Xiumin woke up to the ringing of his cell phone Saturday earlier in morning then he would like to get up. Who would even be calling me, he wonders as he reaches his hand over to grab his phone off his nightstand.  He does a double take reading Kris’s name on his phone screen.

“Hello” he asks timidly into his cell phone after accepting the incoming call.

“Ah, Xiumin” Kris’s deep voice says through the phone. Xiumin hears a second voice say something before Kris clears his throat. “How are you this morning” Kris asks and Xiumin can tell it is totally forced.

“I’m good thanks, tell Tao I say hi” Xiumin says knowing now who the second voice must have been. Never in a million ears did I think that I would be having this type of conversation with Tao, a voice inside Xiumin couldn’t help but point out.

“Yeah I will. Tao wants me to ask you for a favor, I’m not one hundred percent sold on this whole idea though” Kris says before he hears mumbling on the other end of the phone. “I am being nice” he hears Kris say before more mumbling comes through the phone.

“Hey Xiumin” Tao’s voice says over the phone.

“Umm, good morning Tao” Xiumin says pinching his arm to make sure that this whole conversation is not just some strange concoction of his mind.

“So my mom is working and I don’t want Kris to leave so I was hoping that you could do me a favor.” Tao’s voice asks and Xiumin is shocked to hear a timid quality to the other’s voice.

“Yeah sure what’s up?” Xiumin asks standing up and making his bed with his phone cradled against his ear.

“Okay, umm, well I need you to go over to my apartment and grab my…” Tao says voice getting softer until Xiumin can no longer hear him.

“What do you want me to grab at your apartment” Xiumin asks into his phone while pulling out an outfit for the day.

“My stuffed panda, I have trouble sleeping without it” Tao says and Xiumin drops his phone is shock.

“Tao you still there” Xiumin asks into his phone after he scrambles to pick it back up.

“Yeah” Tao says softly.

“You’re not joking with me right now, are you” Xiumin asks, all parts of his mind screaming of some sick joke.

“Hey you listen to me you little jerk. I would go get it, but he is too scared to be alone after what you made happen to him so if you want to be able to walk again I suggest you do as he asks without any more questions”   Kris’s voice yells.

“Kris” Tao scolds and Xiumin assumes he must be on speaker phone.

“Sorry Tao, I didn’t mean to insult you I..I..I just wanted to make sure I heard you right” Xiumin assures setting his phone to speaker phone as well while he changes his shirt.

“Don’t worry I understand” Tao says. “Kris” Xiumin hears the other prompt.

“I’m sorry” Kris says and Xiumin isn’t surprised to hear that his words hold no actual apology.

“The spare key to my apartment is under the door mat and I’ll text you the instructions, well Kris will because it hurts my finger too much” Tao says with a little chuckle that causes Xiumin to flinch.

“I’m really sorry about yesterday Tao” Xiumin says sincerely into his cell phone.

“Water under the bridge” Tao assures. “Just hurry and bring Junior and all will be forgiven” Tao says causing Xiumin to pause until he realizes that that must be the name of the stuffed panda he is off to rescue.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can” Xiumin assures before hanging up the call and heading downstairs to see if his mom or dad will give him a ride.

After much coaxing and pleading Xiumin finally talks his father into first driving him over to Tao’s apartment building across town, followed by a trip to the hospital after.

“I’ll be a couple minutes” Xiumin assures his father as he closes the car door behind him and steps towards the hospital with Tao’s stuffed panda bear in one hand.

“Hurry up, your sister has dance practice in forty-five minutes” his father hollers from the car.

Xiumin takes the elevator back up to Tao’s floor and waits as it ascends. Once the ding rings out, he climbs out of the elevator doors and goes over to the door that he knows Tao is behind. He takes in a big inhale of breath before opening the door.

As the door creeks open Xiumin sees Kris turn over and glare.

“Don’t wake him up” Kris whispers and Xiumin looks over to the bed to see a sleeping Tao. However there are still many tubes hooked up to the other as well as a white cast sticking out from under the covers and seeing those things make Xiumin feel guilty all over again.

“I brought his stuffed panda” Xiumin says holding the stuffed animal over to Kris. Xiumin watches as the other lays the panda gently beside Tao and leans over to plant a kiss upon the other’s forehead. Xiumin takes in the bruises and cuts that look worse today than they did the day before and feels disgusted with himself.

“Thank you for bringing Junior, he had a really hard time falling asleep without him last night” Kris says, carding his finger’s through