"Hey kid," Yixing placed his tray of food across of her untouched one. "You okay?" His concerned eyes searched her face, pursing his lips when he could tell she was not.

Kira mustered a smile, however it looked like she was cringing instead, so she brought back the permanent slight frown on her face. She was exhausted, drained out of her life, literally falling asleep as she sat there. She had no appetite, so her food was left uneaten for who knows how long. "Just sleepy, gē," rubbing her eyes in a lazy manner.

He studied her a bit, and decided that she can’t possibly function if she couldn’t lift a spoon. "Eat something, then I'll send you home, okay?" To which Kira vigorously shook her head, which surprised him because he was convinced she was out of energy at that point.

She wasn't done for the day, she still had lots to learn at the clinic and she couldn’t live with herself if she left early regardless of how worn out she was. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm staying." He looked at her in disapproval but didn't push her further.

"How long more till your finals?" he asked, genuinely interested because he couldn’t really stand to see all the dentistry students both determined yet apathetic when he passes by their department.

"Five months," Kira answered with a tone so spiritless that she proved his point of them being the walking dead. Yixing looked at her in pity, and scooped some of her food into his spoon before carefully manoeuvring it in front of her lips.

Kira watched him in mild amusement, looking more alive than before. "Open up," while he himself had his mouth open, as if feeding a baby so that the child can mimic him. She actually smiled this time, a small one, a bit embarrassed, but mostly touched. Kira let him feed her, just that one spoon, because she couldn't say no to him.

She looked at him, immensely thankful that he was here or she wouldn’t have bothered to eat despite only having only a slice of bread in the morning. From the way Yixing looked at her and from the way his eyes sparkled, he understood what she wanted to say, smiled gently, his dimples making an appearance.

"Are you seeing Baekhyun later?" Yixing asked, mouth filled with rice. Kira shook her head, starting to feel a bit more energized from the food.

"I won't disturb him. I'm ending late tonight," she glanced at her watch; the watch that Baekhyun had gotten for her when he found out she didn't own one "because everyone needs a watch, you silly kitten," he said.

Yixing's unimpressed face was what she received. "You're never a disturbance to him, mèi, you know that." Yixing waved at one of his friends before bringing his focus back to her. "That boy misses you, like a clingy puppy that misses its owner." His gentle smile cannot be missed. "I forget that you’re a lot younger than him sometimes because he’s like a kid." His tone, tender, soft. Kira’s cheeks warmed, already imagining him whining.

"But we keep in touch all the time." She scratched her head, not getting why he would miss her.

Seeing her confused look, he chuckled, making her even more confused. "You're such an intelligent girl but boy, you’re so oblivious, mèi mèi," he shook his head amused at the girl.

"Oblivious to what?" But he simply shook his head.

"The time will come," he winked before he devoured the last bite of his dish. "Just go see him, he'll be ecstatic. He's having a rough time as well, and you'll cheer him up."

Kira stared at her almost empty plate, unsure. "You sure I won't be disturbing him? Because I feel like I'm intruding every time I see him on work days." Yixing gave her a definite “nope” before excusing himself when his phone started vibrating. Kira sighed, defeated.

---

"Yixing told me you've been blanking out a lot lately," Baekhyun's eyes were filled with so much concern that it stunned her. She was sitting on his couch, two cups of hot chocolate on the coffee table, Baekhyun‘s head on her lap, her hand in his silky hair, her other hand being played with by the boy, and his neighbour’s corgi next to her feet.

"I guess so," closing her eyes, letting out an inaudible sigh. His unit was quiet, the sound of the movie they were supposedly watching was white noise.

Baekhyun continued playing with her fingers, looking absentminded but she knew he was paying attention to her. "He said that he could smell the stress you felt two floors down."

Kira looked down at him bemused but he didn’t return her gaze. All he did was observe her fingers, as if they were the most interesting thing he has seen. "Is there anything he doesn't tell you?"

This time he directed his attention to her face. "Nope.” Then a sly grin painted his lips. “I'd bug him to tell me anyway."

She purposely ruffled his hair roughly, earning her a light smack on her hand. "How does he tolerate you, seriously?"

He shrugged, and Kira had no idea how he did it lying down on her lap. "He loves me." He said it jokingly, but she knew they both did love each other. Their friendship would probably stay strong even when they’re 80, she thought to herself. Her hand was no longer taken hostage, as he his side to reach down and pet the sleeping corgi. "Is final year being a bit too rough on you?"

"You have no idea." She stretched herself, Baekhyun squirming a bit from all the movement. Once she was still again, Baekhyun faced her, no longer on his side after satisfied with his petting.

"I'm glad Yixing is there to keep an eye on you." He took her hand again, blindly grabbing at her finger like a baby would, but his eyes were flitting all over her. "He is taking care of you, right?" She wholeheartedly nodded, her insides warming for being blessed to have such wonderful people around her. Satisfied with her answer he got back to playing with her fingers.

“Is work going okay for you?” He momentarily froze before he shot up from his lying position, startling her.

“Your gē is telling you stuff too, huh?” Narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. “What else did he tell you?”

Kira titled her head at him, wondering why he was a bit tense. “He told me you missed me,” and his relief was visible.

“That’s true,” he bobbed his left shoulder. He got back to his spot on her lap, crossing his arms and then stared at the ceiling.

“You know, I see you more than I see Jihyun.” She said after a while. He glanced at her and then back to the ceiling.

“Is that a bad thing? And you should invite the both of us to lunch one day. I’d love to meet her.”

“No, Baek. It’s not a bad thing.” She gave his mane one long comb with her fingers as if to reassure him. “About lunch, I thought about it. She’s a busy woman, y