Chapter Text
The group knew that this was coming, their ten-year contract was coming to an end and they were all silently debating if they were going to sign on for another five years or if they were going to go do their own projects; it was the biggest decision they were going to have to make as a group and as individuals.
Baekhyun was turning 29 within just under a month, he reflected on that harsh reality, but he wouldn’t whine about his age, at least not out loud as Minseok had turned 31 two-weeks ago. He rolled on his bed until he was on his back and closed his eyes and threw an arm over his closed eyes as he had a small crisis; it wasn’t as if he was in a bad position after EXO had retired, he had a degree in marketing and art for his clothing line brand, and he knew the others would be okay too.
Kyungsoo had continued his acting career and undoubtfully, he’d stay on that path until he was worn out and where Kyungsoo went, Jongin was bound to follow after; the two had become official almost two years ago, around the same time Chanyeol and Baekhyun were getting serious about their own relationship.
Baekhyun grimaced at the joke Yixing had made over Facetime when they shared the news with him, he remained in China with his own solo career and radio show; he said that they’d probably have children around the same time too and demanded that they send him pictures.
He let out another low sigh and didn’t bother to uncover his eyes when he heard the desk chair in his and Chanyeol’s room creak and soon he felt the warmth and muscled weight of his boyfriend drape across him, “You’re not small like you used to be,” Baekhyun grumbled, peering at Chanyeol from under his arm.
“And somehow you still are,” Chanyeol teased him. He kissed his chin as that was currently the only exposed part of Baekhyun’s face, “You’ve been sighing rather a lot lately, what cloud looms over you?”
“Oh, you know, just the crippling fear of our futures,” Baekhyun sarcastically responded. He muffled his groan in the crook of his elbow, “Chan, I’m so worried about our future.”
Chanyeol tilted his head curiously, “Why? We’re going to be fine, you’re having a steady income with your clothing line and you’ll still have money come in after EXO for quite a while,” he said. He had reviewed the packet their company had given them all and showed what they’d be getting after their group was officially retired and he was glad that they would be able to live comfortably or go back to school and still be fine. He had went back to school to get his bachelor’s in art for music and he was pondering on what he’d do next, other than asking Baekhyun’s hand in marriage, but that would come later; they had only been dating around for two and half years, but they’d known each other since their late teenage years.
“It’s not that,” Baekhyun sighed as he finally uncovered his eyes. He plucked the square rimmed glasses from Chanyeol’s face and put them on and he scrunched up his nose when his sight was blurry, and he heard Chanyeol laugh before taking them back.
“Unlike you, you hipster, I actually need them to see,” Chanyeol mused, he rolled onto his side so that Baekhyun could curl up next to him.
“Because you’re old, Yeollie,” Baekhyun reminded him, poking him in the ribs.
“Yah, you’re almost 8 months older than me!” Chanyeol huffed, now pinning Baekhyun down, who giggled and squirmed to get away. “Besides,” He grumbled, letting Baekhyun go, “we’re not old, we’re still young.”
“We’re going to be 30 in a year,” Baekhyun whined.
“So we’re at a slow crawl with adulthood, it happens,” Chanyeol shrugged. “Is that what’s been bothering you for the last week? You’re worrying Jongdae into early gray hair.”
“No…I know we’re going to be fine, I’m just worried about everyone in general,” Baekhyun frowned. “I know Yixing has his life settled in China, Kyungsoo and Jongin are a package deal and Kyungsoo won’t let anything happen to Jongin, JunMyeon said he’s going to take over for his father’s company, Jongdae and Minseok are going to go do that travel thing or whatever…I’m extra worried about Sehun.”
Chanyeol hummed, “I briefly overheard him talking to Jongin about traveling to China and staying there for a couple months or so, I don’t know if he plans on seeing just Yixing or if he’s going to go see Luhan, Tao, or Kris.”
Baekhyun just frowned more at that, Sehun had become slightly distant towards them all and none of them knew why, unless he was just extremely upset at the thought of them all leaving EXO. He felt Chanyeol kiss his forehead and started to rub his back slowly, “I can worry, can’t I?”
“Yes, just don’t worry yourself to the point of sickness,” Chanyeol chided him. He hummed softly, one of their slower songs that usually calmed Baekhyun from a panicky fit, as for some reason, he got extremely nervous randomly and was prone to breakdowns now; he wasn’t for sure where it had come from either.
Jongin told him it was most likely stress related, because Kyungsoo had those moments as well, and Baekhyun tried to not stress so much, especially when Chanyeol was around, because his boyfriend would worriedly loom.
Baekhyun sighed slowly and tucked his face against Chanyeol’s chest, “Wake me for dinner, won’t you?"
“I’ll never get in your way of food,” Chanyeol mused, nuzzling the top of Baekhyun’s auburn dyed hair and went back to humming Baekhyun to sleep.
~~~
It was almost three weeks later after his talk with Chanyeol, and Baekhyun wondered if he had actually heeded his own advice once to remain calm, but apparently not, because he was down with stomach pains, slight bloating, exhaustion, and it felt like his sinuses were acting up too.
All this had triggered Chanyeol into a fretting mess, as Baekhyun didn’t get sick often and it was nerve-racking to see the mostly bubbly person of his life buried under blankets and have a trash bin near their bed.
“Baek, you need to at least try to sip some broth,” Chanyeol pleaded, he sat on the edge of the bed closest to his boyfriend, he cradled a bowl of Miso broth for him, he had placed two Gatorades on the bedside table, but only one had been sipped on. He was getting worried to the point that he was about to take Baekhyun to the hospital, especially when it had been nearly a week and his boyfriend was showing signs of being fine, before going back to his lethargic state.
Baekhyun slowly pulled the blanket down until only his eyes were showing, “I will throw it back up.”
“Please,” Chanyeol begged. He set the bowl on the bedside table when Baekhyun refused to budge, the frown on his face was saddening enough that Baekhyun felt tears starting to form in his eyes, “Baekhyun?”
“I’m sorry for making you worry so much,” Baekhyun’s voice shook and he rolled onto his side, hugging his middle lightly. “It just has been to be stress.”
“Either way, I’m taking you to your doctor, this has gone on for too long and your health keeps flipping back and forth, it can’t be good for you,” Chanyeol stated, he gently placed his hand on the curve of Baekhyun’s side.
Baekhyun silently agreed, giving a slow nod that was barely visible due to the covers over him. He felt Chanyeol’s touch remain even when there was light knock of their bedroom door and he heard it open softly.
Chanyeol was greeted by Jongdae, who worriedly looked between him and Baekhyun, “Hey,” he responded.
“Um, Suho wants to know if either of you are up to coming to dinner tonight?” Jongdae asked hesitantly. He knew that Chanyeol had a protective streak and it only increased after he and Baekhyun had formed a relationship, and judging by the way Chanyeol was eyeing him, he immediately regretted his question; he should have just made JunMyeon ask himself.
“Yeollie,” Baekhyun slowly turned over and uncovered his face, “you need to go eat too, don’t waste away because of me.”
“But you’re not eating either,” Chanyeol frowned, he looked at the untouched Miso broth. He watched Baekhyun sit still for a moment before the shorter man started to scoot himself up, he instantly started to help Baekhyun sit up and fluffed the pillows behind him, “I’ll grab your desk tray,” he said and walked towards Baekhyun’s closet.
Jongdae shared a look with Baekhyun, he gave a halfhearted amused grin at the other main vocalist, mostly he was just worried because Baekhyun got sick, he got sick, to the point where they rest the group thought he needed to stay in the hospital.
Chanyeol returned with the desk tray and unfolded the small legs from under it and settled it over Baekhyun’s lap, “Small bites, Baek, don’t upset your stomach more than it is,” he stated firmly.
“Yes, umma,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes and he heard Chanyeol scoff at him; if he hadn’t been feeling so horrible, he imagined Chanyeol would have slapped his arm. He spooned some broth into his mouth and fought back a shiver, as he hadn’t really eaten anything in the last couple of days; his appetite gone and his stomach cramping.
Chanyeol’s shoulders slightly caved in relief and he looked back to Jongdae, “I’ll be out there in a few minutes,” he promised and watched Jongdae swiftly leave, softly closing the door behind him.
“Make sure you eat enough for both of us,” Baekhyun demanded; he might have been in and out of a fitful sleep during the week, but he knew that Chanyeol had barely left his side other than to go shower or use the restroom.
“Fine,” Chanyeol complied easily, and he relaxed more when Baekhyun gave him a full smile. He leaned forward and kissed him softly, stroking his cheek with his thumb, “I love you, I promise I’ll be back shortly.”
“Okay, tell the others that I’m sorry I couldn’t go,” Baekhyun said and kissed Chanyeol’s cheek, “I love you too, thank you for taking care of me.”
Chanyeol’s cheeks reddened slightly and he coughed, ducking his head shyly, “Of course, I’ll make your appointment before I go too.”
Baekhyun wasn’t too eager for that, but he would let Chanyeol have his way, as he was curious to know why his sickness was coming and going. He squeezed his boyfriend’s hand lightly before letting go and started to sip on his broth and waved goodbye when Chanyeol left the bedroom.
Chanyeol leaned against the door briefly, fighting himself; he wanted to stay with Baekhyun, paranoia crept within him, but he also wanted to go see the rest of his friends, as the only company he had surrounded himself for the last week were the four walls of his and Baekhyun’s bedroom and his sickly boyfriend. He finally urged himself to move and wondered out into the living room, Jongin and Kyungsoo were on the couch, they both perked up when they saw him, along with Minseok and Jongdae.
“How is Baekhyun?” Jongin asked.
“He’s eating some of the Miso,” Chanyeol replied, “I’m going to take him to the doctor sometime this week, hopefully I can get him in tomorrow.”
Minseok smiled at him, “Good luck with that, he wouldn’t go to the hospital for a splint for his ankle, not until Kyungsoo bullied him into the damn building.”
“You’re too gentle with him,” Kyungsoo chided Chanyeol.
“He fractured his ankle!” Chanyeol defended himself.
Kyungsoo leveled him with a stare that had Chanyeol shrinking back slightly, “Which wouldn’t have healed properly if I didn’t make him go; you were too afraid to make him move an inch.”
Chanyeol’s shoulders slumped, “I am making him go to the doctors though, you won’t have to drag him there this time.”
“Good, you’re learning,” Kyungsoo nodded approvingly. “Health is always most important, make good decisions for your significant other when they’re too ill to do it themselves.”
Jongin had more than his fair share of Kyungsoo going overboard with him, so he could only smile sympathetically at Chanyeol. He patted Kyungsoo’s thigh lightly, “Don’t worry so much, Soo, Chanyeol loves Baekhyun, he’ll always take care of him.”
Jongdae muffled his laughter at Chanyeol’s happy nodding and Minseok was smiling happily to see them in higher spirits.
JunMyeon came into the living room, followed by Sehun, the youngest of the group looked among them and he frowned slightly and stuffed his hands into his hoodie pouch and nodded to them before heading towards the door.
“Yeesh, that kid is going to frown himself into an old man,” Jongdae stated and looked over to JunMyeon. “What even happened, Hyung?”
JunMyeon gave a helpless shrug, “He was on the phone with someone when I came to his bedroom; it must have been not a great conversation because he hung up on them and then was stilted with me.”
The others looked among each other to see if anyone knew anything, but none of them had a clue what was wrong with their youngest.
“Mm, dinner is going to be fun,” Minseok commented lamely; he adored Sehun, but when that boy had an attitude, he made King Cobras seem nicer.
JunMyeon looked at them pleadingly, “Let’s just try to make this a nice dinner and we’ll get Baekhyun some leftovers, maybe he can pick at tomorrow.”
Chanyeol agreed with that and soon he was following the rest out the door, he paused only for a brief moment at the threshold before Kyungsoo and Jongin both grabbed at his arms and pulled him out.
Baekhyun hardly stirred when he felt Chanyeol slide into bed behind him, he murmured softly to him and cuddled into his warmth. He felt Chanyeol’s arm wrap around him slowly, “S’okay,” he whispered, “you won’t hurt me or upset my stomach. Soup was good, thank you.”
Chanyeol had been pleased to find that most of it had been eaten and one of the Gatorades had been drained, “You’re welcome,” he kissed Baekhyun’s cheek. “I scheduled your appointment while I was out, you have a 11:30 appointment tomorrow morning, I let our manager know that you and I would be gone for at least a couple hours at most.”
“Ugh,” Baekhyun grumped.
“Dr. Kim is your family doctor, she seemed worried when I told her what had been happening to you,” Chanyeol told him. “She wanted to know why you hadn’t come in earlier.”
“Because it’s probably just stress,” Baekhyun reminded him a little sharply, he felt Chanyeol tense up. “But, I’ll go regardless, she’s a nice doctor, she took over for her father when he retired about 10 years ago.”
“I look forward to meeting her,” Chanyeol said, relaxing again when it seemed that Baekhyun was going to start being cold shouldered. He sighed sleepily and felt Baekhyun push back up against his chest and he held him a little more firmly, not enough to actually cause discomfort and his boyfriend hadn’t tensed in pain either.
“Was dinner good?” Baekhyun asked, he was still half asleep, but he was still curious of what happened while he stayed at the dorm.
“Yes, we brought you some food back, maybe you can try to eat it after we come back from the doctor’s office,” Chanyeol said. He opened his eyes again when he felt Baekhyun wiggle back against him, “Baek,” he said warningly.
“What?” Baekhyun innocently asked. “I’m fine now, I promise.”
“We’ll see about that later tonight or in the morning,” Chanyeol sounded grim at the thought of Baekhyun being unable to move again due to pain. He heard his boyfriend huff at him for being no fun, but Chanyeol wasn’t going to do anything that could upset the calm that Baekhyun’s body was currently in.
Baekhyun glanced at Chanyeol over his shoulder, “But could we—”
“Go to sleep, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol ordered. He felt Baekhyun shiver in his hold and he made himself remain calm down and soon enough, his wild-card of a boyfriend settled back down against him.
Baekhyun did just that, he was disappointed in himself for not putting up a fight of wanting to get held down and having a fun night with Chanyeol, he fell asleep knowing that he’d have other chances in the future.
~~~
Chanyeol woke around 8 the following morning due to Baekhyun’s knee jamming itself into his side and he rolled over, watching Baekhyun hustle out of their bedroom, holding a hand on his mouth and muffling his gagging. He silently followed after, heading to the kitchen first to grab a bottle of water and he went to the linen closet and grabbed a wash cloth before wetting it to make it damp and waited while Baekhyun finished dry-heaving.
Baekhyun whined pitifully as he sat back and let Chanyeol fuss over him. His eyes were watery and his stomach, chest, and head hurt and he took small sips of the water Chanyeol offered him. He looked at Chanyeol with a sad expression and he watched the frown spread on his boyfriend’s face, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me and I’m scared,” he whispered.
Chanyeol placed a hand on Baekhyun’s forehead, “You’re not running a fever either, we’ll just have to see what Dr. Kim says,” he informed him. He hugged Baekhyun gently, running a calming hand down his back, “I know you’ll be okay, but I am sorry that you’re suffering like this.”
Baekhyun stifled his tears the best he could, burying his face in Chanyeol’s shirt and clung to the front of his shirt, “Can we just shower and get ready?” he asked; he longed to have just a normal day.
“Yes,” Chanyeol nodded and helped Baekhyun stand up before making him sit down on the closed toilet and started the shower. He went and grabbed a couple towels for them and started to undress, Baekhyun did as well and soon they were under the spray of warm water. He massaged his hands through Baekhyun’s hair slowly, lathering the shampoo thoroughly, “Do you feel any worse?”
“It’s not as bad as it just was,” Baekhyun confessed. “I just hate how on and off it is.”
“I know you do,” Chanyeol agreed. He rinsed Baekhyun’s hair and let Baekhyun do the same to him, before they both washed off their bodies, and soon where just basking under the heat before Baekhyun murmured that he was tired of standing and shuffled out to dry himself off.
Baekhyun dried off and redressed himself and moved to go brush his teeth. He heard Chanyeol shut the water off and briefly glanced at him as he also did the same thing Baekhyun did earlier, “I’m going to go lie back down until we have to get ready to leave.”
“Okay, I’ll make you some dry toast, see if you can keep that down,” Chanyeol replied and finished brushing his teeth. He headed off towards the kitchen and found JunMyeon sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in his hand as he scrolled through his tablet of probably the morning news.
“Is he okay?” JunMyeon asked when he looked up at Chanyeol.
Chanyeol shrugged at him, “He said he feels a little better, but he went to go lie back down. I’m taking to the doctor today.”
“Good,” JunMyeon breathed. “You’ll let us know if something is wrong, won’t you?”
Chanyeol paused as he took the bread tie off the plastic, “I’ll let him do the talking, this is his health.”
JunMyeon nodded at that, but the worry was still on his face; he let Chanyeol make the small breakfast in silence.
When Chanyeol came back to the bedroom, he found Baekhyun curled up on his side, scrolling slowly through his phone, “Can you eat a little of this?”
Baekhyun looked at the plate, a disinterested expression on his face, but he slowly nodded and sat up, grimacing slightly as he held his middle, it felt really warm on the inside, uncomfortably warm.
“Just a couple bites,” Chanyeol said and passed him the plate and set another bottle of Gatorade down. He went ahead and got dressed, while Baekhyun choked down the smallest bites that Chanyeol had ever seen. After he got dressed, he grabbed one of his hoodies and a pair of sweatpants for Baekhyun to wear and set them over the chair at the computer desk.
Baekhyun set the plate on the bedside table, he ate half of the pieces of toast and took small sips of his drink, “This is awful and I really hope Dr. Kim has some antibiotics or something, because this is the worst,” he declared and slowly moved off the bed to get dressed.
Chanyeol wordlessly agreed and let Baekhyun settle basically on him, holding him as Baekhyun played aimlessly on his phone, he could tell that Baekhyun was still aching, as his body was tense, no matter how comfortingly he rubbed Baekhyun’s back and shoulders.
They stayed like that until Chanyeol got a text from their manager, telling him that they were ready to take Baekhyun to his appointment. Chanyeol helped Baekhyun up and guided him out of the room, they passed through the living room, but none of their friends were out, so they must have been lazing in bed or were still asleep.
Baekhyun followed their manager out of the dorm, his fingers interlocked with Chanyeol’s as they headed to the van; he was glad that it was late enough that their fans were outside, as school had already started, but still early enough to not have to deal with traffic. He closed his eyes and held Chanyeol’s hand in his lap as they were drove to his doctor’s office, he felt nervous going, as he’d have to get additional tests done and he told himself that everything would turn out okay.
“Baek,” Chanyeol murmured, he saw Baekhyun open his eyes and saw him slowly look towards the doctor’s office and he saw the small pout his boyfriend wore. “Hey, you agreed that you needed to get a checkup.”
“I know,” Baekhyun said in a small voice as he unbuckled himself. He hated that he was almost 29 and he hated his childish fear of the doctor’s office. He got out of the van, Chanyeol was waiting for him, he told their manager that he’d text them after Baekhyun’s appointment was finished.
“Ready?” Chanyeol offered his hand that Baekhyun shakily took and led them inside. He looked around and saw that there were only a couple people in the waiting room, but they did not pay them any mind, he walked to the receptionist’s window and greeted the woman politely.
Baekhyun followed him, “Hi, I’m here for my check up, Byun Baekhyun,” he told her.
“Byun, Byun…ah, yes, Dr. Kim will ready for you shortly, if you’ll please have a seat until one of our nurses will call you back when they’re ready,” she smiled to them and gestured to the seats that were behind them.
They waited for about 15 minutes, Baekhyun had his head resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder, while quietly watching a video with him with shared earbuds. He was about to nod off because the office atmosphere was quite nice, the lights were dim, the walls painted a warm coffee tone, with golden, creamy accents, and the chairs were comfy as well.
“Byun Baekhyun?” a nurse called from the door that was next to the receptionist’s window. She held a clipboard and was smiling kindly to the pair, as they were the only ones left there.
Baekhyun stood up, hesitant to leave Chanyeol in the waiting room, but his boyfriend nudged him lightly.
“I’ll be here,” Chanyeol promised.
At that, Baekhyun followed the nurse back to what room was his and he followed her instructions, he removed his shoes and shed Chanyeol’s hoodie and shivered as the light T-shirt under it didn’t keep him warm. His weight and height were taken as well as his blood pressure, he asked basic questions if his diet had changed in the last 6 months or if he noticed anything abnormal going on, he informed the nurse the strange body pains he went throughout the week and how sickly he had felt, he watched her type all that down, before he was left alone in the room.
Baekhyun fiddled with his phone again, texting Chanyeol that he was now waiting on Dr. Kim and that they should be heading out in the next 20 minutes or so. Just as he sent that text, Dr. Kim knocked and entered and he smiled and greeted his doctor, “How are you?”
“I am well, but I should be asking you that, as your worried boyfriend called in such a frantic state last night,” Dr. Kim said.
Baekhyun blushed up to the tips of his ears, “Chanyeol can be extremely dramatic, he probably made it sound like I had the plague or something.”
“Just about,” Dr. Kim mused, smiling at him. She sat down on the roller chair and uploaded her laptop and spent a couple seconds clicking away before pulling up the notes the nurse took earlier, “Hmm, your symptoms can point to chronic stress, with your anxiety and rapid mood changes, as you’ve reported before previously, has that not changed any?”
“I don’t know why it would be stress, I mean, I haven been worried about my future and Chanyeol’s and I’m worried about our friends too after our group retires from EXO,” Baekhyun informed her, fidgeting slightly. “I know we’ll be fine, but it’s still worrying.”
“It can be, especially when you’ve always been doing something for 10 years, your body has adjusted to the extreme requirements of your job, which also can lead to those type of mental damages, all those worries, which can cause body pains, loss of appetite, fatigue, irritability, and depression,” Dr. Kim informed him. She looked over to Baekhyun, “Other than diet changes, have you increased drinking or started smoking?”
“No, I barely drink at all, if I do, then it would literally be at least one time a month and I don’t smoke,” Baekhyun informed her.
Dr. Kim hummed and entered that into her computer, “And you’re still sexually active?”
“Yes,” Baekhyun said, a bit shyly; he knew it was his doctor, but he was only human.
“And you use protection either condoms or birth control?” Dr. Kim asked.
“We use protection, I stopped taking birth control because of my schedule, the alternatives didn’t sit well, I’m not able to get the cervix one because, well, as you clearly know, I’m not exactly equipped like a natural born girl, I just have the recessive gene to have kids, and the implant made me get a skin rash,” Baekhyun said. “I did take the morning pill a long time ago, but I didn’t experience any negative side effects.”
“How regularly do you and your partner have intercourse?” Dr. Kim was typing in her notes and updating Baekhyun’s file.
Baekhyun nervously rubbed his hands together, “Maybe three times every couple of weeks?” he chuckled awkwardly. “Despite our group retirement coming soon, we’re still as busy as when we debuted.”
Dr. Kim smiled at him, “Don’t worry, your mother will never have to know,” she winked.
Baekhyun laughed, “Ah, I do worry if she has as secret sense, despite me being 10 years older than from when I debuted.”
Dr. Kim laughed at that before looking at her recent notes, “Okay, this is unscheduled, but I would like to do an ultrasound and take some blood work, the ultrasound is just to check on your organs and make sure their structures haven’t changed due to the slight rise of your blood pressure and the bloodwork will just to be check for any vitamin deficiencies,” Dr. Kim said as she walked to the other side of Baekhyun and wheeled over an ultrasound. She hooked the machine up and while it was booting up, she turned to Baekhyun, “I’m going to grab Nurse Rey and she will draw your blood.”
Baekhyun nodded to her, he bit as his bottom lip nervously and he didn’t have more time to worry as Dr. Kim and Nurse Rey came to his room. He followed her instructions when he was told to lie back and rolled his shirt until his stomach was exposed.
“Okay, now, you just need relax,” Dr. Kim said to Baekhyun. “Ms. Rey, if you could start taking his blood, I’ll get his ultrasound ready,” she said, she was setting the machine up and making sure the wand was synched up before going to wash her hands and put on her gloves.
The nurse carefully swabbed the crook of Baekhyun’s elbow, “Okay, just relax your arm,” she said. She felt for a main vein and hummed, “You’re dehydrated.”
“I’ve had difficulty keeping anything down,” Baekhyun said, he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the needle. He felt her prodding around again before feeling the needle slide under his skin and he grimaced at the small pinch.
“Okay, hold this ball and squeeze tightly,” Nurse Rey said, passing him a stress ball.
Baekhyun did that and jumped when cool gel was spread across his abdomen.
“Sorry, should have warned you,” Dr. Kim giggled. She gently pressed the wand to the lower part of his abdomen and paused to observe the image on the monitor that was next to her.
Baekhyun cocked his head slightly to also look, but all he saw was darkness and white-gray blobs that moved with his breathing. He flexed his hand again with the stress ball in it when the nurse softly reminded him and then the needle was being withdrawn and the needle hole was being covered and he gave the stress ball back to her. He shivered when the wand was slid more to the left and he saw that everything still looked the same, “Anything bad?”
“No, your organs are functioning healthily,” Dr. Kim smiled and did one last observation before switching the machine off, cleaned the wand, and let Baekhyun clean his stomach off of the gel.
Nurse Rey finished cleaning up before taking the three vials of Baekhyun’s blood with her after wishing Baekhyun well and left the two alone again.
Dr. Kim removed her gloves and washed her hands again before drying them and went back to her laptop, “Your blood results will be done within a few days, I will have Nurse Rey call you when they come in, if you’re available, I would schedule another appointment in a couple weeks, just to keep an eye on your health.”
“Yea, I can schedule an appointment with the receptionist, it probably won’t be until the end of the month or start of the new month though,” Baekhyun said as he scrolled through his phone calendar; for his own purposes, he filled out EXO’s activities so he could figure out some free time.
“Okay, well, you’re all set,” Dr. Kim smiled at him. “Just be sure to refrain from drinking until your next appointment, even if you get your first blood test results come back clear, we’ll do another one just in case.”
Baekhyun nodded to her and hopped off the small clinic table, put on his shoes and pulled the hoodie back on, and followed Dr. Kim out. He walked through the door he had originally come through and saw Chanyeol perk up and watched him stand up and stretch before heading over to him. Baekhyun was making his next appointment, “I’ll be available next month, May 7th, is Dr. Kim free that day?”
“Yes, I can schedule you in for either 10:30 AM or 2 PM,” the receptionist replied.
“10:30, please,” Baekhyun said as he entered that into his phone calendar and he saw Chanyeol doing the same and he smiled at that. He took the appointment card from her and thanked her.
“Your nurse will call you within a few days to give you your results, would you like them emailed to you?” the receptionist asked him.
“That’s fine,” Baekhyun nodded and gave her his email before thanking her again and he and Chanyeol were out of the office.
“How was it?” Chanyeol asked him. “Do you need recovery ice-cream? If you can handle that.”
“It went well, I got my blood taken, as you heard and Dr. Kim asked that I do a follow up too,” Baekhyun responded. He looked around for the van their manager drove, “What about our manager?”
“I can text him to come and get us, I didn’t know if you felt well enough to be outside, you seemed upset to be cramped inside for the most of the week,” Chanyeol said and started to pull out his phone.
“No, let’s go walk,” Baekhyun took Chanyeol’s hand into his own.
“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asked him. “I know you’ve been cooped up, but you shouldn’t strain yourself.”
“A short walk won’t hurt me,” Baekhyun tugged impatiently on Chanyeol’s hand.
They walked aimlessly around, they ended up at a park and got ice-cream cones and sat on the swings and watched families with younger children play on the park equipment, they were still bundled in jackets and hats, but they both could see the smiles and hear the excited squeals of the children running by or on swings with their parents gently pushing them.
Baekhyun caught Chanyeol’s lingering stare on a young male couple, around their age, the taller one was holding the toddler around two or three years old by his hand to guide him to his other parent, who was sitting on a blanket, and round with another child. He nibbled at the waffle cone as he stared at the sand, and he subconsciously touched his covered abdomen with his free hand, but all he felt was flatness and he didn’t know why that bothered him so much.
“Is your stomach bothering you?”
The shorter blinked at the question and saw that Chanyeol was looking at him, concern was on his face and Baekhyun was getting tired of being the source of Chanyeol’s worry. He shook his head, “No, I’m surprised that I’m not feeling awful, I guess I only needed ice-cream,” Baekhyun mused and felt his spirits lift when he saw Chanyeol smile at him.
“Well, let’s head back to our dorm anyway, let’s not push it,” Chanyeol said as he text their manager where they were. He had finished his ice-cream off a while ago and was now slowly swinging back and forth as Baekhyun stayed put, “You’re really quiet, are you sure nothing went wrong?”
“I’m fine, just a little sleepy,” Baekhyun said. He looked back to the young couple and frowned slightly, he wondered what it would be like to have a child, he fiddled with the drawstrings on Chanyeol’s hoodie that he wore and he resisted the urge to take out his phone and Google it, because he didn’t want to freak Chanyeol out.
Their manager arrived within 15 minutes and drove them back to the dorm, it was almost two hours since they had been gone and the rest of their friends were bustling about the dorm now, getting ready for some event that Baekhyun wasn’t going to attend in case if his symptoms came back suddenly.
“I don’t want to leave you alone, I’ll be gone for much longer,” Chanyeol fretted once they were in their bedroom.
Baekhyun slowly undressed, “I’ll be fine, Yeollie, you don’t have to worry yourself sick about me. I’m just going to lie down after a nice hot bath,” he said, voice muffled as he pulled the hoodie over his head. He jumped slightly at the sudden touch of Chanyeol’s warm hands on his bare hips, his shirt had lifted with the hoodie and he froze, arms at a cross to pull the hoodie off and he suddenly could feel all of Chanyeol pressed up against him.
Chanyeol slowly dragged his hands up the expanse of Baekhyun’s uncovered skin as he hummed lowly, “Are you?” he asked curiously, slowly tugging the hoodie higher over Baekhyun’s head before stopping and pivoting Baekhyun to land on the bed. He slid over him, freeing Baekhyun’s head for him as Baekhyun squirmed to get his arms and to Chanyeol’s satisfaction, he wasn’t having much luck from the position due to the cloth trapped under him, he was knelt between Baekhyun’s spread legs, hands on either side of Baekhyun’s trapped elbows, observing the way his boyfriend wiggled from within his hold.
“I’m stuck,” Baekhyun whined, looking up at Chanyeol, who just looked like he caught the best prize. He practically shook when he felt Chanyeol’s soft lips glide across the sensitive skin of his belly and the muscles leapt at the sensation, “Chan,” he brokenly whispered. It was getting hotter and where he was trapped and squirming to get free, his body was aflame; his toes curled when he felt Chanyeol nip at his hip. He resisted the urge to arch his back, resisted the demand he felt on the tip of his tongue to beg Chanyeol to bite him, he tried to shy away as Chanyeol’s strong hands slid up his clothed thighs, squeezing them firmly, “You h-have to go to a-an event showing with the others,” Baekhyun shakily reminded, his eyes squeezed shut and he gritted his teeth when Chanyeol merely hummed at him and moved to kiss and nip up his stomach before licking a thick stripe up Baekhyun’s chest and he enjoyed listening to the moan that Baekhyun released.
“Do I?” Chanyeol rumbled next to Baekhyun’s ear and the smirk that slid across his face when he heard his boyfriend’s soft squeak would have made the devil jealous. He felt Baekhyun’s right knee jerk up slightly and bump into his ribs in a knee-jerk reaction when he latched his teeth into the exposed sliver of his neck and enjoyed the way Baekhyun trembled under him.
“Yah! Whatever you’re doing that’s making Baekhyun sound like he’s going to have an asthma attack, quit it! We’re leaving in 10 minutes!” Jongdae’s voice came clearly through the closed door.
The couple both startled and Chanyeol shot the closed door a scathing look before grumbling under his breath and freed Baekhyun from his hoodie confinements, he saw how frazzled Baekhyun looked, his bottom lip puffy and red from sinking his teeth into it to muffle his sounds, his cheeks were practically glowing, and his eyes were dewy.
“You’re horrible,” Baekhyun breathed, pushing at Chanyeol’s face. “You’ve become me when I was younger.”
“Baek, you’ve been this vixen creature since I’ve known you,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes.
“Well, you’re worse now that we’re a couple!” Baekhyun shrilled, cheeks still red. He swallowed unevenly when he watched Chanyeol’s eyes slide down him, drinking him like he was dying man of thirst.
“You’re the one who jumped me while we were at your sweet, innocent grandma’s house and Yixing was just down the hall,” Chanyeol teasingly reminded him. He still loomed over Baekhyun and leaned down to rest on his forearms to kiss Baekhyun, he sucked back a hiss when Baekhyun dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, it stung pleasantly, “I am coming back for you.”
Baekhyun thought the low rumble of that statement was going to be enough to get him off and he now wanted to keep Chanyeol trapped in their bedroom. Much to his displeasure, he could not, Chanyeol had to attend a public event with the rest of their group at noon and Baekhyun wasn’t for sure when they’d be coming back; he knew that events didn’t last longer than three hours, but still, it was three hours too long when he could be productive with other things.
They both had to take a few extra minutes to calm down, which meant they couldn’t take care of themselves or take care of each other, because as much as Chanyeol liked to see Baekhyun on his knees and mouth around him, he really loved watching Baekhyun get himself off, and Baekhyun wouldn’t let Chanyeol go if the taller put his hands on him; he’d cling and whine his way to get what he wanted and that was to have Chanyeol inside him.
Instead, Baekhyun miserably watched Chanyeol change into nicer clothes after the taller had taken some calming breaths and got ready to head out, he’d of course still get his makeup done and his hair fixed before he went out with the rest of the group, and Baekhyun couldn’t wait to mess up his hair with his fingers and cover his neck and collarbones in marks that would have the makeup noonas pissed because their foundations weren’t working.
“Yeollie,” Baekhyun pleaded, looking up at him with sad eyes.
Chanyeol still found it hard to resist Baekhyun’s charms, he still looked like as he did 10 years ago, emotionally more mature in some ways and his face had lost most of its baby fat, but Baekhyun still looked as he did when they first met, and that was still a threat to his will that nearly crumbled to dust every time he pouted his lips or flashed sad eyes in his direction, he was even more weak when Baekhyun would smile cutely at him—he needed to leave right now or he’d never escape.
“Come back soon, okay?” Baekhyun asked him sweetly.
“Yes,” Chanyeol nodded quickly, desperately not wanting to get sucked into the sweet trap Baekhyun was laying out. He wanted to kiss him goodbye and stopped himself; he knew better, because one kiss would lead to more and then his group would be upset for being late. He said goodbye and quickly fled the bedroom and heard Baekhyun sigh in defeat as the door closed behind him.
Baekhyun flopped onto his back, exhaling loudly as he fought the urge to just finish himself off; he and Chanyeol hadn’t touched each other in over two weeks, they were busy with their schedules and Chanyeol didn’t want to press him into sex when he had been feeling so terrible for the last week. He enjoyed having Chanyeol pressed up against him, holding him, kissing him, his strong arms made Baekhyun feel so safe and small, he loved his hands, the stature of his body, and what was even better was just how caring and gentle Chanyeol could be too.
He berated himself mentally, because he was getting all hot and bothered of Chanyeol’s caring personality and just wondered how the fates had aligned just perfectly to let him not only befriend Chanyeol, but to become his boyfriend too.
Baekhyun’s body was still shaky as he rose from his bed and grabbed one of Chanyeol’s old shirts and a pair of sleeping shorts that clung to his thighs; he was going to be playing mean after Chanyeol left him, even though it technically wasn’t his fault in the first place.
He took his hot bath that he wanted, he soaked in sudsy water, sinking up to his nose and closed his eyes and relaxed in the water; he exhaled slowly and stared at the tile wall, now he could go for a sweet glass of wine and light some candles, but he promised his doctor that he would not drink for the rest of the month.
He rubbed absentmindedly at his stomach that had remained calm for the most of the day and he was extremely thankful for that, he only hoped that he could make it through the night, because he planned on climbing Chanyeol like a tree when he stepped through their bedroom door.
After his bath, he dried off and rubbed in some soft lotion and dressed in Chanyeol’s shirt and his short shorts and sauntered off back to his bedroom and slid onto his bed and grabbed his phone, he could at least watch some videos until Chanyeol came back.
He barely made it through second conspiracy video before he was out like a light.
~~~
Chanyeol was exhausted when he came back to the dorm, as were the rest of the group, he mumbled a halfhearted goodnight before shuffling towards his bedroom and he froze when he saw Baekhyun sleeping atop of the covers, phone still in hand, but his throat felt dry when he saw those shorts that Baekhyun only wore to irritate him.
He still kicked off his shoes and undid his tie, he heard his boyfriend sleepily murmur in confusion, “I’m back,” Chanyeol said quietly and he saw Baekhyun lift his head to look back at him.
“What time is it?” Baekhyun murmured, he squinted at his phone and saw that it was ten after five. “You were gone for five hours?!”
“Shh,” Chanyeol hushed him when Baekhyun’s voice rose in disbelief. He could see Baekhyun watching him as he removed his suit jacket and slowly undid his tie, “It was a long event, the others are relaxing, we can’t be too loud.”
Baekhyun pouted, “Who says that I want anything to do with you right now?”
“You’re wearing my shirt and your “Fuck Me” shorts,” Chanyeol air quoted with his fingers and he smiled at Baekhyun’s amused giggle.
Baekhyun rolled onto his back, stretching one leg out as he kept the other bent and rested himself up on his elbows, “And what are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll show you what I’ll do,” Chanyeol mused, he undid the buttons of his shirt, watching Baekhyun eye him and dropped it on the floor and undid his belt next before sliding his slacks off.
Baekhyun hummed appreciatively at the sight, “Will you?”
“Yes,” Chanyeol rumbled as he slid over Baekhyun and kissed him, he ran one hand up Baekhyun’s scantily exposed thigh as he braced himself over the shorter with his other arm, “So soft,” he danced his fingers across the soft skin of Baekhyun’s hip.
Baekhyun squirmed at the ticklish sensation. He kissed both of Chanyeol’s cheeks and his thumbs gently rubbed at the slightly darker shade under Chanyeol’s eyes, “You’re sleepy.”
“Not tired enough to take care of you,” Chanyeol murmured, kissing and gently nibbling along the expanse of Baekhyun’s neck.
Baekhyun carded his fingers through the neat waves of Chanyeol’s hair, “I could give you a massage, I still have that oil from our last trip to Japan.”
Chanyeol perked up at that and happily let Baekhyun roll him onto his back, Baekhyun now straddling him, he placed his hands on Baekhyun’s hips, smiling sleepily up at him, “You look good,” he breathed.
“Yea?” Baekhyun smoothed his hands across Chanyeol’s chest and lowered himself to kiss him tenderly. He smiled when Chanyeol cupped his face briefly and ducked his head a little when he felt Chanyeol’s warm hands ghost down his body and started gripping his hips again, squeezing, and grounding Baekhyun down onto him, “Fuck,” Baekhyun hissed, bowing his head. “I’m supposed to give you a massage, Yeollie, but I can’t do that if you’re—ah, you fucker.”
Chanyeol smugly grinned at him as he rocked himself up against Baekhyun, “This is just fine too.”
Baekhyun glared down at him, but he couldn’t deny the hot friction between them and he rolled his hips down with each thrust up Chanyeol gave him; he could already feel small beads of sweat prickling on his spine and Chanyeol’s hair was already clinging to his forehead.
The shirt that Baekhyun wore was hastily pulled over his head, Chanyeol didn’t let him get trapped like last time, he went to roll them back over so he could effectively pin the shorter under him, but Baekhyun placed his hands on his shoulders to stop him.
“I want to ride you,” Baekhyun said simply, he felt Chanyeol twitch against him in high interest. He watched Chanyeol’s throat bob and he grinned cheekily to make his boyfriend so flustered, even after of being together as a couple for nearly two and a half years.
“Let me prepare you first,” Chanyeol demanded, it was his favorite thing to do other than properly wrecking Baekhyun in their bed; he adored the way he could get Baekhyun to get so compliant under him, loved the way Baekhyun shook and whined at him to go harder, sometimes craved to feel Baekhyun’s perfectly shaped nails to cling and scratch up his back.
Before Baekhyun could speak or move, Chanyeol was already sitting up, they were chest to chest now and the taller had scooted them closer to the bed, he startled a little when one of Chanyeol’s firm hands landed on his ass, palming him as the other was searching through the bedside table, Baekhyun relaxed in his hold, knees completely spreading so their crotches were now together and he would slowly roll his hips occasionally as he kissed and teasingly nipped at Chanyeol’s neck; he muffled his squeak when he felt Chanyeol twist them both, he ended up on his back as Chanyeol was on his knees over him, looming, but it gave Baekhyun the perfect view to sweep his gaze over his boyfriend’s perfectly muscled and toned body. His mouth watered to see Chanyeol’s dick straining in his black boxers that clung so tantalizing to him and he couldn’t wait to feel that deep inside him.
Chanyeol easily slid Baekhyun’s tiny shorts off him, exposing him for only Chanyeol’s eyes to see. He gently cupped his hand around Baekhyun and smiled fondly at the gasp Baekhyun released as he gently stroked him before letting him go, his fingers rubbed past his balls, and his smaller second sex that was basically a small slit, he learned much earlier that Baekhyun didn’t get any pleasurable sensation from it either orally or from fingers, and Chanyeol wasn’t about to try to fuck him there either if Baekhyun didn’t get satisfaction from it, but Baekhyun’s ass was just fine, all tight and plush and could take all of Chanyeol.
He lubed three fingers and started with his index finger, circling Baekhyun slowly to let him know, he tried to pin one of Baekhyun’s legs down to spread him further apart and went back to kissing Baekhyun as a distraction, they hadn’t had sex in almost over two weeks and his boyfriend got tight again after barely a day. He slid his index finger in slowly as he ran his tongue across the seam of Baekhyun’s lips, who slightly parted his lips in answer, it was enough for Chanyeol to swipe his tongue in and he rocked his body up to get a better angle of pushing his finger in Baekhyun and kissing him.
Baekhyun threaded his fingers in Chanyeol’s hair as he felt the second finger starting to push in; he whined in slight discomfort, squeezing his eyes shut a little tighter, because Chanyeol’s fingers were not slim and delicate like his own, they were longer, thicker, great for gripping Baekhyun under his legs for holding him up or pinning him down, and that memory made him grow more aroused, making him push himself a little further down on Chanyeol’s fingers, despite the burn of the stretch.
“Easy,” Chanyeol warned him gently, his eyes were hooded as he took in the sight of Baekhyun’s chest and cheeks were staring to pink-up. His warm lips latched onto the skin near Baekhyun’s earlobe and he teasingly bit there as he started to scissor his boyfriend open slowly.
The kissing was a helpful distraction, Baekhyun could admit, he always got lost in the sensation of Chanyeol’s warm lips pressing against his own, the slide of his tongue against the inside of his cheek or against his own tongue, the fingers that tangled at the base of his head to hold him still as Chanyeol ravished his mouth; it was a wonderful feeling that made Baekhyun’s stomach flip happily. He did still notice the Chanyeol’s ring finger carefully pushing in with the other two and he tilted his head, whining again lowly, as Chanyeol softly hushed him and Baekhyun felt the fingers come loose from his hair, Chanyeol’s arm slid under his back, making him arch up and he gasped when Chanyeol crooked his fingers just right.
“Better?” Chanyeol murmured in Baekhyun’s ear, who answered with a weak nod, he watched through pleased half-lidded eyes as Baekhyun tilted his head back, eyes shut, mouth slightly parted as Chanyeol crooked and thrusted his fingers in Baekhyun’s pliant body, confident now by the sounds his boyfriend was emitting.
Baekhyun was moving his hands down between them to palm Chanyeol through his boxers, “I’m good, Chan, please,” he shakily whispered, he didn’t know if he was going to last long because of the perfect angle Chanyeol was getting each time that had his toes curling and the warmth that was staring to pool in his gut.
The taller slowly eased his fingers out of Baekhyun and wiped the remaining lube residue off on the sheets that they’d certainly have to pull off their bed after they were done. He reached for the condom packet and Baekhyun snatched it before him and he felt Baekhyun shove him back down, “Bossy,” Chanyeol chided at him, but he was smiling at him.
Baekhyun nodded his head, “You know I get like this when I want you right now,” he reminded smartly. He held the packet between his teeth as he dipped his fingers below the waistband of Chanyeol’s boxers and pulled them slowly down before tossing them to the side and he then silently wondered if he had been prepared enough, because he kept forgetting how big Chanyeol actually was until he was actually about to have sex with him.
Chanyeol raised an eyebrow, “Nothing you haven’t seen before.”
“Can I be mystified by your size? I’m trying to stroke your ego here,” Baekhyun bitterly said as he ripped open the packet carefully. He heard Chanyeol chuckle at him and he grumbled at him before taking Chanyeol into one of his hands and stroked him teasingly, he enjoyed listening to the low hiss his boyfriend gritted out. He carefully rolled the condom onto Chanyeol and he could feel Chanyeol’s legs quiver under him and he playfully squeezed at him and grinned cheekily at Chanyeol’s low swearing.
“Baek,” Chanyeol growled, pulling his smaller boyfriend forward, almost manhandling him over his lap. He held himself as Baekhyun breathed slowly and started to lower himself onto Chanyeol, “Slowly, I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly, hands immediately gripping Baekhyun’s waist to slow him.
“I know,” Baekhyun said, voice straining as he slowly pushed down, he rolled his head back, trapping his bottom lip between his teeth as he felt himself white out for second; he briefly wondered if he should have also prepared himself when he was taking a bath earlier, because Chanyeol’s girth was much bigger than two fingers, perhaps a little bigger than the three fingers Chanyeol had in him just a few minutes ago.
Chanyeol had to choke back the groan when Baekhyun was completely flush against him, his nails biting into the soft skin of his boyfriend’s hips. He watched Baekhyun, seeing him bow his head now, taking in slow breaths through his mouth, his hands were in fists on top of Chanyeol’s chest as he allowed himself a minute to adjust to Chanyeol.
Baekhyun released a shaky breath before opening his eyes to look at Chanyeol, “Okay, are you good?”
“Yes, sure you want to be riding me?” Chanyeol asked him. He was answered by Baekhyun rolling his hips and lifting himself slightly before bringing himself back down, “Okay, yea, fuck, just pace yourself,” Chanyeol grunted.
Baekhyun wordless did was he was told, he whined high in his throat when Chanyeol rolled his hips up as he was coming back down and he may have clawed a little at his partner’s chest.
“We have to be quiet, Hyunnie,” Chanyeol reminded him. “Misbehave and I’ll have to put you face down on the bed and fuck you like that.”
Baekhyun covered his mouth when Chanyeol thrusted up harshly after that statement. He choked back another moan when Chanyeol was controlling how he moved and tried to roll up his hips as Chanyeol held him still, “You’re not being fair,” he whined.
Chanyeol rubbed his thumb across Baekhyun’s hip as he still held him in place, “Hyunnie isn’t being careful nor quiet,” Chanyeol stated. He saw Baekhyun’s annoyed stare and pout, “Hyunnie has to be careful so he doesn’t hurt himself and Hyunnie has to be quiet so we don’t disturb the others in the dorm.”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m little,” Baekhyun growled. He suddenly found himself on his back, Chanyeol barricading him and he breathed uneasily when Chanyeol licked slowly up his neck and bit his earlobe.
“You are little,” Chanyeol rumbled, voice much lower; he could feel Baekhyun shaking under him, “So easily to be manhandled how I want you,” he rolled his hips sharply and heard Baekhyun’s muffled gasp, “Easy to hold, easy to touch, easy to tease, taste, and fuck.”
Baekhyun thought this was going to be the end of him when his dork of a boyfriend got into his bedroom mode; he muffled another moan with his hand as Chanyeol thrust into him again, slowly dragging himself out of Baekhyun entirely before pushing back in. He wrapped his arms around Chanyeol’s neck when Chanyeol was now going at a steady pace, he hid his face in his boyfriend’s neck and locked his legs around his boyfriend’s waist, Chanyeol kept one hand on his waist as he kept himself braced on his other forearm as he rocked into Baekhyun.
The room felt hot, all the sound in their room was soft panting, moans, whines, Baekhyun softly crying out Chanyeol’s name, and gentle shushing when Baekhyun got loud again.
Chanyeol thrust two more times while stroking Baekhyun through his orgasm before following after, he groaned into the pillow as Baekhyun dug his nails into his back. He met Baekhyun in a slightly frantic kiss, Baekhyun’s sharp canines bit a little harshly, but he didn’t mind, he swiped his tongue across his abused bottom lip briefly before going back to trading kisses and as he did that, he slowly pulled out.
“No,” Baekhyun pleaded, he kept his legs tight across Chanyeol, trapping him between his thighs. He saw Chanyeol nod before settling back inside Baekhyun and they had a slower kiss, Baekhyun’s grip let up, he relaxed his legs, he held Chanyeol’s face softly, and he couldn’t have been anymore content that he already felt.
“Okay, Baek, Hyunnie, I gotta pull out,” Chanyeol murmured after a few minutes and he slowly inched his way out and was glad that Baekhyun hadn’t fought him this time. He slipped the condom off and tied it shut before tossing it in the wastebasket in their bedroom, he pulled on a pair of loose sweatpants and headed to the bathroom that was by their bedroom, he came back with a warm washcloth and wiped Baekhyun’s stomach and chest clean with slow strokes.
Baekhyun basked under Chanyeol’s sweet attention, he rested his arms above his head as he blearily watched Chanyeol meander about the bedroom after wiping him off, he watched him vanish again before returning and he hummed sleepily, “Come back to bed, we’ll clean up in the morning, we didn’t make that much of a mess,” he said, he opened his arms and Chanyeol immediately slid into his embrace.
If Chanyeol had been exhausted before, he was more than spent now. He exhaled heavily and relaxed as Baekhyun hummed softly while carding his fingers through his dark hair. He sleepily kissed his cheek, “You need to sleep too.”
“I will,” Baekhyun promised. He kissed the top of Chanyeol’s head and relaxed, staring up at the ceiling, he fell sleep watching the sun rays peeking through their curtains move across the wall.
~~~
Baekhyun woke up due being overly warm; he blinked his eyes sleepily and had to untangle himself from Chanyeol, who was curled around Baekhyun, he mumbled tiredly and slowly sat up, he felt his stomach roll, it wasn’t enough to get him running to the bathroom.
He eased himself onto his side and rested his head on Chanyeol’s chest, lulled into another peaceful state at the steady thumping of Chanyeol’s heart, he rubbed at his stomach absentmindedly, like how his mother used to for him when he had a stomachache. He reached for his phone a moment later, he was tired of feeling the way he was, he checked for any symptoms that were linked with his, he saw that most could have been just from the body being overwhelmed, but he sat up in fright, a coldness settling in his chest when he read that he could be experiencing early signs of pregnancy.
Baekhyun looked down at his flat stomach and back to his phone and counted back to when he and Chanyeol last had sex, other than the night before. He froze, “No, we used protection, there’s no way, we would have felt the condom break,” he whispered to himself. He thought back to when his doctor recommended for him to come back in the next couple of weeks to get another checkup and more blood drawn and he lied onto his back and stared up at the ceiling in shock; he couldn’t be pregnant.
He scrolled a little frantically through stories of women and other recessive men sharing their experience and he felt sick; he wanted to take a pregnancy test just to make sure that he really wasn’t, but he didn’t want to tip Chanyeol off, or have any other of their friends find the test.
Baekhyun checked his email, but he didn’t see any email from his doctor’s office and he closed out of the app. He sighed heavily and suddenly, he felt Chanyeol hugging him close, “Chan?”
“Hmm?” Chanyeol murmured. He tucked his face into Baekhyun’s hair, “It’s early.”
“You’re really warm, I was melting,” Baekhyun explained. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk and he was grateful that Chanyeol had nodded back off, so he just stayed trapped in Chanyeol’s arms and hoped that he was just being overly paranoid.
And over the next couple of days, his friends nor boyfriend said anything if he seemed a little out of it, they just assumed that he was still getting over his illness that was coming and going, and Chanyeol went back to the doctor’s with Baekhyun the following three days later when he got a call from Nurse Rey and his emailed results.
“Your blood work is in good health,” Nurse Rey confirmed when she reviewed his report with him. “Have you had anymore symptoms you had listed with us after your last week appointment?”
“Um, just tired a lot and I sometimes still get sick, so I’ve been eating lightly,” Baekhyun said. He saw the way Chanyeol looked grim at that statement, his boyfriend wanted to know his results too and didn’t want to stay in the waiting room this time. “Other than that, no.”
“Okay, well, we’ll just take one more blood test just to be thorough,” the nurse led them back to a smaller room that only had a table and a couple chairs.
Baekhyun got prepped again for his bloodwork and he saw that Chanyeol’s face grow chalky when Nurse Rey began to draw his blood. He didn’t want to worry his boyfriend any more than he was already, but he was curious, “Is there any reason why I’ve had to have two blood tests done and that I’m going to be having another one at my next appointment?”
“We just want to check and make sure that you aren’t suffering from any vitamin deficiencies and with blood work, we will catch any changes faster,” Nurse Rey informed him.
Baekhyun told himself to calm down and that he was just being paranoid, he didn’t see anything regarding his hCG levels, nor had Nurse Rey mentioned any changes of it, so he didn’t think he was pregnant, but it was still a worrying thought that had him poking gently at his belly, cocking his head this way and that when he looked at himself in the mirror, checked for any weight gain on the scale, but he didn’t see anything that would alert him.
He felt the same, just tired and sickly some days, but it wasn’t to the point where he had to stay in the dorm anymore, which he was so grateful for, he thought he was going to go insane, so he silently wondered what truly was wrong with him as Nurse Rey removed the needle and wrapped the crook of his elbow in gauze.
After that, he and Chanyeol got a quick lunch before they were taken back to their dorm, they got ready to go see an event show with the new groups who had debuted and he was eager to see all the new performances.
He sipped at the ginger ale that Chanyeol brought to him, he felt Chanyeol’s arm settle around his shoulders and he watched with awe with the new groups from different companies, he saw a couple familiar faces that he had passed by through the building, but other than that, he didn’t know any of their names.
Baekhyun figured his life was getting back in order, because he didn’t feel as sick anymore, he was tired more some days, but he wouldn’t complain about that, he practiced with his group for future events they’d have for the next three months before they decided if they were going to sign another contract or disband.
It was a week after his last blood test when Nurse Rey called him, she didn’t sound anxious, but she did inform him that he would have to come to Dr. Kim’s office for a scheduled emergency appointment and that had his heart almost fluttering into his throat.
His manager was worried when Baekhyun told him that he had an emergency appointment with his doctor the following morning, he just said that there was something in his bloodwork that had to be discussed in person.
Baekhyun let Chanyeol know that he was going to the doctor’s in the morning, he just said that he had set an earlier appointment because he didn’t want to go to the doctor’s the day after his 29th birthday, when he was now old, he had jokingly told his boyfriend, who just laughed at him and kissed him.
But when Baekhyun went to shower alone, because Chanyeol went to bed early, he felt like he was in a pathetically sad drama because he was muffling his hysterical crying with the shower running, while he sat fully clothed on the outside of the running bath, sobbing into his knees from anxiety.
It took him precisely one-hour and 15 minutes to calm down and then he stuck his face under cold water because his eyes were blood red and his face was so blotchy. He patted his face dry and then stood in the bathroom to make sure that he was completely fine and then went into the kitchen to drink some chamomile tea before bed, which he knew he’d regret and having to pee all night, but he didn’t feel like going to bed yet.
He wasn’t expecting Sehun to be in in the kitchen, his figure shadowed by the overhead light above the stove, he didn’t feel like talking, so he just nodded at Sehun and got the kettle and filled it up with water and turned the stove on and went to grab a box of chamomile tea, he had at least four boxes, due to Chanyeol being obsessively observant one day.
“You look like you’re heading to death row,” Sehun commented, eyebrows furrowed when he looked over Baekhyun.
Baekhyun grumbled at him while slicing up a lemon and went to the kettle when it started to whistle, he poured himself a small cup of hot water and dipped the tea bag into it before squeezing a bit of lemon in it.
“Hyung,” Sehun called, “what is it?”
Baekhyun finally looked at him and he saw Sehun’s eyes widen slightly, “I’m…” he trailed off hesitantly and he saw Sehun lean forward, his attention on Baekhyun, “I don’t even know if I can talk about it.”
“Are you…leaving the group early?” Sehun asked him softly.
Baekhyun paused before sitting down, he realized that Sehun had no idea about his frequent doctor appointments, the maknae was probably the only one in the group not to know, as Sehun had been busy either with their group events or whatever he was doing in his free time. He exhaled slowly, holding his mug a little tightly, “I don’t know if you noticed, but I had been sick recently,” he started and saw Sehun’s slight nod. “I’ve been to the doctor’s a couple times to figure out what’s wrong with me and my doctor called me earlier this morning, there is something wrong, but I have an idea what it is and I’m terrified,” his voice broke towards the end.
Sehun got up quickly and sat in the seat across from his hyung as Baekhyun hid his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs, “Is…is it life threatening?”
Baekhyun took a couple minutes to calm himself down and felt Sehun dabbing at his face gently with a napkin from the pile they kept in the center of the kitchen table. He sniffled as he looked down at his tea, “No, or it could be, depending on my body adapts to it,” he shakily stated. He looked Sehun dead in the eye, “Sehun, you have to swear you won’t say a word, not to anyone, not even to Chanyeol, do you promise me?”
Sehun looked shocked that Baekhyun had asked him to keep a secret from Chanyeol, it must have been that serious if Chanyeol couldn’t even know. He nodded solemnly, he still kept secrets that Tao had told him and that was years ago, “I swear it, Hyung.”
There was a brief pause of Baekhyun taking a couple slow breaths and Sehun silently watched, filled with nervousness.
“I think…I think I might be pregnant,” Baekhyun whispered. “My doctor asked me to come in tomorrow for an emergency appointment due to my bloodwork results that came in.”
Sehun’s jaw dropped as he stared owlishly at Baekhyun, who looked on the verge of tears again, he quickly cleared his throat, “I…uh, I just…wow,” he stammered, at a loss for words.
“Did you think I was going to die?” Baekhyun tearfully laughed.
“Something like that, or you had a life-threatening disease,” Sehun confessed. He scratching lightly at his cheek, “Wow…a baby,” he murmured quietly.
Baekhyun nodded before taking a small sip of his tea and his shoulders slumped with his sigh, “I don’t know what to do…I’ve been worried for over a week about this, I had looked up symptoms and read other’s experiences and mine match, not word for word, but close enough that the picture became clearer,” he admitted. He fiddled with his mug, “I don’t know what I’ll do if my results are positive.”
“Will you keep it?” Sehun asked. He saw the blank expression on Baekhyun’s face, “It’s your choice, you know.”
“I couldn’t do that to Chanyeol that wouldn’t be fair to him if I got rid of our baby before even telling him of its existence,” Baekhyun was shaking his head.
Sehun nodded at Baekhyun’s honesty, “You love him very much.”
“I do,” Baekhyun whispered.
The two sat in silence, Baekhyun had barely drank his tea and Sehun went back to reading on his phone. Baekhyun was feeling tired now, his eyes and head hurt and he had to get up early. He got up and cleaned out his cup before sticking it in the drying rack and he felt Sehun grip his wrist, “Hmm?”
“You’ll tell him, won’t you? If your results are positive, I mean,” Sehun asked him carefully.
“I will tell him, he deserves to know this,” Baekhyun reassured him. “I know he’ll be much more excited than I currently am. I’m just in shock, or will be shocked when my worries are confirmed, but I won’t dislike my…our child,” his heart fluttered at that.
He and Chanyeol made something together, a little human that was going to be theirs. Baekhyun told himself there was still a possibility that he wasn’t pregnant, but at this point, it was the only logical explanation for everything that he’s gone through and still experiencing.
“You two will be good parents,” Sehun nodded to him, he smiled at him. “Take lots of pictures, won’t you?”
Baekhyun said that he would and was surprised when Sehun had suddenly stood and embraced him; he hadn’t had a proper hug from in ages it felt like and he wrapped his arms tightly around the slender young man, “I love you, Sehunnie, thank you for listening.”
“You’re my hyung and my best friend, I’m sorry that I haven’t been around,” Sehun apologetically whispered and hugged Baekhyun tighter.
“You’re going through your own stuff, Sehun, it’s okay,” Baekhyun told him. He let go of Sehun soon after, “I’m sorry,” he apologized sheepishly, “I’m so tired.”
“No, no, I get it,” Sehun said quickly. He gave Baekhyun another quick hug before letting him, “I wish you happiness, for you, Chanyeol, and for Baby Baek,” he smiled.
Baekhyun thought he was going to start crying again and he was surprised that he still had tears left to shed, “Thank you.”
“Now, go to bed, you have an important day tomorrow,” Sehun urged him to his bed.
Baekhyun said goodnight to him before heading to his bedroom and saw that Chanyeol was sleeping on top of the covers. He carefully pulled the blanket out from under him with some struggle and heard Chanyeol mumble at him as Baekhyun covered him. He got into bed and felt Chanyeol wrap his arm around his waist.
“It’s late,” Chanyeol murmured, eyes still closed.
“Couldn’t sleep just yet,” Baekhyun said quietly. “But I have to sleep now, I have to get up early.”
“M’going with you,” Chanyeol said after a long moment and promptly fell back asleep, unconsciously snuggling closer to Baekhyun.
Being surrounded by warmth and Chanyeol’s gentle hold and the assurance that Chanyeol wouldn’t abandon him, Baekhyun fell into a mostly dreamless sleep, the only fleeting memory of his dream when he woke up was a solar eclipse and snow.
~~~
The trip to Dr. Kim’s was mostly in silence, Baekhyun still wasn’t feeling chatty, he and Chanyeol had been wished off by a half-asleep Sehun, which had Chanyeol looking at the youngest strangely, but had thanked him none the less.
Chanyeol glanced occasionally over at Baekhyun, who was staring out his window, and he took Baekhyun’s hand into his own and linked their fingers together, “You’re worrying me.”
“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun apologized, looking away shyly. “I’m just worried and eager to find out what’s wrong with me.”
“There is something?” Chanyeol’s voice wavered as he turned to look at Baekhyun, he could already feel his eyes starting to burn at the thought of Baekhyun suffering in any way.
Baekhyun quickly shook his head, “No, no, Dr. Kim didn’t say it was bad, she would have told me, she just wanted to give me my results early, Chan, I promise I would have said something if it was bad,” he stated.
Chanyeol still looked over Baekhyun, looking for anything that he thought could be amiss, “I won’t stop being worried until I hear from Dr. Kim that you’re in perfect health.”
“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun sighed, “I told you, I just want to privately speak with Dr. Kim, but if she comes with me to the front, you can talk to her then.”
That still made Chanyeol sad, but he’d listen to Baekhyun, “Okay, even if I don’t see her, I trust your word.”
“Thank you,” Baekhyun breathed in relief. He only felt a slow bubble of guilt forming from within him for wanting to keep the truth from Chanyeol when his boyfriend was keeping his heart on his sleeve for him.
They made it to the doctor’s office, Baekhyun didn’t even need to wait, as Nurse Rey had opened the door for him to the back of the office, he glanced back at Chanyeol as his boyfriend took a seat in one of the chairs and smiled to him, and then he was taken into a much more spacious room.
He had his weight taken again before he was asked to sit on the softer clinic bed that was in a reclined position rather than just flat back, and it had him shivering in anticipation.
Nurse Rey flipped through his chart and she gave him a warm smile, “I’m sure you already know by this point, but Dr. Kim will be here in a few minutes to go over your results with you.”
Baekhyun could only mutely nod to her before she congratulated him kindly and quietly left the room. He felt a little dizzy and he was barely alone for a minute before Dr. Kim came in, carrying his chart, “Hi,” he meekly greeted her.
“Oh, Baekhyun, you look so sallow,” Dr. Kim frowned.
“Yea, I bet I do,” Baekhyun whispered, shivering again.
Dr. Kim clicked on Baekhyun’s file that was also on her computer and she pulled up his old bloodwork results and handed the physical copy to him, “Did you assume that you were with child for your first appointment?” Dr. Kim asked him.
Baekhyun shook his head, he stared down at the paper in his hands, “No, I just thought I was stressed, the idea had appeared a couple times, but Chanyeol and I were always so careful. I did a week count and it had to have been near the end of March,” he told her.
“Yes, your hCG levels have risen slightly, you’re still in your very early stages,” Dr. Kim said. “Your old tests were at a 5, most women and recessive men have the same level or are lower than that.”
“Did you know from the start?” Baekhyun asked her.
“I did not want to assume anything,” Dr. Kim stated. “Did you take a pregnancy test to confirm it yourself?”
“No, I was afraid that someone in the dorm would find the test,” Baekhyun stated, cheeks flushing in shame.
Dr. Kim nodded sympathetically, “Do not be ashamed for waiting until your appointment, it’s what I’m here for.”
Baekhyun looked down at his test results, most of it was gibberish to him, but he saw the level he was at when Dr. Kim pointed at it for him; he was at 6. He gave her back the physical copy and held his head in his hands, trying to control his breathing.
“Do you want to skip the ultrasound and set up an appointment for later?” Dr. Kim asked him.
“No, you can show me,” Baekhyun told her. “I’m going to keep it, so I’d like to know how far I am at least.”
Dr. Kim started up the ultrasound and had Baekhyun lie back again, “You’re very early, you’re under five weeks, given by the results, I don’t think we’ll be able to see anything yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
Baekhyun fought back another shiver as the cool gel was spread across his abdomen and soon Dr. Kim was sliding the wand across his midsection again, keeping at the side, he stared at the screen, but he only saw darkness and the gray blobs of his organs.
Dr. Kim searched carefully, “Sometimes you’ll able to see the yolk sac,” she paused and smiled at the screen.
Baekhyun whipped his attention back the monitor and followed to where she was pointing and his breath stuttered his chest; he saw a tiny, grayish-white spot that was almost invisible to the eye.
“You’re just at the 4 weeks mark,” Dr. Kim informed him. She took a screenshot of the image on the screen, highlighting the background so the tiny spot could be more easily seen and printed a copy for him.
“Oh,” Baekhyun whispered as he held the small picture in his hands. He suddenly couldn’t see it due to his tears clouding his vision and he tearfully laughed as he wiped at his eyes, “I’m having a baby,” he whispered.
“Congratulations, Baekhyun,” Dr. Kim smiled happily.
Baekhyun cradled the picture in his hands, still staring down at the slightly blurry image of his forming baby and his heart danced in his chest.
“Shall we bring the soon to be father in as well?” Dr. Kim asked him.
That’s when Baekhyun joy froze in place; he thought he was going to whiteout from the sheer anxiety that overcame him as he had no idea how to tell Chanyeol the news.
“No, no that’s okay,” Baekhyun told her. He saw Dr. Kim’s confusion, “I don’t think you’d want a crying giant in your lobby.”
Dr. Kim laughed at the joke, “Oh, of course, home is a much safer place.”
Baekhyun agreed with her and carefully stuck the picture in his wallet, “So my next appointment?”
“Yes, let’s get you scheduled in four weeks or so, when there’s more development,” Dr. Kim stated. “After your first trimester, we’ll space the appointments out to once a month to just check on your health and the fetus’ growth.”
Baekhyun felt a little dizzy to think that he’d get that far. He had cleaned his abdomen off gently, scared that he’d hurt his little baby that was a speck in his womb. He stood on shaky legs; he hadn’t been this nervous since he first debuted with EXO and now he was entering another whole life altering chapter, but this one felt closer to him, as it was growing from within him.
As he left the room, he wondered how and when he was going to tell Chanyeol this. When he saw him, his brain froze, his mouth didn’t move as Chanyeol came up to him, the look of worry written on his face.
“Are you going to be okay?” Chanyeol asked him.
“Yes,” Baekhyun said and he meant it, he’d be fine as long as he kept their unborn child a secret a little longer.