Baby's Breath

**Chapter 12**

Baekhyun was relieved that it was Saturday, and not Friday.

He would have guessed that that the whole school had found out about the incident now, which meant more

gossip centered around him and Chanyeol. The only good news that came out of the entire fiasco was that the

tournament had been postponed to a later date, most likely because a handful of Jeon-Il players were involved

in the case and two runners of Hye-Seong's team were on a medical leave (not that the tournament was the

most important thing on his mind at the moment).

Baekhyun went to a different hospital this time (it was more like a clinic than a hospital) and had his leg

bandaged properly. The doctor told him he was lucky that none of his bones were broken after taking a

sideways blow to his joint that would have naturally inflicted serious, lifelong damage. There was a dark

purplish patch circling his entire knee that was unbearably painful when he applied pressure, but his bones

were thankfully intact. If Chanyeol hadn't intervened, he would have lost a leg. He would have had to depend

on a pair of crutches or a wheelchair for a long time.

If Chanyeol hadn't saved him, Baekhyun would have had to forfeit his dreams of becoming a soccer player,

which... wasn't fair. He thought it was unfair how the world functioned so much in favor of those who didn't

deserve miracles. He thought he didn't deserve to run on his two feet after everything Chanyeol had

surrendered for him, because of him.

The two finally spoke again when Baekhyun's mother left for work after taking Baekhyun to the clinic, leaving

him and Chanyeol at home. They hadn't exchanged a word since the incident (which Baekhyun felt more

comfortable calling an accident) so the palpable tension was still thick in the air when Baekhyun walked into

Chanyeol's room first.

He couldn't recall how many times he had stepped foot inside Chanyeol's room except for last night. Before

Chanyeol had moved in, his room had been used mainly for storage, so there were still boxes and things still

left unpacked against the thin walls. There was no mattress, desk, nor much room for anyone to walk around

but on the sheets Chanyeol had rolled out on the cold ground. The heavy rainfall last month had made the

flooring all waterlogged. Baekhyun thought he smelled some mold, too.

Yet, despite the poor living conditions Chanyeol had to cope with, he still managed to make a home out of the

dingy room. Some packing boxes turned upside-down made Chanyeol's desk, and he had some newspapers

tucked under the blankets so it wouldn't get damp. Chanyeol was sitting at his "desk" and Baekhyun sat down

next to him, leaving some space between them.

"Is Baekhyun's leg okay?" Chanyeol asked first, much to Baekhyun's surprise (and relief).

Out of everything Chanyeol could possibly ask or say, he had chosen to worry about Baekhyun first.

He nodded, sticking the bandaged leg straight out so there was no pressure or strain on his joints. "It's okay.