[19th Year of Exile]

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?"

"Hyung, what have you done to her! She's still not wakin–"

"Shut up Huang Zitao! Yixing-hyung is already asleep!"

The boys sure have gotten noisier while I've been out.

I felt my consciousness gradually return and I stirred.

"I can never sleep in peace, can I?"

I opened my eyes and found concerned faces staring down at me.

"A-Are you alright, Jen?" Chanyeol bore down on me, his breath warming my cheeks. "Does your head hurt?"

I tried to sit up, and as usual, twelve other pairs of hands helped me.

"Thanks." I breathed, and I leant back on Chanyeol who offered his chest as a support. I could feel his heartbeat against my back.

Thud, thud, thud.

I felt at ease and relaxed into his embrace; his arms wrapped around my shoulders and his chin gently rested on the crown of my head.

“Psh.” I lifted my eyes to see Kai with his lips pursed, while the others had unreadable expressions. My eyes flitted amongst their faces and that was when I noticed that only eleven bodies were in the kitchen. I’ve taken for granted that all twelve of them would be with me; I didn’t even bother to count.

"Where's... Yixing?"

Suho jerked his thumb behind him and there he was; the healer was sprawled on the couch in the living room, his arm and leg dangling over the edge of the small couch. Soft snores emanated from him and he grunted, causing the time controller to snicker which earned himself a light smack on the arm from the third eldest.

“Healing me must have taken a great deal out of him.” I commented softly, and several of them nodded. Suho looked over to his same-age friend and a small, fond smile formed on his face.

“So, what did I miss while I’ve been ‘sleeping’?” I quoted with my fingers in the air, and dark looks immediately flooded my peripheral field of vision. “Boys…?”

And as quickly the darkness came, it vanished just as lightning-fast.

"You didn't miss anything, Jen!"

"Yeah! We were just waiting around anxiously for you to wake up."

"Totally waiting for you to be healed..."

Their replies lapsed into silence and the awkwardness was apparent in the air.

They're keeping something from me.

Again.

Why?

[Xiumin]

As soon Chanyeol led Jen out of the cabin (holding hands, dammit), everyone dropped their patronizing smiles and the faked sunshine in the kitchen vanished.

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