Concordia Discors [Chapter Six]
Title: Concordia Discors [Chapter Six]
Authors: akaanee and minwhore
Pairings: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Kai/Luhan, onesided!Sehun/Luhan, onesided!Kai/Kyungsoo, Suho/Kyungsoo, Kris/Tao
Rating: PG-15
Summary: For many centuries humans and demons have been at odds. And now the battles fought rise to a crescendo where tables are turned, many are sacrificed, and hopes are both found, and lost.
Author’s Note: another long-ish chapter /cries ;; sorry for the little delay people! my internet was being its usual stupid self the whole time while we were writing this huhuhu anyway, i think you'd all enjoy this chapter very much 8D
Chapter Six
On a white castle far to the north, rulers of the human race sat together and debated. Seated on marble thrones and adorned with gold and jewelry, they bickered and argued on the high rise of the monster population, along with the slow, steady decline of the human numbers.
“Why aren’t the number of monsters lessening? What the fuck is the Hero doing?” one of them roared angrily, spit raining out of his mouth. He had a reason to be angry -- to be afraid; another one of the towns in his kingdom had fallen victim to the Demon Lord and his army of monsters. The whole area had been burnt to the ground, leaving nothing but dead, bloody bodies and ashes.
“He and his companions have been travelling the land, taking over the towns that were in the hands of monsters before,” one lord calmly put in.
“But the death rate continues to rise and the destruction isn’t declining!”
As the lords and governors continued to argue, the recently-crowned High King sat bored on his golden throne, placed high above the others. He was still painfully young; his father had died not too long ago from a disease he had long suffered through, and the advisers had insisted he take up the throne even though he hadn’t been ready.
Beside him, his royal guard fidgeted restlessly, wondering what was on the young king’s mind as he stared out the large window of the court hall with empty eyes.
But the young king’s interest was soon piqued by something one of the Lords said.
“I heard the Hero hasn’t been killing monsters.”
Immediately he sat up straighter, eyes wide. He gripped the armrests of his throne tightly, knuckles turning white. What? The Hero, whom everyone had laid their hopes and expectations on, wasn’t killing monsters? The very same monsters who killed his mother and dearly beloved sister?
“What did you say?” he questioned softly, darkly, as he leaned forwards in his seat. The arguments ceased and everyone turned their gaze to him uncertainly, a little surprised he suddenly decided to join the conversation.
“My King,” one of the governors from the east rose from his seat and bowed low. “We have heard rumors that the Hero and his companions have been refusing to kill monsters. He’s seems to have a ridiculous belief that humans and monsters can co-exist in this world."
Silence followed the confession, in which the High King stared down at the ground, seemingly burning holes through the marble floor with his gaze. The lords and governors shifted uncomfortably in their seats, unsure of what to do or say. And then, after a pregnant pause, the High King looked up. He stared straight ahead, flames of anger in his eyes, as if everything else in the room was invisible.
Finally, he uttered, "Bring the Hero to me. I wish to... question... him."
They walked back to the inn, exhausted and drenched to the bone, soggy clothes clinging to them like second skin. Baekhyun's shoulder was still aching from when Luhan had pushed him from the roof, throbbing painfully with each step he made. He grit his teeth and trudged on, hiding the wince of pain from his face.
But Chanyeol noticed, of course. He always noticed. It came as a shock to Baekhyun when the Hero suddenly stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. The rest spared them one glance (Kris a little warily), but continued on. Chanyeol placed a hand on Baekhyun’s injured shoulder and Baekhyun felt the jolt of pain shooting straight to his spine. He realized too late that he’d whimpered aloud when Chanyeol’s eyes widened.
“Oh my god, Baekhyun, you’re hurt.” Chanyeol tipped Baekhyun’s face up with a hand on his chin, and Baekhyun squirmed when he saw the genuine concern on his handsome face. It didn’t help that Chanyeol’s face was also a little too close for comfort.
“No -- Chanyeol, it’s fine,” he brushed off Chanyeol’s worry and turned his face away, flushing. But Chanyeol didn’t buy it, and instead started to carefully undo the buckles on Baekhyun’s jacket, eyes determined. Baekhyun turned redder and tried to push Chanyeol’s hands away, which had moved to the joint where his neck met his shoulder, silently asking for permission. “Chanyeol, what...?”
“I learned a bit of healing magic from Yixing, in case of an emergency and he’s not there,” Chanyeol explained quietly, fingers stroking Baekhyun’s flushed skin, making him shiver. “Please, at least let me help you out just a little bit.”
Baekhyun stared up at Chanyeol’s unwavering gaze, and with an audible gulp, he nodded. The taller man smiled reassuringly before he slipped his hand into the collar of Baekhyun’s shirt and settled on his injured shoulder blade. Chanyeol’s hands were warm and much bigger than Baekhyun’s own, calloused from wielding swords and bows and arrows, but the touch was gentle. Baekhyun shivered again as warmth seemed to seep into his skin and into his strained muscles, right into the marrow of his bones and immediately, the pain lessened.
He looked up in wonder at Chanyeol’s bright, childish grin, and rolled his shoulder a couple of times to make sure. The dull pain was still there, and he knew it wasn’t healed properly yet, but now it wasn’t so unbearable.
"Thank you," he whispered gratefully. Chanyeol's smile went gentle and Baekhyun suddenly became aware of just how close Chanyeol really was. If he just leaned forward a little bit more, he could...
Just as the thought flashed across Baekhyun's mind, Chanyeol's gaze turned dark and half-lidded, and his hand moved from Baekhyun's shoulder to curl around his neck, dragging across his feverish skin in a tantalizing way. His other hand moved up to cup Baekhyun's cheek and he pulled him closer. Baekhyun closed his eyes in anticipation, a shaky sigh escaping his lips --
"Yo! Chanyeol!" Jongin suddenly shouted and the two jumped a mile away from each other, faces red and hearts beating a million miles an hour. Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from taking another step away and oh my god Chanyeol was going to kiss me. "Let's go buddy! It's late!"
"Be there in a sec!" Chanyeol bellowed back at Jongin, who was staring at them curiously. But then Jongin shrugged and walked on, and Baekhyun was filled with the sudden urge to grill Jongin on the spot. He clenched and unclenched his hands to keep himself in control, seething at Jongin's retreating back for ruining the mood.
"So, um," Chanyeol cleared his throat pointedly, and Baekhyun's attention was back on him. He noticed that Chanyeol's ears were red, and that he was avoiding Baekhyun’s gaze, staring at a spot beyond Baekhyun's shoulder instead. "Yixing can fix you up when we get back, and, um, yeah... We should go," he finished lamely.
Baekhyun frowned. Even though Chanyeol only helped ease the pain and not heal his shoulder fully, it made Baekhyun feel indebted, nonetheless. And Baekhyun hated feeling indebted to anyone.
So when Chanyeol turned to follow the rest of the group, Baekhyun grabbed his arm with a slightly breathless ‘Chanyeol, wait,’ and pulled his face down. Oh, those lips, Baekhyun wanted to kiss those lips so bad -- but in the last second he veered off-course and landed his kiss on Chanyeol's cheek instead. He heard Chanyeol's breath get caught in his throat.
A little confused by his own actions, Baekhyun muttered, "Thank you."
After that they continued back to the inn, not meeting each other’s gazes as they walked next to each other carefully. They held apart from each other, as if avoiding even a slight hand brush. Baekhyun was still trying to sort out the mess in his brain that consisted mostly of Chanyeol and his actions before, and he could feel Luhan poking curiously through his mind.
When they neared the inn, Kyungsoo came rushing out, concern written all over his features. Yixing trailed after him, looking a little pale and shaky, and Baekhyun vaguely wondered why.
“Are you all right?” Kyungsoo demanded, moving to look at them one by one, inspecting for any kind of damage. Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun to the front, and Yixing immediately sprung to action. He strode over and gently held Baekhyun’s upper arms, steering him into the inn and into Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room.
“What is it? What happened?” Yixing asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, making Baekhyun sit on his bed. It was Luhan who answered, popping out from behind Jongin and next to Baekhyun’s side.
“We went to find the monster that was causing the storm, and Baekhyun ended up getting hurt,” he explained, threading his arm into Baekhyun’s.
“Where?” Yixing asked, and Baekhyun lifted his injured shoulder a little, wincing as the pain came back. Yixing tutted and rolled back his sleeves, looking unimpressed. “Take off your shirt.”
Baekhyun’s head snapped up, eyes wide as he glanced around to see the others in the room. “H - Here?” All he got was an eye-roll from Yixing and, with a little uncertainty, he began to undo the buckles and straps on his jacket. Finally, he pulled his shirt over his head, biting the inside of his cheek to stop his blush.
Chanyeol spluttered but quickly covered it with a cough, and turned away to face the window as he suddenly found the scenery outside more interesting. Baekhyun saw Jongin snort and elbow his best friend on the ribs, while Luhan looked from Baekhyun to Chanyeol, a knowing smile on his face.
“Okay, hold on, this might hurt a little bit,” Yixing warned, pressing his palm on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Yixing’s hands were much smaller than Chanyeol’s, and a tad bit frigid. Baekhyun gave himself a mental slap for even comparing them in the first place.
Yixing’s hands began to glow then, brightening the area around the two. Baekhyun immediately felt the area on his muscles begin tightening, the strains against his shoulder trying to rearrange themselves into their original position.
Baekhyun, no stranger to pain, let Yixing work in silence, his face scrunching up once in a while when his shoulder gave a particularly nasty throb of protest. Luhan sat right next to him and watched Yixing work, seemingly enjoying Baekhyun’s discomfort.
Aren’t you going to apologize to me? Baekhyun asked, irritated at the pleasant vibes Luhan was emitting.
Why should I? Luhan snorted. You know how much I like to see you in pain. You rarely get hurt as it is.
Baekhyun decided he had the worst best friend to date.
Yixing finished up soon, patting Baekhyun on the shoulder. “Good as new!” he chirped out, pushing his glasses up on his nose. The healing seemed to have helped Yixing as well - he looked a lot more relaxed, and his pinched features from earlier had long since passed. Baekhyun idly wondered what that had been about as he pulled a dry shirt on. Outwardly, he beamed, pulling the healer into a hug.
“Thank you!” Baekhyun said brightly.
A new figure in the doorway caught the group’s attention. The owner stood, partially in the crowded room and partially in the hallway, a big bag in her hands. She looked a little uncomfortable, which was a first since she rarely showed any emotion at all.
She walked into the room when she saw that she had their attention, shoving the big bag into Kris’ hands.
“This is from the whole town,” she muttered. “They’re grateful that you chased the monster off.” With that, she strode out of the room, leaving everyone else bewildered.
“She sounded almost offended,” Baekhyun muttered to himself and Luhan giggled bemusedly. Kai and Chanyeol cracked a grin and before anyone knew it, the whole room was laughing. Baekhyun even caught Kris allowing a small smile on his handsome face. Baekhyun raised his eyebrows at him and Kris shrugged nonchalantly, smile still intact as he rummaged through the bag in his hands. He made a small noise of appreciation as water, bread, meat and more things were pulled out of the bag. The rest clapped and cheered at the sight.
“This will last us about a week,” Kris said, nodding to himself as he put the food back into the bag.
“Well then!” Chanyeol exclaimed, throwing an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders, having already forgotten their earlier encounter.“We could stay here another day and move out tomorrow. Everyone else agree?”
The group all made similar noises of approval and was about to retire to their respective rooms, when a series of knocks at the window suddenly grabbed their attention. The seven of them whipped around to see an eagle perched on the windowsill, a message tube tied to its leg. It clicked its beak importantly and ruffled its handsome brown feathers, and Chanyeol hurried over to fetch the message. As soon as it was relieved of its burden, it nipped Chanyeol’s fingers lightly and flew off again.
Baekhyun caught a sight of the royal crest embossed on the golden scroll, sealed with a rich red wax just as Chanyeol opened it. Jongin tried to peek over Chanyeol’s shoulder to see what it said, but Chanyeol held up the piece of paper above his head challengingly. Jongin backed down with a huff.
The room was quiet as Chanyeol read the piece of paper. Everyone had long since crowded around the Hero, waiting with little patience as Chanyeol looked at the note thoughtfully.
“The High King wants to meet me,” Chanyeol finally said, surprise and confusion warring on his expressive face. Baekhyun frowned.
“When?” Kyungsoo asked, frowning as well. In fact, everyone in the whole group was frowning, except for Luhan, of course. Chanyeol shrugged.
“It says as soon as possible,” Chanyeol said, obediently handing over the scroll when Kris held out a hand silently. Kris scanned the page quickly and rolled it up, contemplative expression in his face.
“In that case, everyone go get some rest now. We’ll head out to the capital at dawn,” he said and everyone nodded. One by one they filed out of Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room, bidding them a good night. The door closed with a snap behind the last person and Chanyeol and Baekhyun were left in silence. Baekhyun watched the Hero shift his weight from one foot to the other before he patted Baekhyun’s shoulder awkwardly, and then shuffled to his own bed to burrow into the sheets. Baekhyun shook his head fondly but in exasperation -- the Hero hadn’t even bothered to get out of his wet clothes.
“You should change your clothes,” Baekhyun whispered, wondering if Chanyeol was asleep already. His suspicions were spot on when Chanyeol didn’t budge, already sleeping.
Baekhyun sighed and laid down, pulling the sheets up to his neck. He smiled at the back of Chanyeol’s head, before settling into the sheets as well, exhaustion finally pulling him to dreamless sleep.
They set out the next day, the sun bright on their faces. The townspeople had escorted them out of the town with grins on their faces and wished all the best of luck for the group.
Chanyeol was in high spirits. His smile was the widest Baekhyun had ever seen, stretching his face almost comically, and he waved back at the citizens as they passed. Despite the headache he was currently suffering through, Baekhyun couldn’t stop the small grin -- the Hero’s happiness was infectious.
However, his smile soon disappeared when his headache gave another thump in protest. It was strange -- he had gone to bed last night without any problems but awoke to his head throbbing painfully, almost making him kneel over during breakfast. Yixing had given him some medicine but as of yet, nothing had helped to lessen the pain.
Baekhyun almost wasn’t able to suppress the small groan that escaped his mouth as his head gave another biting twinge. Beside him, Luhan walked on, not even pausing at Baekhyun’s pain. Luhan had been quiet all morning, carefully avoiding Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. Had he done something wrong?
Chanyeol, who had heard the muffled groan, sighed and took Baekhyun on his back again. Baekhyun muttered a quiet apology and pressed his head to the cool metal of the sword handle on Chanyeol’s back, thankful of the slight relief it bought to his throbbing temple. He fell asleep soon enough, lulled to slumber by the sound of Chanyeol’s breathing and his strong, steady footsteps.
When he awoke it was late afternoon, and Chanyeol had stopped walking. He sneezed as Chanyeol’s hair tickled his nose, irritably rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The Hero craned his neck to grin at Baekhyun, to which Baekhyun replied with a hesitant smile.
“Hey,” Chanyeol said, “You feeling better?”
“Mm, a bit,” Baekhyun murmured, relieved. The headache was still there, but thankfully it was at a level Baekhyun could handle. He squinted, looking around. “Why did we stop?”
“Jongin is causing a scene again,” Chanyeol answered, rolling his eyes. “It seems that Luhan made cat ears for Jongin and tried to insist that the dummy wear it, so he threw a fit. And now we’re waiting for him to grow up before we move on.”
Baekhyun laughed softly, laying his head back down onto Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol tilted his head sideways a bit, so that the side of his head knocked gently against Baekhyun’s, making him smile.
“I will most certainly not wear those dumb cat ears!” Jongin screeched, turning away with a huff and marching away pointedly from the group.
“Come now, Jongin!” Kyungsoo said cheerfully. There was a strange note in his tone that almost made Baekhyun look up, but alas, he was just too tired to move at this point. “Luhan was nice enough to make you these cute cat ears, so the least you can do is wear them!”
“I agree!” Yixing said gleefully, as if he knew just how much Jongin hated it and was enjoying it to the fullest.
“Guys!” Jongin whined, probably not enjoying the tag-team.
“Poor Luhan,” Chanyeol cooed in sympathy. Baekhyun’s eyes flickered drowsily just listening to Chanyeol’s deep voice vibrate against his ear pleasantly. “He ended up making something for the most ungrateful person to roam the earth.”
“No,” Luhan’s voice protested. “It’s alright, really --”
“It isn’t though!” Chanyeol said.
“Enough!” Jongin cried, fed up. “I’ll wear your stupid cat ears, okay? Just -- just keep moving, dammit!”
Finally, they started walking again. Baekhyun managed a tired smile when he heard Jongin muttering angrily before darkness took him again.
The next time he woke, Chanyeol was calling out his name.
“Baekhyun, are you awake?”
Roused from his sleep, Baekhyun muttered out something garbled, pressing his face into the valley between Chanyeol’s shoulder blades. Chanyeol’s body shook with laughter, and Baekhyun grumbled.
“Stop laughing, you neanderthal,” Baekhyun muttered. “Trying to sleep.”
“We’re already at camp,” Chanyeol said, still laughing. “I’m going to drop you if you don’t get down. The guys need help setting up the tents and stuff.” When Baekhyun didn’t make any move to slide down from Chanyeol’s back, the Hero sighed and carefully squatted down, prying Baekhyun’s fingers from in front of his neck so he toppled to the ground with a whine.
“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun cried out in protest, rubbing his eyes sleepily as Chanyeol saluted him with a cheeky grin. Sleepy Baekhyun was too adorable, lips in a pout and hair sticking up on one side -- Chanyeol had to resist pinching his cheeks right then and there.
As he set up the tents, Chanyeol couldn’t help but think back to that time when he nearly... kissed Baekhyun. His face turned red at the thought, suddenly all hot and bothered as he recalled the sight of Baekhyun leaning up to him, eyes closed and mouth slightly parted, so pliant and soft under his touch. He blushed again and busied himself with the tents, so as to not let his mind wander.
But as he laid awake in his blankets that night, full and happy and content, he couldn’t help thinking about the possibility of them being together. He had never been in a relationship before, since he had always been busy with this Hero stuff. It would be nice, he thought idly, to have someone special to fight for and come back to at the end of the day.
A rustle interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see Baekhyun enter the tent with a grin, and Chanyeol returned it with a grin of his own. He shuffled over to make more room for Baekhyun’s side and the monster flashed him a grateful smile before he collapsed to his blankets with a huff.
“Goodnight, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said and closed his eyes, laying down facing Chanyeol as he tried to sleep.
“Goodnight, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol felt his heart flutter in his chest as he watched Baekhyun sleep, the rapid movements of his eyes underneath his eyelids, the way his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. He traced the outline of Baekhyun’s face with his gaze, eyes raking over the gentle slopes of his nose and the pretty curve of his lips.
Suddenly Baekhyun’s eyes flew open and Chanyeol jumped back in shock, causing Baekhyun to erupt in laughter. The Hero glared at Baekhyun as he rubbed his chest, trying to return his heart rate to its normal pace as the last of Baekhyun’s laughter faded. Baekhyun rolled around, pushing himself up on his elbows to grin at Chanyeol. “It’s easy to sense someone staring at you, you know.”
At this, Chanyeol blushed and turned his face away in embarrassment, pouting at the wall of the tent for no reason in particular. “I just couldn’t sleep,” he muttered.
Baekhyun rolled his eyes and shoved Chanyeol’s shoulder playfully, but his gaze soon turned solemn.
“Chanyeol, can I ask you a question?” he said, playing with a loose thread on his blankets, voice quiet. When Chanyeol nodded in affirmation, Baekhyun frowned lightly as though trying to find the best way to phrase his question. Chanyeol frowned as well, wondering what made Baekhyun so serious all of a sudden.
“You don’t have to be so hesitant,” Chanyeol invited. Baekhyun bit his lip before nodding.
“Why did you become the Hero?”
Chanyeol couldn’t help the way his body stiffened at the question, his lips automatically locking together in a thin line without him realizing it. Baekhyun, sensing his discomfort over the subject, quickly tried to backtrack, holding his hands up in a pacifying manner.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me,” Baekhyun said, biting his lip. “I just thought --”
“Nah,” Chanyeol said, forcing the tension away from his limbs. He sighed, rubbing his face in an attempt to calm himself down. Everyone else in the group already knew about his past, and only Baekhyun and Luhan remained unaware. Maybe it was time he told Baekhyun, at least? He continued, “It’s fine. You just have to give me a moment. That question always catches me off guard.”
“Oh,” Baekhyun whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. “Take your time then...”
Chanyeol put a hand to above his chest, laying it over where his heart was and willing it to slow. He breathed in and out, closing his eyes before opening them and beginning.
“The town I originally grew up in was a good place -- the people there didn’t believe in wars or violence. We were pacifistic by nature, and the only ‘violence’ people saw was kids playing with fake swords in the streets.” Chanyeol looked down, voice quiet as he recalled the lively streets of his hometown, the farmers working in the fields, the way everyone greeted him as he passed with kind smiles. “We kept out of anything and offered a safe haven for monsters, on the condition that they gave up killing. Everything worked surprisingly well...” Chanyeol paused, grinding his teeth together. “Until the Demon Lord attacked.”
He didn’t see Baekhyun’s eyes flash with an indescribable emotion, too absorbed in the events of his past.
“It happened when I was seven,” Chanyeol said. His hands curled into tight fists by his sides, nails digging into the palm of his hands. “I went out with my father to gather some wood out in the forest. When we came back...everything was burning -- dying.”
Baekhyun’s hand reached out for his. Chanyeol slowly opened his fist, taking a deep breath as his palm connected with Baekhyun’s. He gripped Baekhyun’s hand tightly, drawing strength from the reassuring way Baekhyun’s thumb slid over his knuckles.
“We rushed home but... it was too late,” Chanyeol whispered. “God Baekhyun, I can still remember it, down to the last vivid, gory detail. There was so much blood. My beautiful mother and gorgeous sister... I couldn’t even tell who they were anymore because they were just...ripped to pieces.”
“That sounds horrible,” Baekhyun said softly. Chanyeol brought their intertwined hands up, placing a gentle kiss on the back of Baekhyun’s hand absentmindedly.
“It was,” he agreed, leaning his forehead against their hands. “It really, really was.” He blew out a breath, straightening his spine. “Anyway... my father didn’t let it all sink it too much before he was shuffling us away from them. We tried looking through the town to find other survivors but no one was left. Not even the monsters.
“I think that was the hardest thing for me to accept,” Chanyeol said, expression pained. “The Demon Lord didn’t even let his own race get away. It was just an unbiased massacre.”
He glimpsed Baekhyun biting his lip in a nervous way but thought nothing of it.
“Right when we reached the edge of the town, we encountered him -- the Demon Lord. He was still a child then.” Chanyeol’s eyes flashed with barely restrained rage. “But being a child didn’t hold him back from killing. And when he saw there were survivors, he was quick to right that mistake. He ended up killing my father.”
Baekhyun didn’t understand how his body worked without his permission sometimes when Chanyeol was around. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened, and he hated himself for not knowing why he acted in such a way.
As Chanyeol retold his story, images flashed through Baekhyun’s mind; burning towns and dying people, and that wonderful, exhilarating feeling of having someone’s life at your mercy. The taste of blood, the metallic smell strong in the air. That feeling of being alive.
He only vaguely remembered a particular town, and the fury and humiliation that he felt when he saw his race living peacefully with his enemies. Only one thought was registered through his mind then -- to wipe out the whole town. He was extremely young, but he was strong and driven by blind rage.
The town had fallen victim to his hands easily.
Chanyeol was vulnerable, completely and utterly open as he told Baekhyun of his past. He would’ve been so easy to kill, unguarded with his weapons out of his reach and his meddling companions away. Just a little flick of Baekhyun’s wrist and a small surge of power and the Hero would be eliminated, and he wouldn’t have to care about anything else ever again.
Kill him. Baekhyun could almost hear that voice at the back of his mind, ordering him the right thing to do. Kill him now!
But instead, when Chanyeol looked like he was at his most vulnerable state, Baekhyun impulsively reached out to take Chanyeol’s hand into his own. He stared in confusion at his hand, which was now rubbing soothing circles along Chanyeol’s knuckles, and felt a sudden urge to pull away. The feeling was ruined when Chanyeol pulled their entwined fingers up and pressed his lips on Baekhyun's hand.
The gesture seemed unconsciously done, as Chanyeol’s eyes were still unfocused and hazy, but Baekhyun suddenly felt his chest tighten at the feel of Chanyeol’s mouth brushing over his skin, closing up his airway and rendering him breathless.
Back away! his mind screamed at him as he shuffled closer to Chanyeol, blankets slipping off his body. He paid it no attention.
This is dangerous, obviously -- very dangerous... but Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself until he reached Chanyeol’s side, and Chanyeol had leaned his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder with a weary sigh.
“If I had thought the sight of my dead mother and sister was horrible, then it was nothing compared to this,” Chanyeol continued, absentmindedly playing with Baekhyun’s fingers. “I was there as the Demon Lord tortured my father before he killed him, ripped him apart limb by limb. I was there. And I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
Chanyeol exhaled loudly, turning his head so his nose was buried in Baekhyun’s hair, as though searching for comfort in the brown locks. Baekhyun stiffened, the tightening in his chest making it harder and harder for him to breathe, but Chanyeol didn’t seem to notice as he ploughed on with his story.
“It was strange seeing someone so young with such killing intent. It had practically radiated off him, the murderous aura. And then when when my father was finally dead in his hands, he... laughed. Threw his head back and laughed like no tomorrow,” Chanyeol’s voice had lessened to a hoarse whisper. Subconsciously, Baekhyun’s fingers tightened around Chanyeol’s, holding their entwined hands to his chest as he hid his face from view, hoping Chanyeol wouldn’t see all his emotions written across his face.
“I -- I didn’t know what to do. There was nothing left for me there, no home to come back to, no family and friends. So I ran. I ran until I couldn’t anymore, and if the Demon Lord saw me, he didn’t chase after me. And then when I finally collapsed, a man found me. He ended up being the previous Hero who had quit, and he was the one who took me in and trained me.
“It’s amazing just thinking about it,” Chanyeol said, laughing humorlessly. “How he was able to take such a weak, pathetic boy and turn me into what I am now. I vowed to get revenge on the Demon Lord. I promised myself that I wouldn’t take any lives, monsters or humans, because I’d seen for myself how everyone could live together peacefully, and that killing off the other isn’t the solution.
“It still haunts me to this very day, though. The dead bodies littering the streets, the puddles of blood, the Demon Lord laughing as he killed my father, my mother -- I --”
“Chanyeol, stop,” Baekhyun said, because Chanyeol’s speech had broken down to stutters, his breathing shallow and his eyes glazed over. It pained him to see Chanyeol in such a state, still stuck in the past, eyes empty and chest heaving.
In a last, desperate attempt to make Chanyeol come back to him, Baekhyun clambered up and held Chanyeol’s face steady with his shaky hands and, without thinking again, kissed him full on the mouth.
Chanyeol stopped breathing altogether, limbs locking by his sides, and when Baekhyun realized what he had done, he closed his eyes tightly and pressed his lips harder to Chanyeol’s to hide his blush.
Chanyeol didn’t respond for a long time, and confused, Baekhyun made to pull away from the one-sided kiss. But just as he backed off, Chanyeol’s arms wrapped around his waist and pulled Baekhyun closer to his chest and kissed back harshly. Baekhyun let out a noise of surprise as Chanyeol's hand threaded into his hair and surged forward harder until his jaw ached from the pressure. Chanyeol compelled Baekhyun's lips to part with a forceful tongue, and Baekhyun squirmed in his hold, disoriented and out of breath.
He whimpered, face scrunching up in slight pain, when Chanyeol gripped his hips in his large hands bruisingly. Chanyeol seemed to snap out of it then, gasping loudly and pushing Baekhyun off him. Baekhyun tumbled back with a pained ‘oof!’, and looked up to see the Hero staring at him with wild eyes, backing off as far as the small tent allowed him. Baekhyun’s lips still tingled from the harsh kiss, chest still hurting from lack of oxygen, but he couldn’t help the confused expression on his face when Chanyeol gasped again as though horrified by his own actions.
“Oh my god, Baekhyun, I -- I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” he started apologizing, expression helpless. “Oh no, you probably hate me now, I’m just -- I’m sorry, Baekhyun, you can -- swap roommates if you want to! I’ll understand --”
But the rest of his speech was drowned out by Baekhyun’s laughter. Before he knew what he was doing and could stop himself, Baekhyun had crawled forwards and settled in Chanyeol’s lap. He held Chanyeol’s face in his hands once more and looked straight into his eyes, amusement glinting in Baekhyun’s dark brown orbs.
“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun sighed, a little exasperatedly, a little adoringly. Chanyeol’s eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and his hands were fluttering at Baekhyun’s waist uncertainly. Baekhyun couldn’t help the small chuckle that slipped past his lips.
The voice at the back of his head screamed at him to stop, back away and not let his feelings get in the way. He’s the Hero! He’s your enemy! Baekhyun could almost hear Luhan’s voice begging him to stop and remember his place, but his body seemed to have a mind of it’s own.
Baekhyun knew this was wrong, that he was treading on dangerous waters, but as he pressed his lips to Chanyeol’s again, softer this time, all coherent thought flew from his mind. Chanyeol kissed back almost immediately, his actions gentle and different from before. His hands finally steadied at Baekhyun’s waist and held him there as he nipped at Baekhyun’s bottom lip, making Baekhyun moan.
Baekhyun all but purred when Chanyeol’s tongue slipped into his mouth, carefully weaving through his tongue and teeth, stroking at all the right places like he’d done this a million times before. Baekhyun sighed and let himself relax against in Chanyeol’s arms, feeling utterly at peace.
They kissed till dawn, lost in each other and when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the fabric of the tent, Baekhyun squinted his eyes, wondering if it was indeed sunrise already.
“Wow, it’s morning already,” he laughed hoarsely, and Chanyeol, who was leaving lazy open-mouthed kisses along the column of Baekhyun’s neck, hummed nonchalantly against his skin. “We didn’t get any sleep!”
Chanyeol pushed himself up to his elbows, looking down at Baekhyun with such adoration it made his breath hitch in his throat. “I don’t mind,” the Hero said with a cheeky grin, swooping down to claim Baekhyun’s lips once more.
Baekhyun laughed against Chanyeol's mouth, pulling him even closer with a hand on the back of his head. When Chanyeol pulled away and nuzzled Baekhyun's cheek, laying content with his limbs tangled in Baekhyun's own, he whispered, "Thank you, Baekhyun, for listening. For just being here for me."
His voice was small and sleepy, and Baekhyun's chest tightened again, this time in a pleasant sort of way as Chanyeol's slow breathing rumbled against his chest.
It's wrong to feel this way, Baekhyun thought dismally, because sooner or later they'd have to face each other in a battle to the death. The irony of it all weighed in Baekhyun's stomach, but right now he didn't want to think about the inevitable. He pushed the thought away and let peace and happiness override all else as he pulled Chanyeol's already dozing form closer and drifted off to sleep.
Later that day, as the group packed up, Luhan saw Baekhyun emerge from his tent, hand in hand with the Hero. He pursed his lips at the sight, shoving his things into his pack viciously. He ignored the raised eyebrow Jongin threw at him.
He wasn’t dumb -- he knew exactly what had gone on between the Hero and Baekhyun last night. Luhan had tuned out of Baekhyun's mind while they were at it, embarrassed, but the embarrassment had quickly morphed into anger. How could Baekhyun let his feelings become something so... horrid? The Hero was the one who was supposed to fall for Baekhyun, not the other way around.
So when Chanyeol left Baekhyun's side to talk to Kris, Luhan strode over and grabbed his friend by the arm, dragging him away from the rest of the group. Baekhyun stumbled a few times before he matched Luhan’s brisk pace, confused expression on his face. Luhan brought them behind a clump of bushes where they could be hidden from view, though the gang was still busy with packing up to notice.
“Luhan, what --”
“No, you don’t get to ask questions. I do. What the hell happened?” Luhan cut him off, eyes hard as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He saw Baekhyun’s body go rigid, a million thoughts and excuses running through his mind, too fast for Luhan to decipher clearly. “Baekhyun, you know I’ll be able to tell if you lie,” he said harshly. At this, Baekhyun’s shoulders slumped, the fight going out of him immediately.
Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes frustratedly, Baekhyun growled, “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know, okay? It was just a spur of the moment thing, it... probably... won’t happen again --”
Luhan scoffed, and Baekhyun sighed, crouching down and wrapping his arms around himself.
“Alright, well, it might happen again, but at least we got him now, right? We’ve got the Hero in our hands now!” Baekhyun tried to lift up the mood, but Luhan only glared at him bitterly.
“Yeah? Doesn’t seem like it, with the way you surrendered yourself completely to him last night,” he muttered, feeling satisfied as Baekhyun’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and shame. “Baekhyun, you’re supposed to be the one pulling the strings, not him,” Luhan continued, softer this time.
“I know,” Baekhyun sighed, running a hand through his hair wearily.
“Baekhyun, look at me,” Luhan ordered, hands in Baekhyun’s shoulders. His friend looked up reluctantly at him, a frown on his face. “You’re the Demon Lord. You’re supposed to be the one who leads us to our victory against humans. Chanyeol is a human, his race was the one who killed many of us, the one who killed him, don’t you remember?”
At that Baekhyun’s eyes glazed over, and the confusion before was replaced by a simmering anger. Luhan mentally smirked -- it had always been easy to provoke Baekhyun.
“Kill him, before he kills you. You know he’ll try to when he finds out your secret -- that’s how humans are,” Luhan said gravely, giving Baekhyun that one last push over the edge.
Luhan whooped gleefully inside as Baekhyun’s mind filled with nothing but fury and thoughts of revenge, his jaw set and eyes determined. Baekhyun nodded once, before he turned around and marched back to the camp. Luhan watched as Chanyeol greeted Baekhyun with a wide grin, and how Baekhyun replied only with a small, detached smile.
He smirked. His plan was back on track.
Authors: akaanee and minwhore
Pairings: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Kai/Luhan, onesided!Sehun/Luhan, onesided!Kai/Kyungsoo, Suho/Kyungsoo, Kris/Tao
Rating: PG-15
Summary: For many centuries humans and demons have been at odds. And now the battles fought rise to a crescendo where tables are turned, many are sacrificed, and hopes are both found, and lost.
Author’s Note: another long-ish chapter /cries ;; sorry for the little delay people! my internet was being its usual stupid self the whole time while we were writing this huhuhu anyway, i think you'd all enjoy this chapter very much 8D
Chapter Six
On a white castle far to the north, rulers of the human race sat together and debated. Seated on marble thrones and adorned with gold and jewelry, they bickered and argued on the high rise of the monster population, along with the slow, steady decline of the human numbers.
“Why aren’t the number of monsters lessening? What the fuck is the Hero doing?” one of them roared angrily, spit raining out of his mouth. He had a reason to be angry -- to be afraid; another one of the towns in his kingdom had fallen victim to the Demon Lord and his army of monsters. The whole area had been burnt to the ground, leaving nothing but dead, bloody bodies and ashes.
“He and his companions have been travelling the land, taking over the towns that were in the hands of monsters before,” one lord calmly put in.
“But the death rate continues to rise and the destruction isn’t declining!”
As the lords and governors continued to argue, the recently-crowned High King sat bored on his golden throne, placed high above the others. He was still painfully young; his father had died not too long ago from a disease he had long suffered through, and the advisers had insisted he take up the throne even though he hadn’t been ready.
Beside him, his royal guard fidgeted restlessly, wondering what was on the young king’s mind as he stared out the large window of the court hall with empty eyes.
But the young king’s interest was soon piqued by something one of the Lords said.
“I heard the Hero hasn’t been killing monsters.”
Immediately he sat up straighter, eyes wide. He gripped the armrests of his throne tightly, knuckles turning white. What? The Hero, whom everyone had laid their hopes and expectations on, wasn’t killing monsters? The very same monsters who killed his mother and dearly beloved sister?
“What did you say?” he questioned softly, darkly, as he leaned forwards in his seat. The arguments ceased and everyone turned their gaze to him uncertainly, a little surprised he suddenly decided to join the conversation.
“My King,” one of the governors from the east rose from his seat and bowed low. “We have heard rumors that the Hero and his companions have been refusing to kill monsters. He’s seems to have a ridiculous belief that humans and monsters can co-exist in this world."
Silence followed the confession, in which the High King stared down at the ground, seemingly burning holes through the marble floor with his gaze. The lords and governors shifted uncomfortably in their seats, unsure of what to do or say. And then, after a pregnant pause, the High King looked up. He stared straight ahead, flames of anger in his eyes, as if everything else in the room was invisible.
Finally, he uttered, "Bring the Hero to me. I wish to... question... him."
They walked back to the inn, exhausted and drenched to the bone, soggy clothes clinging to them like second skin. Baekhyun's shoulder was still aching from when Luhan had pushed him from the roof, throbbing painfully with each step he made. He grit his teeth and trudged on, hiding the wince of pain from his face.
But Chanyeol noticed, of course. He always noticed. It came as a shock to Baekhyun when the Hero suddenly stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. The rest spared them one glance (Kris a little warily), but continued on. Chanyeol placed a hand on Baekhyun’s injured shoulder and Baekhyun felt the jolt of pain shooting straight to his spine. He realized too late that he’d whimpered aloud when Chanyeol’s eyes widened.
“Oh my god, Baekhyun, you’re hurt.” Chanyeol tipped Baekhyun’s face up with a hand on his chin, and Baekhyun squirmed when he saw the genuine concern on his handsome face. It didn’t help that Chanyeol’s face was also a little too close for comfort.
“No -- Chanyeol, it’s fine,” he brushed off Chanyeol’s worry and turned his face away, flushing. But Chanyeol didn’t buy it, and instead started to carefully undo the buckles on Baekhyun’s jacket, eyes determined. Baekhyun turned redder and tried to push Chanyeol’s hands away, which had moved to the joint where his neck met his shoulder, silently asking for permission. “Chanyeol, what...?”
“I learned a bit of healing magic from Yixing, in case of an emergency and he’s not there,” Chanyeol explained quietly, fingers stroking Baekhyun’s flushed skin, making him shiver. “Please, at least let me help you out just a little bit.”
Baekhyun stared up at Chanyeol’s unwavering gaze, and with an audible gulp, he nodded. The taller man smiled reassuringly before he slipped his hand into the collar of Baekhyun’s shirt and settled on his injured shoulder blade. Chanyeol’s hands were warm and much bigger than Baekhyun’s own, calloused from wielding swords and bows and arrows, but the touch was gentle. Baekhyun shivered again as warmth seemed to seep into his skin and into his strained muscles, right into the marrow of his bones and immediately, the pain lessened.
He looked up in wonder at Chanyeol’s bright, childish grin, and rolled his shoulder a couple of times to make sure. The dull pain was still there, and he knew it wasn’t healed properly yet, but now it wasn’t so unbearable.
"Thank you," he whispered gratefully. Chanyeol's smile went gentle and Baekhyun suddenly became aware of just how close Chanyeol really was. If he just leaned forward a little bit more, he could...
Just as the thought flashed across Baekhyun's mind, Chanyeol's gaze turned dark and half-lidded, and his hand moved from Baekhyun's shoulder to curl around his neck, dragging across his feverish skin in a tantalizing way. His other hand moved up to cup Baekhyun's cheek and he pulled him closer. Baekhyun closed his eyes in anticipation, a shaky sigh escaping his lips --
"Yo! Chanyeol!" Jongin suddenly shouted and the two jumped a mile away from each other, faces red and hearts beating a million miles an hour. Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from taking another step away and oh my god Chanyeol was going to kiss me. "Let's go buddy! It's late!"
"Be there in a sec!" Chanyeol bellowed back at Jongin, who was staring at them curiously. But then Jongin shrugged and walked on, and Baekhyun was filled with the sudden urge to grill Jongin on the spot. He clenched and unclenched his hands to keep himself in control, seething at Jongin's retreating back for ruining the mood.
"So, um," Chanyeol cleared his throat pointedly, and Baekhyun's attention was back on him. He noticed that Chanyeol's ears were red, and that he was avoiding Baekhyun’s gaze, staring at a spot beyond Baekhyun's shoulder instead. "Yixing can fix you up when we get back, and, um, yeah... We should go," he finished lamely.
Baekhyun frowned. Even though Chanyeol only helped ease the pain and not heal his shoulder fully, it made Baekhyun feel indebted, nonetheless. And Baekhyun hated feeling indebted to anyone.
So when Chanyeol turned to follow the rest of the group, Baekhyun grabbed his arm with a slightly breathless ‘Chanyeol, wait,’ and pulled his face down. Oh, those lips, Baekhyun wanted to kiss those lips so bad -- but in the last second he veered off-course and landed his kiss on Chanyeol's cheek instead. He heard Chanyeol's breath get caught in his throat.
A little confused by his own actions, Baekhyun muttered, "Thank you."
After that they continued back to the inn, not meeting each other’s gazes as they walked next to each other carefully. They held apart from each other, as if avoiding even a slight hand brush. Baekhyun was still trying to sort out the mess in his brain that consisted mostly of Chanyeol and his actions before, and he could feel Luhan poking curiously through his mind.
When they neared the inn, Kyungsoo came rushing out, concern written all over his features. Yixing trailed after him, looking a little pale and shaky, and Baekhyun vaguely wondered why.
“Are you all right?” Kyungsoo demanded, moving to look at them one by one, inspecting for any kind of damage. Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun to the front, and Yixing immediately sprung to action. He strode over and gently held Baekhyun’s upper arms, steering him into the inn and into Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room.
“What is it? What happened?” Yixing asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, making Baekhyun sit on his bed. It was Luhan who answered, popping out from behind Jongin and next to Baekhyun’s side.
“We went to find the monster that was causing the storm, and Baekhyun ended up getting hurt,” he explained, threading his arm into Baekhyun’s.
“Where?” Yixing asked, and Baekhyun lifted his injured shoulder a little, wincing as the pain came back. Yixing tutted and rolled back his sleeves, looking unimpressed. “Take off your shirt.”
Baekhyun’s head snapped up, eyes wide as he glanced around to see the others in the room. “H - Here?” All he got was an eye-roll from Yixing and, with a little uncertainty, he began to undo the buckles and straps on his jacket. Finally, he pulled his shirt over his head, biting the inside of his cheek to stop his blush.
Chanyeol spluttered but quickly covered it with a cough, and turned away to face the window as he suddenly found the scenery outside more interesting. Baekhyun saw Jongin snort and elbow his best friend on the ribs, while Luhan looked from Baekhyun to Chanyeol, a knowing smile on his face.
“Okay, hold on, this might hurt a little bit,” Yixing warned, pressing his palm on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Yixing’s hands were much smaller than Chanyeol’s, and a tad bit frigid. Baekhyun gave himself a mental slap for even comparing them in the first place.
Yixing’s hands began to glow then, brightening the area around the two. Baekhyun immediately felt the area on his muscles begin tightening, the strains against his shoulder trying to rearrange themselves into their original position.
Baekhyun, no stranger to pain, let Yixing work in silence, his face scrunching up once in a while when his shoulder gave a particularly nasty throb of protest. Luhan sat right next to him and watched Yixing work, seemingly enjoying Baekhyun’s discomfort.
Aren’t you going to apologize to me? Baekhyun asked, irritated at the pleasant vibes Luhan was emitting.
Why should I? Luhan snorted. You know how much I like to see you in pain. You rarely get hurt as it is.
Baekhyun decided he had the worst best friend to date.
Yixing finished up soon, patting Baekhyun on the shoulder. “Good as new!” he chirped out, pushing his glasses up on his nose. The healing seemed to have helped Yixing as well - he looked a lot more relaxed, and his pinched features from earlier had long since passed. Baekhyun idly wondered what that had been about as he pulled a dry shirt on. Outwardly, he beamed, pulling the healer into a hug.
“Thank you!” Baekhyun said brightly.
A new figure in the doorway caught the group’s attention. The owner stood, partially in the crowded room and partially in the hallway, a big bag in her hands. She looked a little uncomfortable, which was a first since she rarely showed any emotion at all.
She walked into the room when she saw that she had their attention, shoving the big bag into Kris’ hands.
“This is from the whole town,” she muttered. “They’re grateful that you chased the monster off.” With that, she strode out of the room, leaving everyone else bewildered.
“She sounded almost offended,” Baekhyun muttered to himself and Luhan giggled bemusedly. Kai and Chanyeol cracked a grin and before anyone knew it, the whole room was laughing. Baekhyun even caught Kris allowing a small smile on his handsome face. Baekhyun raised his eyebrows at him and Kris shrugged nonchalantly, smile still intact as he rummaged through the bag in his hands. He made a small noise of appreciation as water, bread, meat and more things were pulled out of the bag. The rest clapped and cheered at the sight.
“This will last us about a week,” Kris said, nodding to himself as he put the food back into the bag.
“Well then!” Chanyeol exclaimed, throwing an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders, having already forgotten their earlier encounter.“We could stay here another day and move out tomorrow. Everyone else agree?”
The group all made similar noises of approval and was about to retire to their respective rooms, when a series of knocks at the window suddenly grabbed their attention. The seven of them whipped around to see an eagle perched on the windowsill, a message tube tied to its leg. It clicked its beak importantly and ruffled its handsome brown feathers, and Chanyeol hurried over to fetch the message. As soon as it was relieved of its burden, it nipped Chanyeol’s fingers lightly and flew off again.
Baekhyun caught a sight of the royal crest embossed on the golden scroll, sealed with a rich red wax just as Chanyeol opened it. Jongin tried to peek over Chanyeol’s shoulder to see what it said, but Chanyeol held up the piece of paper above his head challengingly. Jongin backed down with a huff.
The room was quiet as Chanyeol read the piece of paper. Everyone had long since crowded around the Hero, waiting with little patience as Chanyeol looked at the note thoughtfully.
“The High King wants to meet me,” Chanyeol finally said, surprise and confusion warring on his expressive face. Baekhyun frowned.
“When?” Kyungsoo asked, frowning as well. In fact, everyone in the whole group was frowning, except for Luhan, of course. Chanyeol shrugged.
“It says as soon as possible,” Chanyeol said, obediently handing over the scroll when Kris held out a hand silently. Kris scanned the page quickly and rolled it up, contemplative expression in his face.
“In that case, everyone go get some rest now. We’ll head out to the capital at dawn,” he said and everyone nodded. One by one they filed out of Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room, bidding them a good night. The door closed with a snap behind the last person and Chanyeol and Baekhyun were left in silence. Baekhyun watched the Hero shift his weight from one foot to the other before he patted Baekhyun’s shoulder awkwardly, and then shuffled to his own bed to burrow into the sheets. Baekhyun shook his head fondly but in exasperation -- the Hero hadn’t even bothered to get out of his wet clothes.
“You should change your clothes,” Baekhyun whispered, wondering if Chanyeol was asleep already. His suspicions were spot on when Chanyeol didn’t budge, already sleeping.
Baekhyun sighed and laid down, pulling the sheets up to his neck. He smiled at the back of Chanyeol’s head, before settling into the sheets as well, exhaustion finally pulling him to dreamless sleep.
They set out the next day, the sun bright on their faces. The townspeople had escorted them out of the town with grins on their faces and wished all the best of luck for the group.
Chanyeol was in high spirits. His smile was the widest Baekhyun had ever seen, stretching his face almost comically, and he waved back at the citizens as they passed. Despite the headache he was currently suffering through, Baekhyun couldn’t stop the small grin -- the Hero’s happiness was infectious.
However, his smile soon disappeared when his headache gave another thump in protest. It was strange -- he had gone to bed last night without any problems but awoke to his head throbbing painfully, almost making him kneel over during breakfast. Yixing had given him some medicine but as of yet, nothing had helped to lessen the pain.
Baekhyun almost wasn’t able to suppress the small groan that escaped his mouth as his head gave another biting twinge. Beside him, Luhan walked on, not even pausing at Baekhyun’s pain. Luhan had been quiet all morning, carefully avoiding Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. Had he done something wrong?
Chanyeol, who had heard the muffled groan, sighed and took Baekhyun on his back again. Baekhyun muttered a quiet apology and pressed his head to the cool metal of the sword handle on Chanyeol’s back, thankful of the slight relief it bought to his throbbing temple. He fell asleep soon enough, lulled to slumber by the sound of Chanyeol’s breathing and his strong, steady footsteps.
When he awoke it was late afternoon, and Chanyeol had stopped walking. He sneezed as Chanyeol’s hair tickled his nose, irritably rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The Hero craned his neck to grin at Baekhyun, to which Baekhyun replied with a hesitant smile.
“Hey,” Chanyeol said, “You feeling better?”
“Mm, a bit,” Baekhyun murmured, relieved. The headache was still there, but thankfully it was at a level Baekhyun could handle. He squinted, looking around. “Why did we stop?”
“Jongin is causing a scene again,” Chanyeol answered, rolling his eyes. “It seems that Luhan made cat ears for Jongin and tried to insist that the dummy wear it, so he threw a fit. And now we’re waiting for him to grow up before we move on.”
Baekhyun laughed softly, laying his head back down onto Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol tilted his head sideways a bit, so that the side of his head knocked gently against Baekhyun’s, making him smile.
“I will most certainly not wear those dumb cat ears!” Jongin screeched, turning away with a huff and marching away pointedly from the group.
“Come now, Jongin!” Kyungsoo said cheerfully. There was a strange note in his tone that almost made Baekhyun look up, but alas, he was just too tired to move at this point. “Luhan was nice enough to make you these cute cat ears, so the least you can do is wear them!”
“I agree!” Yixing said gleefully, as if he knew just how much Jongin hated it and was enjoying it to the fullest.
“Guys!” Jongin whined, probably not enjoying the tag-team.
“Poor Luhan,” Chanyeol cooed in sympathy. Baekhyun’s eyes flickered drowsily just listening to Chanyeol’s deep voice vibrate against his ear pleasantly. “He ended up making something for the most ungrateful person to roam the earth.”
“No,” Luhan’s voice protested. “It’s alright, really --”
“It isn’t though!” Chanyeol said.
“Enough!” Jongin cried, fed up. “I’ll wear your stupid cat ears, okay? Just -- just keep moving, dammit!”
Finally, they started walking again. Baekhyun managed a tired smile when he heard Jongin muttering angrily before darkness took him again.
The next time he woke, Chanyeol was calling out his name.
“Baekhyun, are you awake?”
Roused from his sleep, Baekhyun muttered out something garbled, pressing his face into the valley between Chanyeol’s shoulder blades. Chanyeol’s body shook with laughter, and Baekhyun grumbled.
“Stop laughing, you neanderthal,” Baekhyun muttered. “Trying to sleep.”
“We’re already at camp,” Chanyeol said, still laughing. “I’m going to drop you if you don’t get down. The guys need help setting up the tents and stuff.” When Baekhyun didn’t make any move to slide down from Chanyeol’s back, the Hero sighed and carefully squatted down, prying Baekhyun’s fingers from in front of his neck so he toppled to the ground with a whine.
“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun cried out in protest, rubbing his eyes sleepily as Chanyeol saluted him with a cheeky grin. Sleepy Baekhyun was too adorable, lips in a pout and hair sticking up on one side -- Chanyeol had to resist pinching his cheeks right then and there.
As he set up the tents, Chanyeol couldn’t help but think back to that time when he nearly... kissed Baekhyun. His face turned red at the thought, suddenly all hot and bothered as he recalled the sight of Baekhyun leaning up to him, eyes closed and mouth slightly parted, so pliant and soft under his touch. He blushed again and busied himself with the tents, so as to not let his mind wander.
But as he laid awake in his blankets that night, full and happy and content, he couldn’t help thinking about the possibility of them being together. He had never been in a relationship before, since he had always been busy with this Hero stuff. It would be nice, he thought idly, to have someone special to fight for and come back to at the end of the day.
A rustle interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see Baekhyun enter the tent with a grin, and Chanyeol returned it with a grin of his own. He shuffled over to make more room for Baekhyun’s side and the monster flashed him a grateful smile before he collapsed to his blankets with a huff.
“Goodnight, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said and closed his eyes, laying down facing Chanyeol as he tried to sleep.
“Goodnight, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol felt his heart flutter in his chest as he watched Baekhyun sleep, the rapid movements of his eyes underneath his eyelids, the way his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. He traced the outline of Baekhyun’s face with his gaze, eyes raking over the gentle slopes of his nose and the pretty curve of his lips.
Suddenly Baekhyun’s eyes flew open and Chanyeol jumped back in shock, causing Baekhyun to erupt in laughter. The Hero glared at Baekhyun as he rubbed his chest, trying to return his heart rate to its normal pace as the last of Baekhyun’s laughter faded. Baekhyun rolled around, pushing himself up on his elbows to grin at Chanyeol. “It’s easy to sense someone staring at you, you know.”
At this, Chanyeol blushed and turned his face away in embarrassment, pouting at the wall of the tent for no reason in particular. “I just couldn’t sleep,” he muttered.
Baekhyun rolled his eyes and shoved Chanyeol’s shoulder playfully, but his gaze soon turned solemn.
“Chanyeol, can I ask you a question?” he said, playing with a loose thread on his blankets, voice quiet. When Chanyeol nodded in affirmation, Baekhyun frowned lightly as though trying to find the best way to phrase his question. Chanyeol frowned as well, wondering what made Baekhyun so serious all of a sudden.
“You don’t have to be so hesitant,” Chanyeol invited. Baekhyun bit his lip before nodding.
“Why did you become the Hero?”
Chanyeol couldn’t help the way his body stiffened at the question, his lips automatically locking together in a thin line without him realizing it. Baekhyun, sensing his discomfort over the subject, quickly tried to backtrack, holding his hands up in a pacifying manner.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me,” Baekhyun said, biting his lip. “I just thought --”
“Nah,” Chanyeol said, forcing the tension away from his limbs. He sighed, rubbing his face in an attempt to calm himself down. Everyone else in the group already knew about his past, and only Baekhyun and Luhan remained unaware. Maybe it was time he told Baekhyun, at least? He continued, “It’s fine. You just have to give me a moment. That question always catches me off guard.”
“Oh,” Baekhyun whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. “Take your time then...”
Chanyeol put a hand to above his chest, laying it over where his heart was and willing it to slow. He breathed in and out, closing his eyes before opening them and beginning.
“The town I originally grew up in was a good place -- the people there didn’t believe in wars or violence. We were pacifistic by nature, and the only ‘violence’ people saw was kids playing with fake swords in the streets.” Chanyeol looked down, voice quiet as he recalled the lively streets of his hometown, the farmers working in the fields, the way everyone greeted him as he passed with kind smiles. “We kept out of anything and offered a safe haven for monsters, on the condition that they gave up killing. Everything worked surprisingly well...” Chanyeol paused, grinding his teeth together. “Until the Demon Lord attacked.”
He didn’t see Baekhyun’s eyes flash with an indescribable emotion, too absorbed in the events of his past.
“It happened when I was seven,” Chanyeol said. His hands curled into tight fists by his sides, nails digging into the palm of his hands. “I went out with my father to gather some wood out in the forest. When we came back...everything was burning -- dying.”
Baekhyun’s hand reached out for his. Chanyeol slowly opened his fist, taking a deep breath as his palm connected with Baekhyun’s. He gripped Baekhyun’s hand tightly, drawing strength from the reassuring way Baekhyun’s thumb slid over his knuckles.
“We rushed home but... it was too late,” Chanyeol whispered. “God Baekhyun, I can still remember it, down to the last vivid, gory detail. There was so much blood. My beautiful mother and gorgeous sister... I couldn’t even tell who they were anymore because they were just...ripped to pieces.”
“That sounds horrible,” Baekhyun said softly. Chanyeol brought their intertwined hands up, placing a gentle kiss on the back of Baekhyun’s hand absentmindedly.
“It was,” he agreed, leaning his forehead against their hands. “It really, really was.” He blew out a breath, straightening his spine. “Anyway... my father didn’t let it all sink it too much before he was shuffling us away from them. We tried looking through the town to find other survivors but no one was left. Not even the monsters.
“I think that was the hardest thing for me to accept,” Chanyeol said, expression pained. “The Demon Lord didn’t even let his own race get away. It was just an unbiased massacre.”
He glimpsed Baekhyun biting his lip in a nervous way but thought nothing of it.
“Right when we reached the edge of the town, we encountered him -- the Demon Lord. He was still a child then.” Chanyeol’s eyes flashed with barely restrained rage. “But being a child didn’t hold him back from killing. And when he saw there were survivors, he was quick to right that mistake. He ended up killing my father.”
Baekhyun didn’t understand how his body worked without his permission sometimes when Chanyeol was around. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened, and he hated himself for not knowing why he acted in such a way.
As Chanyeol retold his story, images flashed through Baekhyun’s mind; burning towns and dying people, and that wonderful, exhilarating feeling of having someone’s life at your mercy. The taste of blood, the metallic smell strong in the air. That feeling of being alive.
He only vaguely remembered a particular town, and the fury and humiliation that he felt when he saw his race living peacefully with his enemies. Only one thought was registered through his mind then -- to wipe out the whole town. He was extremely young, but he was strong and driven by blind rage.
The town had fallen victim to his hands easily.
Chanyeol was vulnerable, completely and utterly open as he told Baekhyun of his past. He would’ve been so easy to kill, unguarded with his weapons out of his reach and his meddling companions away. Just a little flick of Baekhyun’s wrist and a small surge of power and the Hero would be eliminated, and he wouldn’t have to care about anything else ever again.
Kill him. Baekhyun could almost hear that voice at the back of his mind, ordering him the right thing to do. Kill him now!
But instead, when Chanyeol looked like he was at his most vulnerable state, Baekhyun impulsively reached out to take Chanyeol’s hand into his own. He stared in confusion at his hand, which was now rubbing soothing circles along Chanyeol’s knuckles, and felt a sudden urge to pull away. The feeling was ruined when Chanyeol pulled their entwined fingers up and pressed his lips on Baekhyun's hand.
The gesture seemed unconsciously done, as Chanyeol’s eyes were still unfocused and hazy, but Baekhyun suddenly felt his chest tighten at the feel of Chanyeol’s mouth brushing over his skin, closing up his airway and rendering him breathless.
Back away! his mind screamed at him as he shuffled closer to Chanyeol, blankets slipping off his body. He paid it no attention.
This is dangerous, obviously -- very dangerous... but Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself until he reached Chanyeol’s side, and Chanyeol had leaned his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder with a weary sigh.
“If I had thought the sight of my dead mother and sister was horrible, then it was nothing compared to this,” Chanyeol continued, absentmindedly playing with Baekhyun’s fingers. “I was there as the Demon Lord tortured my father before he killed him, ripped him apart limb by limb. I was there. And I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
Chanyeol exhaled loudly, turning his head so his nose was buried in Baekhyun’s hair, as though searching for comfort in the brown locks. Baekhyun stiffened, the tightening in his chest making it harder and harder for him to breathe, but Chanyeol didn’t seem to notice as he ploughed on with his story.
“It was strange seeing someone so young with such killing intent. It had practically radiated off him, the murderous aura. And then when when my father was finally dead in his hands, he... laughed. Threw his head back and laughed like no tomorrow,” Chanyeol’s voice had lessened to a hoarse whisper. Subconsciously, Baekhyun’s fingers tightened around Chanyeol’s, holding their entwined hands to his chest as he hid his face from view, hoping Chanyeol wouldn’t see all his emotions written across his face.
“I -- I didn’t know what to do. There was nothing left for me there, no home to come back to, no family and friends. So I ran. I ran until I couldn’t anymore, and if the Demon Lord saw me, he didn’t chase after me. And then when I finally collapsed, a man found me. He ended up being the previous Hero who had quit, and he was the one who took me in and trained me.
“It’s amazing just thinking about it,” Chanyeol said, laughing humorlessly. “How he was able to take such a weak, pathetic boy and turn me into what I am now. I vowed to get revenge on the Demon Lord. I promised myself that I wouldn’t take any lives, monsters or humans, because I’d seen for myself how everyone could live together peacefully, and that killing off the other isn’t the solution.
“It still haunts me to this very day, though. The dead bodies littering the streets, the puddles of blood, the Demon Lord laughing as he killed my father, my mother -- I --”
“Chanyeol, stop,” Baekhyun said, because Chanyeol’s speech had broken down to stutters, his breathing shallow and his eyes glazed over. It pained him to see Chanyeol in such a state, still stuck in the past, eyes empty and chest heaving.
In a last, desperate attempt to make Chanyeol come back to him, Baekhyun clambered up and held Chanyeol’s face steady with his shaky hands and, without thinking again, kissed him full on the mouth.
Chanyeol stopped breathing altogether, limbs locking by his sides, and when Baekhyun realized what he had done, he closed his eyes tightly and pressed his lips harder to Chanyeol’s to hide his blush.
Chanyeol didn’t respond for a long time, and confused, Baekhyun made to pull away from the one-sided kiss. But just as he backed off, Chanyeol’s arms wrapped around his waist and pulled Baekhyun closer to his chest and kissed back harshly. Baekhyun let out a noise of surprise as Chanyeol's hand threaded into his hair and surged forward harder until his jaw ached from the pressure. Chanyeol compelled Baekhyun's lips to part with a forceful tongue, and Baekhyun squirmed in his hold, disoriented and out of breath.
He whimpered, face scrunching up in slight pain, when Chanyeol gripped his hips in his large hands bruisingly. Chanyeol seemed to snap out of it then, gasping loudly and pushing Baekhyun off him. Baekhyun tumbled back with a pained ‘oof!’, and looked up to see the Hero staring at him with wild eyes, backing off as far as the small tent allowed him. Baekhyun’s lips still tingled from the harsh kiss, chest still hurting from lack of oxygen, but he couldn’t help the confused expression on his face when Chanyeol gasped again as though horrified by his own actions.
“Oh my god, Baekhyun, I -- I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” he started apologizing, expression helpless. “Oh no, you probably hate me now, I’m just -- I’m sorry, Baekhyun, you can -- swap roommates if you want to! I’ll understand --”
But the rest of his speech was drowned out by Baekhyun’s laughter. Before he knew what he was doing and could stop himself, Baekhyun had crawled forwards and settled in Chanyeol’s lap. He held Chanyeol’s face in his hands once more and looked straight into his eyes, amusement glinting in Baekhyun’s dark brown orbs.
“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun sighed, a little exasperatedly, a little adoringly. Chanyeol’s eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and his hands were fluttering at Baekhyun’s waist uncertainly. Baekhyun couldn’t help the small chuckle that slipped past his lips.
The voice at the back of his head screamed at him to stop, back away and not let his feelings get in the way. He’s the Hero! He’s your enemy! Baekhyun could almost hear Luhan’s voice begging him to stop and remember his place, but his body seemed to have a mind of it’s own.
Baekhyun knew this was wrong, that he was treading on dangerous waters, but as he pressed his lips to Chanyeol’s again, softer this time, all coherent thought flew from his mind. Chanyeol kissed back almost immediately, his actions gentle and different from before. His hands finally steadied at Baekhyun’s waist and held him there as he nipped at Baekhyun’s bottom lip, making Baekhyun moan.
Baekhyun all but purred when Chanyeol’s tongue slipped into his mouth, carefully weaving through his tongue and teeth, stroking at all the right places like he’d done this a million times before. Baekhyun sighed and let himself relax against in Chanyeol’s arms, feeling utterly at peace.
They kissed till dawn, lost in each other and when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the fabric of the tent, Baekhyun squinted his eyes, wondering if it was indeed sunrise already.
“Wow, it’s morning already,” he laughed hoarsely, and Chanyeol, who was leaving lazy open-mouthed kisses along the column of Baekhyun’s neck, hummed nonchalantly against his skin. “We didn’t get any sleep!”
Chanyeol pushed himself up to his elbows, looking down at Baekhyun with such adoration it made his breath hitch in his throat. “I don’t mind,” the Hero said with a cheeky grin, swooping down to claim Baekhyun’s lips once more.
Baekhyun laughed against Chanyeol's mouth, pulling him even closer with a hand on the back of his head. When Chanyeol pulled away and nuzzled Baekhyun's cheek, laying content with his limbs tangled in Baekhyun's own, he whispered, "Thank you, Baekhyun, for listening. For just being here for me."
His voice was small and sleepy, and Baekhyun's chest tightened again, this time in a pleasant sort of way as Chanyeol's slow breathing rumbled against his chest.
It's wrong to feel this way, Baekhyun thought dismally, because sooner or later they'd have to face each other in a battle to the death. The irony of it all weighed in Baekhyun's stomach, but right now he didn't want to think about the inevitable. He pushed the thought away and let peace and happiness override all else as he pulled Chanyeol's already dozing form closer and drifted off to sleep.
Later that day, as the group packed up, Luhan saw Baekhyun emerge from his tent, hand in hand with the Hero. He pursed his lips at the sight, shoving his things into his pack viciously. He ignored the raised eyebrow Jongin threw at him.
He wasn’t dumb -- he knew exactly what had gone on between the Hero and Baekhyun last night. Luhan had tuned out of Baekhyun's mind while they were at it, embarrassed, but the embarrassment had quickly morphed into anger. How could Baekhyun let his feelings become something so... horrid? The Hero was the one who was supposed to fall for Baekhyun, not the other way around.
So when Chanyeol left Baekhyun's side to talk to Kris, Luhan strode over and grabbed his friend by the arm, dragging him away from the rest of the group. Baekhyun stumbled a few times before he matched Luhan’s brisk pace, confused expression on his face. Luhan brought them behind a clump of bushes where they could be hidden from view, though the gang was still busy with packing up to notice.
“Luhan, what --”
“No, you don’t get to ask questions. I do. What the hell happened?” Luhan cut him off, eyes hard as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He saw Baekhyun’s body go rigid, a million thoughts and excuses running through his mind, too fast for Luhan to decipher clearly. “Baekhyun, you know I’ll be able to tell if you lie,” he said harshly. At this, Baekhyun’s shoulders slumped, the fight going out of him immediately.
Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes frustratedly, Baekhyun growled, “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know, okay? It was just a spur of the moment thing, it... probably... won’t happen again --”
Luhan scoffed, and Baekhyun sighed, crouching down and wrapping his arms around himself.
“Alright, well, it might happen again, but at least we got him now, right? We’ve got the Hero in our hands now!” Baekhyun tried to lift up the mood, but Luhan only glared at him bitterly.
“Yeah? Doesn’t seem like it, with the way you surrendered yourself completely to him last night,” he muttered, feeling satisfied as Baekhyun’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and shame. “Baekhyun, you’re supposed to be the one pulling the strings, not him,” Luhan continued, softer this time.
“I know,” Baekhyun sighed, running a hand through his hair wearily.
“Baekhyun, look at me,” Luhan ordered, hands in Baekhyun’s shoulders. His friend looked up reluctantly at him, a frown on his face. “You’re the Demon Lord. You’re supposed to be the one who leads us to our victory against humans. Chanyeol is a human, his race was the one who killed many of us, the one who killed him, don’t you remember?”
At that Baekhyun’s eyes glazed over, and the confusion before was replaced by a simmering anger. Luhan mentally smirked -- it had always been easy to provoke Baekhyun.
“Kill him, before he kills you. You know he’ll try to when he finds out your secret -- that’s how humans are,” Luhan said gravely, giving Baekhyun that one last push over the edge.
Luhan whooped gleefully inside as Baekhyun’s mind filled with nothing but fury and thoughts of revenge, his jaw set and eyes determined. Baekhyun nodded once, before he turned around and marched back to the camp. Luhan watched as Chanyeol greeted Baekhyun with a wide grin, and how Baekhyun replied only with a small, detached smile.
He smirked. His plan was back on track.