April, 7, 2015 (12 days before death).

Luhan is beyond trying to understand what has happened to him. He decides to pass the last four months off as a dream, but it wont settle with him. There's too much he's changed about himself; too much he's changed about his feelings toward the people in his life.

Having Baekhyun back serves as a comfort in his confusion. There are aspects of Baekhyun's existence that makes Luhan wish the past four months he'd imagined had been real. In this reality, Baekhyun doesn't smoke. It's Baekhyun's mother that smokes. She visits him daily, leaving his clothes filled with the stale stench. Luhan doesn't like the smell of it anymore. It hurts his nose every time Baekhyun describes how much he hates his mother, but how much he hates not having any visitors more.

Baekhyun has taken to reminding Luhan of what he can't remember. He tells Luhan that they've been friends for ten years, but they've only recently started opening up to each other. He tells Luhan that they used to set themselves apart from everyone else in the institution, and though he knows for a fact that Luhan is psychotic; Baekhyun himself is not crazy. He tells Luhan stories about his abandonment issues, and how he came to be institutionalized in the first place. Baekhyun describes how he tried to burn down his own house, to free himself from what he believed to be hell. He tells Luhan that the real hell is being labeled crazy; that no matter what you do, once you're labeled crazy people feel like they don't have to listen to what you have to say anymore.

“Luhan, are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” It's 12 AM, and even though Luhan has only just met this version of Baekhyun, he still finds himself wanting to be a good friend.

“Of course.”

“I had a dream about Chanyeol. Not just the usual stuff either. This felt real. We were at this school, and we ran away. We escaped together and lived in a bunch of hotel rooms for a few days. I think I was scared, or unhappy maybe, because for some reason I told some lady where we were and she made us come live with her. I don't think I liked being locked away like that, but I had Chanyeol and it just felt...worth it. I think being in this place may have made me actually lose my mind. I can't believe I'm falling for my doctor. Isn't that crazy?”

“No.”

“No?”

“When I...When I imagined all that stuff, you were with Chanyeol. You guys loved each other and you did run away with him. I don't know what happened after that, but you were together.”

“Hm. Either we're sharing dreams or it was just meant to be. The crazy person prophecy, huh?”

“Yeah...I don't know which version of reality I prefer.” There's a stale silence between them. Both have no idea how to remedy their want for escaping reality.

“Hey, Luhan, come over here.” Baekhyun is beckoning Luhan over in the dark. Luhan hesitates, but he eventually shuffles across the cold concrete floor and sits on the end of Baekhyun's bed.

“What is it?”

“No, get in silly.” Baekhyun is raising a side of the blanket, signaling Luhan to get under the covers with him. It seems weird, but Luhan complies. Baekhyun's bed is warm, and carries a lot more blankets than Luhan would usually sleep with.