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"We'll be okay, baby."
Jongdae held a trembling Chanyeol as the two sat in their little half-bath, clinging onto each other as raging winds, pouring rain, and angry thunder wreacked havoc outside. Tornado season was starting, and tonight, the conditions were just right for the terrifying storms to form. As they had been watching Avengers: Infinity War on Netflix, the tornado sirens had begun to blare. Confused and scared, Jongdae and Chanyeol quickly gathered a few blankets, pillows, their phones and chargers, their water, and their cat, Fishstick, and headed for shelter.
Jongdae was scared, sure, but Chanyeol was absolutely paralyzed with fear.
"M-my family...we...our old house...it got hit bad when I was younger...I was so scared..." Chanyeol had explained when the pair first reached their bathroom. He had tears running down his face and his breathing was rather erratic. Even through multiple layers of walls in their home, the pair could hear the winds howling louder and louder outside. That, combined with the insidious monotonous drone of the tornado siren, created a rather frightening situation.
"Come here," Jongdae said in warm voice, opening his arms and legs to allow Chanyeol to cuddle into him. The latter did just that - scooted himself across the floor into Jongdae's welcoming embrace. Though Jongdae was much smaller than his giant partner, that did not deter him from being a protector. Mere minutes felt like hours, and when Chanyeol eventually managed to calm his breathing and tears, Jongdae peeked at his phone's weather app. He checked the doppler radar and felt his heart drop when he saw a rather large malicious patch of yellow heading straight for them. The worst of the storm would hit their area within a couple minutes, most likely. Still, he had to stay strong.
"How bad?" Chanyeol's weak voice asked in barely over a whisper. Jongdae bit his lip and sighed.
"Pretty bad," he replied quietly. He was never one to lie. "We're in the yellow area; the worst will hit north of us, it looks like."
"My god," the younger breathed, "my sister lives there."
With those words, Chanyeol sat up in an instant and fumbled for his cellphone. The bright screen illuminated his tearstained cheeks as he clicked on Yura's speed dial contact. Chanyeol tapped his fingers on the floor and the line rang once, twice, three times, then went to voicemail.
"Damnit, Yura," Chanyeol sighed helplessly, dialing once more. Again, there was no answer.
"I'm sure they're okay," Jongdae said in an encouraging voice, "she's smart. She's probably gotten herself and the kids to safety. You know that, Chanyeol. Your sister is the least careless person I know."
Those words seemed to alleviate a little bit of Chanyeol's anxiety. He nodded a couple times before stuffing his phone back in pocket. He allowed himself to melt back into Jongdae's arms as the two continued to sit for a little while in silence, listening to the wind and siren outside. At one point, both jumped out of their skins when they heard what sounded like a gunshot. Seconds later, they heard monstrous crash not too far away, and immediately, their bathroom light flickered off.
"Oh my god," Chanyeol whispered to himself, his breathing growing faster and more labored. Jongdae, not even attempting to hide his own shaking, held his partner as best he could. Fishstick was whining in fear as she curled into a ball under the sink. The severe winds only seemed to last a minute or two max, however, and when Jongdae focused on the noises outside, they didn't seem as menacing. Chanyeol was still overwhelmed with fear, however, and that fact tugged painfully at Jongdae's heartstrings.
"Let me sing to you," he said in barely above a whisper, smiling softly when Chanyeol looked at him with wide eyes. "Please?"
"O..." the younger began, clearing his throat before saying, "okay."
So, the two rearranged themselves so that Jongdae rested against Chanyeol's body. He retrieved his phone and pulled up the instrumental to one of his favorite songs - Paul Kim's Every Day Every Moment. It was a sweet, meaningful song that would the perfect distraction. As the first couple guitar chords began, Jongdae allowed himself to relax a bit, smile to himself, and reminisce on the memories he shared with his beloved.
Will I be able to smile without you?
Just thinking about it makes me cry.
After just the first two lines, Jongdae felt Chanyeol lace their fingers together, ever so gently. He felt his heart begin to beat faster as he continued.
The person who protected me throughout my hard times,
Now I will protect you...
As he sang, Jongdae felt Chanyeol begin to sway against his back, every so slightly. His body felt less rigid, and at some point, he began humming along. The elder thought about their times together - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. He thought of their past, the present, and of whatever lay for them in the future.
"The future is unknown," Jongdae sang, "but each moment of being in your arms,
I wish it would last forever.
Jongdae took a deep breath during the slight break in the music. He closed his eyes and felt his breath hitch slightly before continuing in a soft voice.
"I'll go to you when the breeze feels nice,
I'll go to you on sunny days.
Just like the day you first came to me,
Every day,
Every moment,
Let's be together."
Before Jongdae could even open his eyes, he felt Chanyeol's lips press softly against his own. Overwhelmed with emotion, Jongdae sighed into the kiss and melted into the younger's embrace. The moment was intimate yet innocent - very reminiscent of their relationship overall. Jongdae could feel his heart practically beat out of his chest. The two only separated when Chanyeol let out a rather loud sniffle. The elder opened his eyes to see Chanyeol with a tearstained face and smile on his face.
"Gosh," he said quietly, wiping his eyes and nose on his sleeve, "I'm such a baby..."
"You're my big baby," Jongdae replied teasingly, smiling just as brightly. He leaned up to leave a little peck on his partner's jawline before leaning back into his embrace. Chanyeol's arms snaked around Jongdae's lithe body with ease, hands intertwining together.
"You're the sweetest," he whispered into Jongdae's ear, leaving a kiss on his temple before tightening his embrace, "my greatest gift I never deserved..."
"You deserve the world," the latter replied, eyes fluttering closed as Chanyeol left a series of lazy kisses across his forehead. Chanyeol chuckled before looking up at the ceiling, the only light in the room coming from Jongdae's still illuminated phone screen. The live doppler radar showed that the worst of the weather was finally out of their area, and that fact lifted whatever stress that still weighed on him.
The pair had somehow fallen asleep in each other's arms, and were awaken when Chanyeol's phone had gone off. Chanyeol, after accidentally elbowing Jongdae in the jaw from surprise upon seeing his sister's contact pop up, answered immediately.
"Sorry Dae but oh god, Yura, I- yes. Jongdae and I are fine. We - yeah, the first floor bathroom. How are the boys? They're...oh, thank god, I was so worried...no, we haven't seen the damage yet. We heard a big crash...oh, right. We'll keep that in mind...okay. I understand...please keep in contact when you can, okay? Love you, Yura. Yeah. Bye."
After hanging up the phone, Chanyeol looked and Jongdae and sighed in relief.
"Yura and the kids are okay," he said, leaning back against the wall, pulling his partner close to him, "their home is okay, too. They were the lucky ones..."
"We'll need to assess our damage too, if there is any," Jongdae replied, quickly continuing, "but I'm really glad that everyone's okay. That's what's important."
"Yeah."
Jongdae and Chanyeol sat in silence for a while longer, allowing the tender moment to last. This evening's events were certainly not going to be the last scary moments in their relationship. As long as the two had each other, though, they could manage to overcome almost anything life would throw at them.
F-4 tornadoes, who?