Hyukjae leans his head back on the pillows and releases a sigh. After the discovery of his voice loss, test after test has been run on him, so many done that Hyukjae can’t even keep count. The doctors questioned him and he answered to the best of his abilities on paper but nothing just made sense. He felt perfectly fine.  A bit fatigued perhaps, but nothing out of the ordinary. Hyukjae has experienced voice loss before; his throat had felt sore and scratchy, the muscles weak. Still, he was able to speak little, even if he sounded like a raspy old man. 

This is not the same. His throat feels normal. It just doesn’t make sense.

Amongst the countless tests and queries from doctors and nurses, the visits from his friends and family have been the bright spots in his long, long day. Donghae and Kyuhyun had stayed with him until a doctor had run the first of many tests on him. What Donghae had brought him turned out to be a vibrantly red lobster plushie.

“I saw it and it reminded me of you,” Donghae chirped happily and presented it to him with the most pure sincerity. Before Hyukjae could reach for it, Kyuhyun had snatched it up, studying it intently. 

‘Hmmmmm,” Kyuhyun hummed. “Yep, it looks exactly like you.”

Hyukjae didn’t know whether to be offended or not because the lobster was ugly as hell. It’s beady black eyes creeped him out and he could swear the lobster was gazing into his soul. While Hyukjae was having a staring contest with the plush,  Donghae waited for Hyukjae’s reaction with the biggest puppy eyes. It should not be possible for a grown man to be so cute, Hyukjae thinks. Not wanting to disappoint him, he cuddled the plush to his chest. The smile on Donghae’s face erased all thoughts of the plush being totally hideous. It will grow on him. Hopefully. 

After Kyuhyun and Donghae had left, Yesung and Ryeowook had come and seen him. Ryeowook had brought some of his homemade food to the delight of Hyukjae’s stomach. He made all of his favorites and Hyukjae wondered how heaven deals with the loss of such an angel. The duration of the duo’s visit consisted of Ryeowook worrying over him and doing his best to cheer him up. His motherly tendencies sometimes make Hyukjae forget that the petite man is his dongsaeng because he is always watching out for him. 

Yesung balanced out Ryeowook’s fretting in his own goofy way. Yesung had cracked jokes and told him updates about his dogs and turtles. He even promised to bring one of his turtles next time to come and visit him. Hyukjae had just nodded along, accustomed to the older man’s oddness. Even if he was strange, he appreciated this bit of weird normalcy in his upturned world.

Shindong and Sungmin had come in shortly after lunch, the two having brought a deck of cards to keep him entertained. The instant he saw Shindong, he gave him a tight hug, guilty of his less-than-nice thought to throw the nonexistent alarm clock at his head. The bigger man, clueless of Hyukjae’s thoughts, only patted his back in confusion. Sungmin had brought him bright pink flowers, the same shade as the short man’s favorite nightdress. They played cards until the obvious cheating shenanigans going on could not be ignored, the games dissolving into laughter. 

Zhou Mi had come by himself. The ever present sunny smile on his face never fails to bring a grin to Hyukjae’s lips. Hyukjae is pretty sure that the flowers on the table perked up and opened up into full bloom with Zhou Mi’s presence, his aura friendly and warm.  Zhou Mi gifted him a brand new jacket and if he wasn’t so in love with Donghae, he probably could have kissed the man. Okay, maybe not go that far. His fashionista side of him was sorely tempted to. Although the gift was great, Hyukjae was even happier with Zhou Mi’s visit.

After that, some tests had been done before the next duo had come to seen him. Kangin had enveloped him the biggest bear hug ever. His big stature usually tricks most people into missing his big heart and the embrace showed it. Leeteuk, similar tor Ryeowook, hovered over him and made sure he was as comfortable as he could be. Everyone always joked that Kangin and Leeteuk were the “parents” of their close knit group and in some ways, it is true. If you ever needed a shoulder to lean on or someone to talk to, those two were always there.

Now his actual parents are in his room, keeping him company, along with his sister Sora. Sora is sitting on the bed with him, tying ponytails on his head while singing the latest pop tune. She finishes up the second ponytail, tying it into a little loop, and securing it with a hair tie to match its twin.

“There! All done. Aw, my baby brother is so cute!” Sora squeals and whips out a pocket sized mirror to show her work. Hyukjae crinkles his nose and pouts in disagreement. He does not look cute. He looks stupid with his hair twisted up like he is a five year old little girl. 

“We should take a selca!” She digs out her phone from her pant’s pocket and before he can even blink, the flash goes off. “Perfect! I’m sure your friends will love this. Especially Donghae.” Sora waggles her eyebrows up and down. She must be hanging out with Kyuhyun lately and has picked up his evil ways. Right when he is about to yank the little ponytails out, the doctor comes in. 

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs Lee, may I talk to you for a second? Your daughter can come with us as well.”

The playful ambience disappears at his utterance. Mr and Mrs. Lee seem uneasy as they stand up. Sora glances at Hyukjae and squeezes his hand before following. 

The door clicks with a sound of finality. The room is silent. It's the first time Hyukjae has been by himself since he has woken up. There has always been doctors or nurses or his friends and family to keep him company. Now, there’s no one. He feels truly alone. 

The silence is suffocating. Hyukjae hugs the lobster plush closer to his chest and burrows deeper into the sheets. The absence of idle chatter, of jokes and stories, brings him to face the fact that he can’t break the stillness. His ability to verbally express himself is gone. 

His train of thought derails when he sees something out of the corner of his eyes. He sits up straighter, more alert. A pool of dread stirs in his stomach when he hears that voice. 

“Patient Lee Hyukjae. Born April 4th, 1986. Mild lacerations to the face, arms, neck and chest. No major external injuries or internal damage. Sudden loss of voice. No source found. No symptoms linked. Diagnosis: Further evaluation needed. Test results: inclusive. Wow, doctors are amazing aren’t they?”

A figure slinks out of the shadows, Hyukjae’s medical file in his hand. He’s dressed differently from the last time Hyukjae saw him. Vermillion pants emphasize his lean legs, with a crisp black shirt tucked in neatly and a white belt completing the look. A few buttons of the shirt are undone, showing off some of the man’s smooth, pale chest. The reaper looks more like a model than an for the dead.

“Nice ponytails by the way. Really cute. Suits you well.”

Hyukjae flushes red in embarrassment and yanks the ponytails from his hair, letting the hair fall down free. The few seconds of mortification quickly disappear to be replaced with fear. Heechul is here. In his room. There must be a reason.  A friendly visit is not something the reaper would do out of the kindness of his heart. 

“Oh, it’s so fun to see doctors stumped at this little mystery. First, it was ‘Why can’t Lee Hyukjae wake up? Why was he sleeping so long?’ You weren’t gravely injured, nothing compared to your special