Miyoung woke up in her hospital room. For a moment, she wondered if any of it was actually real. Baekhyun's face and the man in her mind, maybe they weren't the same, maybe it was just a bad, bad dream. Hopefully.

But Miyoung's heart dropped to the ground when she heard an uneven shuffle of footsteps and looked up. 

Baekhyun stood at the foot of her bed with a sheepish smile. Miyoung was too tired to offer him any greeting. He raised his hands, revealing a small potted plant. Baekhyun had noticed the lack of gifts in her room, and he himself wasn't sure what she would like, but he did his best. He hobbled out into the hospital garden early in the morning, when no one was around, and picked a few flowers. Hopefully Miyoung wouldn't notice they were stolen.

Baekhyun carefully set the flower on her window sill. Miyoung wasn't too good with flowers, she only knew the really basic ones; rose, dandelion, lily. This one wasn't any of those. It had thin, round petals that the window light shone through and illuminated. The color was a blushing red. It looked like something that would grow in a thick bush, but only three of them grew in the pot. 

"Thank you," Miyoung smiled. At least she had something to look at now. 

Baekhyun nodded and sat on the stool beside her bed. 

"Could you hand it to me? I promise I won't destroy it," Miyoung pointed to the plant with begging eyes. Baekhyun quickly obeyed, carefully handing her the stolen flowers. She set it gently in her lap and admired it.

"They're beautiful," Miyoung caressed the soft petals with her finger, "I think red might be my favorite color."

Baekhyun smiled, perhaps it might.

"Not just any red though," Miyoung looked up, "this exact one. I like it."

Baekhyun inwardly sighed with relief, he had been terrified she wouldn't like it. He went back in forth between five different colors of flowers, how many had he picked and had to throw back? He prayed no CCTV had been watching him. Seeing her now, smiling at the plant like it was a newborn baby, his body flooded with warmth. When did he last feel this good? He couldn't remember.

"What happened yesterday?" Miyoung asked, even knowing he couldn't answer.

Baekhyun remembered it perfectly, something like that could never escape his mind. Miyoung stared so hard at Baekhyun, he was terrified she'd remembered everything, terrified she would hate him. Then out of the blue she screamed and threw him off, shutting her eyes tight as tears poured down her cheeks. Yunji called for the doctor, and Baekhyun was left sitting there while Miyoung cried and begged him to stay away from her. Then she fainted. 

Now, Baekhyun shrugged.

"You've got to stop shrugging, shrugger," Miyoung groaned, "I know you can't talk, but that doesn't mean you can't express yourself."

Baekhyun shrugged again, and was greeted by a slap over the head. For the first time, Miyoung heard Baekhyun laugh. 

"You just like to cause problems don't you!" Miyoung laughed, and Baekhyun laughed harder, "No wonder that old man says you're a troublemaker!" She playfully hit him again. 

Baekhyun caught her hand and forced it down, careful not to hit the plant.

"Okay, okay!" Miyoung surrendered. Baekhyun let go of her hand.

"You don't have to go asserting your dominance," Miyoung pouted rubbing her hand, "Whatever!" she said, suddenly cheerful, "it didn't hurt too bad."

Baekhyun reached forward to put the plant back on the sill but Miyoung tore it away and held it to her chest.

"Don't take it. It's mine. No take backs."

Baekhyun laughed and nodded. 

"Th...en..Hyoy-yeon? Hyoyeon went to the sto..re." 

"Good job! That was all perfect," Yunji smiled brightly. Miyoung felt a surge of pride in her chest, her reading had improved a lot in just a few tiresome weeks. Every morning after the one Baekhyun brought her flowers, she followed him to the children's ward and spent all day there reading with Yunji. On this day, Baekhyun had climbed into bed with Dongmin and fell asleep with the little boy sprawled across his chest. The two were snoring like wild bears. 

"Let's read another one," Miyoung suggested, pulling a book off the shelf. As she did so, something else tumbled out with it. Miyoung picked up the small scrap of paper and held it up. 

"What's this?" She turned it over and noticed some writing on it, old writing, and some streak of dark red across it.

"I dunno, I haven't seen it before," Yunji mumbled, rummaging through some more books, "maybe it's Baekhyun's?"

"Maybe."

Miyoung strained her eyes hard at the paper, trying to read the dark letters concealed by dark markings. "J...J-jin..M..Miyoung."

Something flashed across Miyoung's eyes, the same piece of paper, minus the dark markings. A bright cafe, someone's smile, she sprawled the words across a reciept and put it in someone's pocket. 

Who was it for?

What was it for?

Miyoung cast her eyes at the tall figure in the bed. Is it Baekhyun's?

Once again, she felt a bolt of electricity through her. One that struck a note deep inside her, somewhere beyond her concious, and told her he knew something. Something he couldn't say and she couldn't hear. She had so many questions, so many holes she wanted to fill up. Something told her he was the only one who could fill them. 

It was one of those nights.

Baekhyun sat on the floor of his hospital room, the bed felt stifling, and made his chest feel heavier. The moon outside his window offered little light to see by, and he had purposely turned out all the lights in the room. On days like this, he fled to the dark. 

Miyoung had lost her memories, they were washed away, every pain she'd ever felt, it was all gone. She was the lucky one. How Baekhyun wished it was him in the blind like she was. Faces passed his mind like a movie on repeat, swarming his thoughts. He could block them out during the day, put away all of his sins and vices and pretend he was someone else. He could hide behind a mask of muteness. But in this room there was no one but himself, and he could hear himself. 

I'm so sorry, he thought, starting to shake. He furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms, clenching his hospital gown with all he had. The shadows in the room formed figures, ghosts of his memories that haunted him. Some were comforting and smiling, some were threatening and angry. Then there was one, far off in the corner, one he didn't want to look at. Not ever again. The one that was the most terrifying. 

He burst out of the room, gasping for breath, crushing the fabric in front of his chest with all he had. He bent over and in a heap of air, gripping the door handle for stability. He rushed down the hall, ignoring the pain in his leg and the concerned looks from hospital staff. 

Miyoung blinked her eyes open. She heard the soft sound of her room door sliding open, light from the hallway fell on her through her bed curtain. Upon hearing quickened haggard breaths, she sat up and tore back the curtain. Baekhyun stood a black silhouette in the doorway. His face was scrunched in such agony it hurt to look at him. He blinked once at Miyoung, and tears that had filled up his eyes rolled down his cheeks. 
"Baekhyun?" Miyoung's voice raised a pitch, like she was talking to a child. Because at that moment, Baekhyun seemed like one. 

Here in her doorway was a broken boy, crying and gasping for breath. He collapsed on the ground, and released a cry in pain from his leg. 

"Baekhyun!" Miyoung threw her covers back and ran to his side, where she saw tears falling from his eyes like raindrops. Baekhyun raised a hand and grabbed her arm so tightly it hurt, but MIyoung didn't flinch. "What happened?" she cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. He wasn't a pretty sight. Dark circles hung under his red eyes, the evidence of many nights like this one. His lips shook as he in unsteady breaths, glistening tears spilled from his puffy eyes. 

"It's okay," she pulled him close, not knowing what to do, and feeling terrified for him. "It's okay now."

Baekhyun knew it wasn't okay. It would never be. But he wrapped his arms around her and clenched her clothes in his fists. Miyoung had never seen him like this. She'd never seen anything but a smile on his face. And it hurt to see him like this. It hurt so horribly. 

"Stop crying stupid," Miyoung muttered, her own vision starting to blur from the tears in her eyes, "you're making me cry."

I'm sorry, Baekhyun wanted to say, I'm trying to stop, but...just this once.

Miyoung pet his soft black hair, and rubbed his back. Slowly she hooked her hands underneath his armpits and stood up, dragging him with her. He whimpered in pain because of his cast, but stood up with her. 

Little by little, he loosened his grip on her shirt, then let go. He brought his hands back to his sides. Miyoung a tear off his cheek, the one with the scar. 

"What happened to you?" she choked, in a haggard breath. Baekhyun noticed she was crying too. "What happened to us?" she pleaded, "I saw you. I know you were there, I know it was you," her voice was desperate. "Tell me, tell me what happened," she coughed, then put her head down, "please."

It was then Baekhyun realized her pain wasn't all gone like he had thought. In her mind she didn't remember, but her body felt it, her heart knew. What haunted him haunted her, it was just that he could see the ghosts, and she couldn't. But these ghosts weren't like anything in any horror movie Baekhyun had ever seen, they were his own memories, his own conjurings. 

And now it was his turn to comfort her. He gently pulled her hands away from his clothes and took her hand in his. He squeezed lightly and she looked at him. He forced a teary smile onto his face and brushed her tears away.

"Thank you," she sniffled, "I know you're trying. I'm sorry."

Baekhyun dropped her hand and pulled her in. If only she knew, he wasn't trying. Not nearly as much as he should be. 

Baekhyun blinked open his tired eyes, and squinted in the sunlight. He tried to sit up, but a heavy weight on his chest reminded him he couldn't. He looked down and saw Miyoung curled up like a cat, with her head rested on his sternum.

He knew the nurses would be looking for him, the doctor would curse his name and later he'd have to take responsibility for disappearing in the middle of the night. But that was later, and this was now. He sighed in comofort.

Miyoung's room wasn't like his. Maybe it was because she was in it. The walls didn't close in on him, the sheets didn't constrain him, it was safe. His eyes fell on the red azaleas he brought in two weeks ago. It was still growing strong because of Miyoung. He usually pretended he didn't know she cared for that thing like a child. He saw her water it every morning, sometimes at night when he went for a walk to escape his room he could even hear her sing to it. 

Another downside to being mute was Baekhyun, who loved singing with all he had, couldn't sing. If only Miyoung had seen him before, as a powerful trainee making his dreams come true. But that was all gone now. It was all gone now. 

Baekhyun wiped his tears on his sleeve, in a deep breath and hoping Miyoung wouldn't wake up to him crying. She was all he had now. This tiny girl curled on his chest was his entire world. And she didn't know who he was. 

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Oh my gosh guys I'm so sorry this chapter is sooo short! The next one will be much longer though so don't worry too much! I cut this one off so I could start the next one!

Thanks to all my subscribers! I can't believe how many I've gotten already! 

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Anyong~