Chapter 19: Warmth

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"You know that hurting him won't do any better," Suho exclaimed as he sat right next to the taller. They are now seated on the made-up guard shed near the gates.

Chanyeol looked up on Suho before heaving a sigh. After ended up apologizing to Baekhyun, he started getting the smaller's attention again like it's his nature to get drawn on him but there's a big problem because Baekhyun started totally ignoring him. From eye contact up to possible interactions. It's all gone like they never existed to each other. Like they were total strangers.

And it frustrates him even more. It makes him hate his own self because he regretted his actions, those times when he became so harsh at Baekhyun that he never really thought that he could hurt the boy with his own words and especially with his own hands.

"I hate it when it comes to him, I'm always the one who ends up apologizing." He grumbled as he inhales an old cigarette in between his fingers, drawing smokes in the chilly surrounding. His eyes trained on the snow-draped on the ground.

"I know that you like him. Don't lie. If you really don't like him, from all the disrespect and the rules he'd broken, you'd probably exiled him in this camp a long time ago." Suho smiled thinly as he folded his arms on his chest as cold swept through his body.

Chanyeol diverted his eyes to the watchtower where Baekhyun is located.

"I don't like him." He stood up and brushed the snow that fell on his pants.

"Go inside your tower now. It's already freezing cold. If anything happens, you just have to signal us with your guns. And tell the others that no one leaves their towers till the sun rises." Chanyeol instructed as he bid goodbye.

Suho watched Chanyeol walked straight across the snow without even covering his head from the continuous fall of it. Sighing as he knew Chanyeol is being in denial of his feelings.

He got up soon and ran to their own tower before the night bites in and the wind rips through the air.

Chanyeol has his thoughts twice whether he's able to face Baekhyun under one roof or not, or he could just go on one of the other towers. Realizing that the other towers could be a bit more crowded including him, he opts to knock on the cold metallic door.

After two knocks, the door opened revealing jungkook on the other side with proper clothing such as a hick jacket and a piece of cloth recycled as a scarf.

"Where have you been? We are finished eating, there are some leftover boiled sweet corns upstairs." Jungkook shivers as he quickly closed the metal door. Chanyeol suddenly felt better as the warmth crept into his senses. A lamp is enough to light up the small area using the gas that they collected on the bus tanks. But it isn't enough to warm the seemingly freezing place.

He examined the first floor of the watchtower. The square area is just a couple of feet and not so spacious and wooden stairs are directing upstairs.

"I just made sure that everyone is safe. You can go upstairs and take a rest, I'll just stay here for a while." Chanyeol spoke as he hears murmurs from upstairs, he can smell the faint fragrance of the boiled yellow corn that made his stomach grumbled.

"You should, it's so cold out here, Jungkook stated. His arms folded tightly on his chest as he walked upstairs.

Chanyeol sighed as he sat on the floor in the corner where a small hill of rice hay and a blanket is carefully waiting for him there. He could feel the cold burning his skin. He doesn't want to face Baekhyun just so he could earn nothing but silence from him.

And he was hungry.

A couple of hours passed and he could hear the weeping of the breeze outside and the rain that is pummeling the roofs. The storm is coming by.

He groaned. His teeth chattering, he rubbed his palms together to create friction as he crouched on the rice hays. His long legs sticking out and his red hair brushing on his forehead. He doesn't have blankets nor thick clothes to at least prevent the cold to sip in through his bones.

He knew that among the four towers they're in, only Baekhyun thought to put rice hays in the floor to at least make the surrounding less colder. And he's the only one who broke the rules and scavenge all the goods on the nearest and only house a kilometer away there for blankets, thick clothes, and a bunch of canned goods and utensils.

Hissing, he brought his legs to stand. His ego eating him. He gives up. He's soaked in melted snow a while back and he's now hungry. Besides he's feeling numb and cold already.

He decided to go upstairs thinking that Baekhyun has probably gotten into sleep.

But he was wrong.

Because the time he reach the last staircase, he flinched when he saw Baekhyun pulled his Katana and alarmingly made an offensive position towards Chanyeol.

Baekhyun sighed silently when he realized its just him. He lowered his weapon and looked at how Chanyeol is pitifully shivering.

"Are you still going to ignore me?" Chanyeol sighed in defeat. It's been days. They just can't go around like this.

"I just lost my temper that day, you know that I just care for you right?" Chanyeol hissed as he clenched his jaw. Those words coming from his mouth shattered his ego.

"You should rest," Baekhyun spoke in a low tone voice. This was the first time Baekhyun spoke to him.

It slipped into his mind that he's not supposed to be talking to him but the passed days that they're not having a conversation, he saw how Chanyeol really took the edge to take responsibility despite that his wound on his abdomen hasn't been fully healed yet.

"I'm alright," Chanyeol answered as he slithers his wet back on the wall behind him near the stairs.

"Finally, you've uttered a word." He commented as he shivered silently.

After that, Baekhyun didn't respond anymore. He didn't remark as he hugged his body in search of warmth. His head is getting heavy and dizzy but he ignored it.

He thought that Baekhyun is probably gonna ignore him anyway so he didn't bother to expect anything more. Baek tucked Luhan and Taehyung with a thick blanket quietly while the two snuggled together, giving a peck on both of their foreheads. Jungkook is beside Taehyung in the far left, his arm rested behind his head, and used it as a pillow. He also had thick clothes and a blanket. Chen and Tao snuggled together as they also shared one thick blanket. He then realized that they are all stuck up in the small area for body heat. And they all have blankets.

Everyone was dead tired for the final preparations for the winter.

They are also under a mosquito net with rice hays on top of it. He also realized that they had their pillows made of hays and a huge comforter under them, separating them from the cold cemented floor.

Guilt surged through Chanyeol realizing that this was all Baekhyun's work and effort. And the boy had nothing but a bruise on the arm and hurtful shoutings coming from him.

"You're soaked," Baekhyun stated. A bunch of blankets and jackets on his arm.

Chanyeol looked up dizzily distracting him from the bad feeling coiling in his gut as he felt guilty. Pride shoving down his throat.

"I am..." he spoke, bringing his shaking hands closer to his chest.

"You should change," Baekhyun said monotonously as he crouched down to feel the taller's neck.

Chanyeol was disoriented at first but he drew himself closer when the warmth of the hand lured his body but then Baekhyun pulled his hand away immediately. After that, he just stared at Baekhyun's features in the aid of the small lamplight.

Oh boy and he said he don't like this young man.

"Take off your clothes," Baekhyun spoke casually, his head bowed a little avoiding the taller's gaze.

It is after he felt the tensed shoulders that Chanyeol gave him.

"I'm not interested in you or your body." He rolled his eyes as mumbled before turning around.

Chanyeol quickly recovered and took off his clothes, revealing his fine-toned chest and chiseled abs. His firm biceps shining and his strong bare legs on sight.

He struggled to put on the warm thick cotton clothes with his shaking hands. And after he successfully gathered himself altogether with the dry clothes, he sighed in relief.

"Thanks." He mumbled, blinking down and sliding his back on the wall again.

"Here. Eat this. I know you're hungry." Baekhyun spoke again, avoiding as many gazes from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol looked at the three pieces of huge corns on Baekhyun's hands.

"Why are you suddenly nice to me?" He popped up the question that had been bugging on his mind. His eyes just follows Baekhyun's brown orbs as the latter breathed.

Instead, Baekhyun kept silent as he just peeled the corn one by one.

"I'm nice to everyone who is nice," Baekhyun mumbled in response.

"Why are you ignoring me then, Baekhyun. All I did was to care." Chanyeol insisted. Sadness laced on his deep voice.

"I'm not. Can you just please eat so that I can now sleep." Baekhyun stated as he get the lamp and put it near Chanyeol. After that, Baekhyun turned around and made a space on the other side of the small room, cutting their conversation.

Chanyeol didn't utter a word after that as he savored the warm and juicy sweet corn. After he's done eating, he laid on the floor. He felt cold and his body started shivering again.

"I made you a space here. Sleep on the comforter, it's warmer." Baekhyun mumbled as he laid his body beside Luhan.

He waited for Chanyeol to answer but he could only see from the shadows that the male is shivering.

Baekhyun sighed in frustration as he stood up abruptly. His eyes furrowed but then the time he neared Chanyeol, the taller is shivering so bad, his teeth teetering.

"I'm so c-cold..." Chanyeol groaned while shivering.

Although Baekhyun wanted to tell himself to get his mind check and to stay away from Chanyeol's business as much as possible, he couldn't just look at him pitifully in his defenseless state. His stubbornness made him hate Chanyeol because of the consequences but he knew it was his fault all along. He can't watch the other male in agony. His conscience won't let him.

"Get up." Baekhyun mumbled softer than before as he held the older male's arm and pulled him, assisting him not to stumble on the floor. The taller helped himself even though his head felt dizzy and his body felt cold. He managed to throw his body on the made-up bed on the floor.

He grunted as he felt his body burn in coldness. His eyes shut tight as he fisted his palms, folding his arms on his chest.

Baekhyun just watched. Unable to make a move as he watched pitifully as Chanyeol shivers. He felt the man and he was indeed stone cold.

Hissing, he finally made a decision. He doesn't want to watch the older male whine and shake in agony so he took off his thick jacket, leaving only his pants and shirt.

"I'm just helping you. I'm not doing this with other purpose or any motives." He introduced. Chanyeol just opened his eyes to see Baekhyun taking off his upper garments, leaving the latter's pale white skin on sight.

Before he could react, Baekhyun already started sliding through hesitantly under Chanyeol's clothes, hissing when he felt Chanyeol's cold body touched his warm ones. Sharing body heat unto the other.

Feeling the incredibly comforting and soothing warmth creeping onto Chanyeol's body, he immediately snaked his arms around Baekhyun, enveloping him completely in between his chest.

"T-Thanks," Chanyeol mumbled as he snuggled his freezing body onto Baekhyun. His head nuzzled on Baekhyun's neck. He smelled Baekhyun's strange sweet scent and nuzzled even more.

"Don't do anything stupid. If you need something more, go call Kyungsoo for it. Not me." Baekhyun hissed as he turned away his face.

"I'm sorry." He apologized and stopped nuzzling the latter.

He waited for Baekhyun to respond but the latter didn't respond anymore.

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