been too distracted by his thoughts. Baekhyun didn't want to move Chanyeol from the porch though, mainly because the weather was comfortably cool and the flooring was warm enough to keep them cozy.

Baekhyun sighed and rested beside Chanyeol now, using his own bicep as a pillow while the other hand lifted the blanket up to Chanyeol's slowly rising-and-falling chest. He thought Chanyeol must be dreaming of something sweet because he would catch a glimpse of a smile here and there, but Baekhyun decided not to imagine what that something was. Knowing Chanyeol, it could have been anything because he knew Chanyeol smiled at the strangest, randomest things sometimes. 

Chanyeol's mentality was like that of a child's; the world was an infinitely better place to Chanyeol than it was for everyone else his age and Baekhyun only appreciated that way of thinking now. Before, he used to think Chanyeol was immature, but really, Chanyeol had taught Baekhyun more about life than he could ever hope to know.

Chanyeol, Baekhyun thought, was amazing. He knew so little, yet he knew so much, and now aware of that, Baekhyun felt more like a child in Chanyeol's presence than ever before. He wanted Chanyeol to hold him, to reassure him, to be his support beam, to guide him home in the dark, to just be there while he poured out his heart.

Yet, he knew Chanyeol couldn't be that for him, and Baekhyun was strangely okay with it.