Euthymia

Fine China

Ice. Soup. Bandages. That's all Baekhyun's good for. Spoon feed his bed ridden fiancé, press ice packs onto his swollen face, dab rubbing alcohol onto his cuts and change the gauzes.

Sehun's injuries look much less severe now that the blood's been cleaned from his face. He's human again, with little cuts sprinkled about his skin and fat bruises on his cheekbones and lips. The worst of it is his nose. Chanyeol really smashed it in good. There's no doubt it's broken, but in Sehun's brief moments of consciousness he insists they don't go to a hospital.

He claims they need to keep a low profile with assassins on the prowl. Baekhyun knows it's really a matter of his ego – he's already been bruised enough.

So Baekhyun plays house nurse for a couple of days, pampering Sehun as if his "patient" has no limbs and can't do a damn thing for himself. A broken nose really shouldn't have crippled him as much as it has, but Sehun's gotten so comfortable being fussed over by his omega, he's convinced them both he absolutely cannot be on his feet right now.

Baekhyun decides not to complain. For once. After all the trouble he's stirred up with Sehun, the least he can do is take care of him while he's injured. Sehun would do the same for him.

He sits on the edge of the bed, gently applying another ice pack to the purple spots on Sehun's busted face, gazing through the balcony glass doors at the misty wet atmosphere outside. Somewhere on that rain-soaked beach sits Park Chanyeol, who hasn't stepped foot in the house since Baekhyun kicked him out. He slept outside, curled up under the trees and shivering in a drizzle like a stray dog, as pathetic and miserable as ever. But not once has he knocked on the door, begged to be let in, even asked for a blanket or some food. Baekhyun told him to get out, so he did just that. And by no means will he re-enter the house until Baekhyun gives him permission to do so.

He sighs, pulling the ice away to examine Sehun's sleeping face. What a goddamn nightmare – two alphas ripping each other apart while he's caught in the middle of it. Fighting over him, his love, his attention. Baekhyun doesn't know whether to be flattered or not.

But the bottom line is – Sehun loves him enough to keep him all to himself and Chanyeol might just be falling for him too, enough to protect him from any harm.

They've got it all figured out. They know their feelings. They detect their pheromones and understand where they stand with other people. They've made up their minds who they belong with for the rest of their lives. But Baekhyun? No clue. Sehun claims to be his soulmate. Chanyeol claims to be his soulmate. His own father sends him all these mixed signals by putting him on an island with both of them. And there's nothing he can do, no way to know for sure which man the cosmos fated him with.

It's all a mind fuck. That's what Sehun doesn't seem to understand. Being an omega who can't have kids, can't smell pheromones, can't figure out who his real soulmate is – these things mess with his head. Confusion. Frustration. Defeat. Self-hate. This is what his life has come to. And no one will listen.

He looks to the side again. Red skin and purple bruises and puffy eyes greet him. He reaches out with a tender hand and brushes Sehun's hair back, planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I'm sorry." He's probably saying for the millionth time now. "I'm sorry I let you down again."

Sehun remains still. Breathes slowly.

"You make me so angry sometimes. I can't stand you. You demand so much from me, knowing I can't provide. It's not fair. I can only do so much."

The rain falls, tapping against the windows, creating shadows of rivers on the walls and across Baekhyun's face. The clouds hide the sun, casting the room in blue melancholy and frosty air. Baekhyun shivers, wipes rivers off his cheeks, and rests a cold hand on Sehun's thigh.