Chapter Text
Eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty fucking seven kilometres away. Baekhyun would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him. When he first found out that Chanyeol was going to work abroad, his initial thought was that it was gonna be okay and that the distance wouldn’t bother him. The first few days, or maybe even weeks were pretty alright coupled with frequent FaceTimes and videos sent to each other. He was slightly upset that they couldn’t physically hang out anymore, but seeing how excited Chanyeol was to be in another country made his heart melt.
As those days turned into months, he couldn’t help but feel like Chanyeol was enjoying himself a bit too much for Baekhyun’s liking. He expected Chanyeol to be as sad and lonely as he was, but it seemed like his boyfriend was coping perfectly fine without him, with his new friends. Soon, those daily hour-long video calls turned into weekly 10 minute calls and Baekhyun felt like he was losing Chanyeol to his new life in London.
But because he was a stubborn boyfriend, he never told Chanyeol how he felt about it. He told Chanyeol to call him more often though, which Chanyeol happily did. He never once doubted Chanyeol, either—the man gave him zero reasons to. He just sucked it up and pretended to be okay with it. Besides, Chanyeol came home twice a year, and that felt like it was enough for him.
But three years was too long. Baekhyun had no idea how he survived two years of long distance with Chanyeol, but he did it. And now in the third year, he has decided that he can take it no more. He wanted Chanyeol by his side, he wanted to be able to cuddle into Chanyeol’s warmth. He wanted to be able to hold his hand and ruffle his hair, to go to the theatres and hang out with their friends together.
“Why do you have to be so fucking far away?” Baekhyun mumbled into his mic, only one side of his earphones on. He was lying on his bed, on FaceTime with his boyfriend who was 8,857 kilometres away from him. It was 1am but timing didn’t matter when time was all he could afford.
He traced his finger on his phone’s screen, outlining the blurry features of his boyfriend, yearning to touch him. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed when all he could feel was how hot his phone was from all the video calling. He unconsciously pouted, earning a chuckle from Chanyeol. “Have you even been listening to what I’ve been saying, babe?”
“No, sorry. I was too busy thinking about what I would do if you were with me right now. I miss you, Yeol.”
“I miss you too, Baekhyun. So damn much. More than words could describe,” Chanyeol replied, sad that Baekhyun was so troubled by the distance. He knew since day 1 that Baekhyun wouldn’t have been okay with it, no matter how much his stubborn boyfriend denied it. He tried to ease the pain by calling him frequently, but it seemed like the more he called Baekhyun, the more it reminded him of how real the distance was.
He hated it, hated that he was actually doing relatively well even without Baekhyun because he quite liked life in London, while Baekhyun was in Korea with the same old people and same old lifestyle. He hated seeing Baekhyun’s face contort into sadness and what seemed like irritation whenever they FaceTimed. And he was glad he didn’t have to witness that anymore.
“Hey, remember that time I came home during break and you were so fucking mad because some bartender was flirting with me? I told my colleagues about it and they had a good laugh,” Chanyeol said, laughing as he recalled his conversation with his co-workers. Baekhyun huffed, cheeks pinking.
“That bartender knew we were together! And he still flirted with you like you were single! I will never forget that fucker’s name,” Baekhyun sneered. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. Chanyeol smiled fondly at his screen, admiring how beautiful his boyfriend looked even as he was in bed, face void of any makeup and about to sleep.
“It’s amusing how you only get jealous when I’m back in Korea but never when I’m in London. Maybe I shouldn’t come home that often,” Chanyeol teased.
“I don’t care about the British people you meet there. I know they aren’t your type. Here in Korea, though… But I don’t care, I want you here.”
“I only have one type, and it’s you,” Chanyeol reassured, grinning. It was so cute how jealous Baekhyun got at times. The way his cheeks puffed up and his brows knitted into a frown was simply adorable, although it wasn’t a good sign. He purposely ignored Baekhyun’s last sentence, excited for what he had planned.
“Whatever you say, you flirt. Where are you, anyway? Why does it look so dark? Isn’t it like, late afternoon there?” Baekhyun questioned, curious. Chanyeol cursed silently, raising his phone up closer to his face, careful to leave the streetlights out of view. “I’m in a pub with my colleagues. Our boss let us leave early today,” he said, laughing nervously. Baekhyun squinted at him, not believing him one bit. But he was sure Chanyeol had his reasons, however weird they seemed.
“Uh, okay. Have a good night, okay? I’m so bloody tired. I’m gonna sleep first. I love you, stay safe out there,” Baekhyun yawned, turning on his side as he reached out to switch off his table lamp.
“NO!” Chanyeol yelled, before realising how loud and unnecessary it was. He clamped his hand over his mouth, praying that no one in the neighbourhood was affected by the noise he was making. His luggages were noisy enough on the concrete. Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, obviously unimpressed. “What’s up?”
“I uh, no one’s here at the pub yet. Accompany me till someone arrives?” Chanyeol asked sheepishly. “I’m just walking around the place now,” he added as he quickened his pace. He was as tired as Baekhyun was, and he wanted to go home as soon as possible. Baekhyun yawned once more, nodding his head. “Okay.”
“Sorry, babe. I swear you can go to sleep soon,” he said, climbing up the stairs. He was so close.
“It’s no problem, Yeol,” Baekhyun murmured sleepily, about to doze off as the earphone fell out of his ear. How he wished for body heat, but he only had his blanket to make up for the warmth. He closed his eyes, unaware that his phone had gone silent. After a few beats of silence, he heard his front door being unlocked. He sat up, suddenly alert and forgetting about his call with Chanyeol. He grabbed the nearest object and brought it with him to the door, ready to smack the intruder with—he looked at his hand—a book. He rolled his eyes but got ready to attack whoever it was.
As the door unlocked and the intruder entered, Baekhyun smacked the person repeatedly, slightly scared but mostly angry that someone disturbed him just as he was about to sleep. “Ow, stop, what the fuck!” Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he immediately went to turn on the lights as he heard that familiar voice. It can’t be.
“Uh, surprise?” Chanyeol shrugged, smiling as he set his luggages on the ground. Baekhyun stared at the man in front of him for a good while before reaching out for him. “You’re kidding,” he choked out, wrapping his arms tightly around his boyfriend, as if afraid he would be gone if he let go. Finally. “I’ve missed you too,” Chanyeol sighed, hugging Baekhyun tightly. They stood hugging at the door silently, before Chanyeol realised that Baekhyun was crying. He pulled away, frowning.
“Hey, don’t cry, love. Why are you crying?” He asked, bending his knees slightly to look at Baekhyun who had his head down. Baekhyun shook his head, opting to bury his head in Chanyeol’s chest instead. Chanyeol ran his hands up and down Baekhyun’s back, kissing the top of his head. “Don’t cry, I’m home now.”
Baekhyun looked up, tears streaming down his face. “That’s exactly why I’m crying! You’re back again, God knows for how long, and then you’re gonna fucking leave me again,” he cried, sniffling. “I’ve missed you immensely and I really can’t afford to have you leave me again, I can’t do this anymore, Chanyeol.”
Chanyeol remained quiet as Baekhyun cried his heart out. He gently lifted his boyfriend up, carrying him to the bedroom and setting him on the bed. “I’m not leaving anymore.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m back here for good. You can summon me anytime you want and I will be there, physically, in a heartbeat. Well, unless I’m at work,” Chanyeol joked, hoping that he would lighten up the mood.
“This isn’t funny, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun warned, wiping the tears of his face.
“Believe it or not, the distance has been fucking painful for me too. I discussed this arrangement with my boss, and here I am. He said I didn’t really need to be there anyway, and that he thought I would enjoy it as much as our past members have,” Chanyeol explained, lying back in bed. His bed never felt so warm and comfortable in London. He enjoyed his time there, but nothing could compare to the homey feeling and the familiarity of Seoul. He missed Korea so much—he missed the food, his family, his friends, and most importantly, Baekhyun. Baekhyun crawled towards him, lying next to him. “Really?”
“Really.” Baekhyun could feel the tears welling up again, but this time, out of happiness. “Please don’t ever leave me again, I’ll admit, it hurts me so much to be so far away from you.”
“I won’t, I promise. Sleep now, baby. We can talk tomorrow. I’m sure you’re tired as hell,” Chanyeol said quietly, wrapping an arm around Baekhyun as he hugged the man to sleep. Baekhyun nodded silently, too tired to answer. He had so many questions, but he was content with Chanyeol beside him. He could always ask them tomorrow, or the day after, or the days to come, because Chanyeol was home for good.
“I love you,” he whispered, kissing the nape of Baekhyun’s neck. You are my home.