Euthymia

Coffee And Caramel

Somehow Chanyeol finds the backpack and gets his hands on a phone. Sehun's phone. Baekhyun knows the password, but he's too delusional to punch the letters in, swimming around in pools of sweat and messy sheets, dry humping a pillow. It isn't easy detaching Baekhyun from himself, getting up, stepping onto the balcony so the vulgar sounds don't come through the speaker. But he operates on that last sliver of rationality, even when every part of him, every star in the cosmos screams at him where the fuck do think you're going, leaving your destined mate hot and bothered in bed?

He stands on the balcony, the cold wind making him shiver as he fumbles with the phone. He's unsteady, his fingers missing buttons. Even with the sliding glass door closed, Baekhyun's aroma still finds its way outside. Pinching his ear is the only way to make himself focus.

Sehun has emergency contacts that don't require a password. Suho first. Baekhyun second. Chanyeol dials his father. Only two rings.

"What the hell is happening?" No use wasting time on greetings. Evidently Suho's already picked up that something is amiss.

"Sir."

A moment of silence. Then a quiet sigh, not meant to be heard by Chanyeol but audible enough that Chanyeol knows he's in deep shit.

"You're not Sehun."

"We have a situation."

"I figured considering Sehun hasn't been answering my calls, my right hand man's disappeared, and my men have yet to locate Winter. Is Baekhyun safe?"

Chanyeol peers through the glass doors to find Baekhyun rolling around in bed, crying, panting, and squeezing his pillow in a chokehold.

"We have another situation."

"Will you just tell me what's happening already?"

"Winter found us. She attacked the beach house. Baekhyun and I got away; I brought him to your hotel in town."

"So he's safe."

"Well..." Another glance. Baekhyun's stripped himself out of his clothes. "He's in heat."

Nothing. For a good moment. Then a scoff.

"That's impossible."

"I'm telling you, he's gone into heat. He also hasn't taken his meds in weeks."

"Where is Sehun? Is he with him?"

Chanyeol scratches his ear. The dreaded question.

"No. I don't know where he is. He didn't make it out of the house with us. I don't know if he's still alive."

"You mean to tell me you left my son-in-law for dead, and now you're alone in a hotel room with my son while he's in heat? And I'm supposed to believe this wasn't deliberate?"

"You think I sold you out?" His voice raises, but only slightly, conscious of the fact Baekhyun might hear what he's saying. "I didn't intend for any of this. Just be glad I got Baekhyun out of there alive and safe."

"Safe? How safe can he be in a situation like this? You shouldn't be alone with him."

"You're the one who stuck us in a house together for weeks. Now, all of a sudden, you care that we're together? You put us in this situation."

"No, you put me in this situation when you showed up to kill my son, claiming to be his soulmate."

Chanyeol keeps his eyes locked on Baekhyun, watching his desperate attempt to make himself comfortable under the sheets, tossing and turning, sweating bullets into the cotton. His face flushes a strawberry red and another hit of Madeleines emanates from his restless body. Chanyeol stumbles, his shoulder hitting the wall.