The sniffles in the quiet hospital ward woke Yixing up. His sleepy gaze glanced sideways at the digital clock on his bedside table (3:15am) before it fell onto the figure on the bed next to him. Yixing could faintly make out Baek Hyun, all the way hidden underneath the covers, and the little shakes of his shoulders made it apparent that the other was crying.

His own throat constricted painfully, the sleepiness going out of him as he recalled the conversation he had earlier with Chanyeol. Although they weren’t exactly in similar situations, Yixing knew how it felt when a person you so wholeheartedly loved and forgave declared to have fallen for another person. After all Yixing had thought Kris had abandoned him for someone else.

As quietly as he could, Yixing got out of bed and hobbled towards the latter, careful not to aggravate his foot. Baek Hyun had not spoken a word to him since he returned to the ward. Did Chanyeol catch up to him? Did he explain himself? Yixing was curious but he wasn’t sure if it was right to meddle.

“Baek Hyun,” he murmured softly, cringing a little when the sniffles suddenly stopped. He didn’t want to startle him. Biting his lip, Yixing lied down at the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around the blanketed figure.

“Everything will be okay,” Yixing whispered, gently Baek Hyun’s arm. It was useless words but he really didn’t know how else he could comfort him. He thought of the times Baek Hyun stood up for him in prison when the other inmates bullied him and the times he applied medication on him when he was wounded. He thought of how Baek Hyun risked his life to rescue him from the fire.

Yixing wished he could do more.

***

Words could not begin to describe how terrible Yixing felt when Kyung Soo and Jongin appeared on the day he was due to be discharged from the hospital. His poor housemates lost their home simply because of their association with him and despite them saying it wasn’t his fault, Yixing wished he could afford to pay them for the damages.

“Stop worrying, Yixing,” Jongin said with a roll of his eyes. “We’re using this as an excuse for us to go on vacation. You don’t know how many times I’ve tried persuading Mr Workaholic here to close his café and go on a trip with me.”

Yixing shot a disbelieving look at the nodding Kyung Soo who chuckled a little when he saw Yixing’s doubtful face. “It’s true,” Kyung Soo added, “I haven’t been on a trip since freshman year in university.”

“But... where are you two staying right now?”

“With a friend,” Jongin reassured while Kyung Soo busied himself with digging through his bag. “Stop worrying, silly. We brought you clothes – go change into them.”

After insisting that he didn’t need help going to the bathroom with his crutches, Yixing slowly stripped himself off the hospital gown and into a set of obviously new clothes that came alongside a note with illegible handwriting Yixing recognised as Kris’s. Seemed like he contacted Jongin and asked him to buy him a new wardrobe because he couldn’t be around today due to his recording.

Rereading the note in amusement, Yixing hobbled out of the bathroom before noticing another presence in the ward. “Luhan,” he started and smiled at the latter.

Luhan had unfailingly visited him once every two days since he got himself into the hospital. Yixing appreciated how the other brought him food because he mentioned the hospital grub was boring and bland, and appreciated how he’d always have a story to brighten up Yixing’s day.

He wasn’t blind though; other than his playful words, he could tell Luhan was withdrawing himself more and more from him. He was a lot less touchy towards Yixing than before and had ceased any attempts to kiss him. Sometimes he even thought Luhan’s smile seemed a little fake.

But he couldn’t himself to break up with Luhan. As the days passed and he grew more certain that his feelings for the other man was mere friendship, it became more difficult for him to raise the topic.

“... Where will you be staying?”

Yixing blinked back into reality at Kyung Soo’s question. Kris had offered – or insisted, actually – that Yixing stay at his place but he didn’t think it was appropriate to bring that up right now.

“Why don’t you stay a few days with Baek and I?” Luhan interjected, “Aren’t you worried for Baek Hyun?”

That was true. A few days after they had landed themselves in the hospital, Baek Hyun insisted on going home because he couldn’t sleep in the hospital stench. Luhan had taken it upon himself to report Baek Hyun’s progress to Yixing each time he visited. It wasn’t that Yixing didn’t try to contact him but each time he tried to text, the vague replies Baek Hyun sent often confused him.

“Okay,” Yixing agreed lightly. “It’ll be just like old times.”

***

Night had fallen by the time they reached the apartment. It occurred to Yixing, out of the blue, that Luhan hadn’t used himself and their relationship as the reason for Yixing to stay in the apartment, opting instead to mention Baek Hyun. He shot a concerned look at the man whose arm was around his waist to support his weight but Luhan either didn’t see or pretended not to see. Before he could ask though, their apartment door opened to reveal Baek Hyun.

“Welcome home,” Baek Hyun said before the pair even reached the apartment unit. Yixing’s eyes searched his face, and nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Baek Hyun smiled and wrapped his arms around his waist.

 The three of them were seated around the coffee table in their living room after a lousy dinner consisting of pizza and chicken. Several cans of Hite beer were spread out on the table and many more empty ones were littered around the room. The scene was very much like the days they used to drink together, and it felt nice to Yixing to be able to still drink with friends.

Only after he and Luhan had struggled to put an extremely drunk and noisy Baek Hyun – who insisted on belting out IU’s three high notes in Good Day – in bed that he decided to end things with Luhan.

“Can we... talk?” Yixing asked mildly.

Without looking at him, Luhan nodded, and started picking up the empty cans of beers to throw them into a large trash bag. Yixing watched him for a while, not sure how to broach the topic when the other didn’t want to pay attention.

“Let’s break up.”

Yixing’s eyes flew to Luhan immediately at the words coming out from the other’s mouth.

“Why?” he asked the photographer cautiously, unknowingly clenching his hands. Did Luhan find out? Why wasn’t he yelling at him? He was far too calm –

“I’m seeing someone else.”

The announcement was so out of the blue Yixing was rendered speechless. Luhan was dating someone? When they were in a relationship? Yixing didn’t know how he should react.

“We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now,” Luhan continued impassively, still not looking at Yixing. “After the day you signed the contract with Exo actually. I didn’t tell you because you got yourself into the hospital.”

“Do I know him?”

Luhan shrugged and straightened up, looking far too sober for someone who had drunk almost a dozen cans of beers himself. “Probably,” he said. “It’s Minseok. I’ve known him ever since I was a photography assistant but we lost contact until recently.”

Minseok... the name sounded familiar. He briefly recalled the man with the adorably puffy cheeks calling out to Kris at the restaurant. Wasn’t that Kris’s manager? Did they catch up the day Kris so rudely dragged him off?

He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Instead of jealousy or hurt that his supposed boyfriend had found someone else, he was only relieved. At least this way it’d lessen Luhan’s anger when Yixing brought up getting back together with Kris.

“I’m... glad to hear it,” Yixing finally said and to prove his point, he flashed Luhan a smile. “I was starting to think maybe we’re better off as best friends.”

It didn’t come across his mind that he was a little too oblivious, and a little too selfish, when Luhan’s lips pulled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

***

“We’ll let you know if there is new information. In the meantime, please inform us if you come across any suspicious activity.”

“Okay. Thank you for your help,” Yixing murmured into the phone and hung up in time to see Junmyeon approaching him.

The Exo Artists representative had been sympathetic when he heard about the fire in his apartment and offered to give the artist the rest of the month off to recuperate before he appeared to record but Yixing had turned him down right away. Now that the pub was temporarily closed, he had to depend on his contract with Exo Artists for income and the longer he took to debut, the faster his personal savings was going to run out.

It wasn’t just that. Since the bizarre breakup with Luhan, he had tried to go back to how their relationship used to be but something was amiss and he couldn’t put his finger to it. So even though it wasn’t right, Yixing thought it’d be easier if they didn’t see each other all the time.  

“Hey, you’ve been here since 7,” Junmyeon pointed out with a frown, drawing Yixing’s attention to the clock. “It’s 3 – I bet you haven’t had lunch, have you? Come on, join me in the cafeteria.”

Yixing’s lower lip jutted out in a pout, reluctantly standing up. He had finally managed to familiarise himself with the studio and wanted to try recording something, but it wasn’t polite to turn down the person who gave him an opportunity to fulfil his dream. He trudged out of the studio behind Junmyeon, making idle talk when he suddenly remembered something.

“Do you go to the pub often?” Yixing asked curiously as they were waiting for their sandwiches to be ready at the counter.

“I drink a fair bit,” Junmyeon shrugged blankly before he realised Yixing was asking about the particular pub Junmyeon found him. “Oh... a friend I recently made suggested I check it out. Said there was a lot of undiscovered talent during their live performances.” The smile Yixing was used to seeing on his face appeared. “Can’t say I regret it.”

A light pink tinged Yixing’s cheeks. He ducked his head in embarrassment, muttering a soft “thanks” to the cashier as he collected his sandwich and found them a table.

“I was quite surprised actually,” added the representative, “I didn’t think Kris was into laid-back pubs. Sort of had him pegged as a hardcore partier.”

Good thing Yixing hadn’t started on his sandwich or he was pretty certain he would end up choking. “K-Kris?”

Not noticing the way Yixing was floundering with his words, Junmyeon nodded distractedly, his attention fully on his sandwich. “Yeah, the celebrity. Actor, recently turned singer... you know the guy?” He quirked a half smile at Yixing while munching on his food. “Keep this to yourself, but we might be signing him once his current contract expires. This is so going to be Exo’s year.”

Kris, that stupid... Yixing didn’t know to swear at him or to thank him. He hid a small delighted smile behind his sandwich and dug out his newly bought phone from his back pocket to text the idiot but holding a sandwich and a phone proved to be too much for him when the gadget fell to the carpeted floor.

Clumsily picking it up, Yixing accidentally unlocked it and pressed something on the screen – and the next thing he knew, Baek Hyun’s drunken singing was blasting out of his speakers. “Sorry,” he apologised quickly, face redder than ever while he fumbled to turn it off. “Smartphones are my enemy—” He froze then and his gaze flickered to the phone before going back to Junmyeon.

“Junmyeon... is it possible to start a band?”

A/N: Do you guys want a XiuHan one-shot spinoff? Look into poor Luhan's thoughts? =|