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Chanyeol should have really thought this over more thoroughly.
However, he is one stubborn man who doesn't listen to his children's advice of doing this the next day. That's why he's now in their attic in the middle of the night to hopefully clean it.
He is currently resting on a rocking chair placed on the corner of the room, wanting to rest his joints for a moment after that strenuous climb on the high and steep stairs. If his beloved saw him earlier, he would have laughed at him. It may have been an easy climb before, but definitely not today.
He's a lot older now.
Much older than the last time he had gone up here, with him.
Chanyeol sighed and looked around the attic. The full moon outside loomed large, illuminating the room in a pale and peaceful light. It accentuated the sealed boxes, old books, and fine antiques that filled the space.
His eyes then landed on a red box that lay peculiarly on top of a cabinet. Without hesitation, he pushed himself out of the chair to go towards it, and he felt his heartbeat go faster in anticipation as he neared the object. The box is from his husband. He has no doubts about it, he just knows.
It must have been twenty years since Baekhyun had placed it there.
He must have thought about it a lot and knew that his soft-hearted husband would break once he saw it. Thus, Baekhyun stored it upstairs, hoping that this secret would be found at the right moment.
When Chanyeol finally reached the box, he eyed the layers of fine dust that covered it. Still, the letter written above in his husband's familiar messy handwriting, is very much visible :
"The sun may have gone down on my life, but my love for you is never over. So, I will not say goodbye. I will simply say goodnight."
Chanyeol smiled and lifted his head towards the clear night sky, "You really do have perfect timing, my love.”
He heard footsteps up the stairs and turned to see his two sons, Sehun and Jongin, by the entrance. "Dad, what's that?" Jongin asked, with Sehun curiously looking at him as well. "It's from your Papa," Chanyeol replied, smiling. "Come on, let's open it together."
The two helped their father sit again on the rocking chair. Once comfortably seated, Chanyeol inhaled a deep breath before taking the cover off. He looked at the contents of the box and smiled. His trembling fingers caressed the items lovingly while Sehun gasped at the faint smell of Pear and Bergamot coming from the box. It was his father's scent and he will never forget how that scent comforted him when he was younger.
Inside the box, laid a scrapbook, a picture frame, and a tape recorder.
Chanyeol first opened the scrapbook. It was like taking a trip down memory lane with every page. It started with their pictures during kindergarten. A time where their only problem was on how to discover their 'superpowers' to save the world side by side.
After that were pictures from their high school and college days. The period where they were starting to explore the world and understand who they are, what they did wrong or worst decisions which they regretted for a long while. One thing that they don’t regret though was the moment when they finally confessed to each other, and the next pages showed exactly that. They were pictures of their dates, when they were young, beautiful, and in love.
Chanyeol was genuinely surprised at how Baekhyun kept every single thing from their dates. There was a movie ticket, ribbons from sports games, and an old receipt from a diner. He would then tell the story of each keepsakes to his sons — how bored they were during the movie so Baekhyun just told random stories inside the theater (to the annoyance of the other moviegoers), occasions where they’ll join couple competitions for fun then win, times where they’ll only order one shake and fries because they can’t afford more but were still full just being with the other.
The attic was filled with chuckles until they’ve reached the last page. On it was a stolen picture of Chanyeol during their bowling trips. He was grinning widely, one can feel that his happiness truly extends to his eyes and deep into his soul. A small note was also written on the side of the polaroid that reads, "My forever."
Chanyeol stared at the scribble longingly before closing the book and reaching next for the picture frame.
It was a picture from their wedding day.
They were both wearing silk blue suits. The picture was taken after they held each other in a warm embrace after exchanging rings and sharing their first kiss as newlyweds. They were beaming, ecstatic to finally spend the rest of their lives together. He will never, ever forget this wonderful day.
"Papa sure loves to surprise us, doesn't he?" Jongin said quietly and Chanyeol nodded in agreement. He lastly picked up the tape recorder and opened it. There was a small tape inside, and curious about his husband's final present, he pressed play.
Chanyeol never cried when Baekhyun died, he knew that he should be strong for his children, he simply didn’t have the time to grieve.
Thus, when the first note of their favorite song started playing, he was surprised to feel tears running down his cheeks.
Baekhyun's bright singing voice filled the otherwise cold night. It was the voice that Chanyeol loved so much, the voice that he wasn't able to hear for twenty years since his husband died.
Chanyeol's body wracked in an onslaught of sobs and tears. Sehun and Jongin hugged him. They also sniffled quietly, tears threatening to spill from their eyes.
Baekhyun's song continue to fill them with love and peace.
And without realizing it, Chanyeol had now accepted to let him go.