Zelo in surgery: 1 hour

Yongguk sighed, leaning back in his chair. After a few moments, he pushed himself back up and leaned his elbows against his knees. He did this a few more times, unable to get comfortable. He just couldn't seem to sit still, unlike Youngjae who had been sitting in the same spot and staring at the wall for the last fourtyfive minutes. Daehyun also seemed unable to stay still and kept standing up every few minutes to pace around the room. Himchan sat in the corner, texting on his phone.

Yongguk sighed, looking up at the clock. His coffee cup sat on the wooden arm of the chair, long forgotten. His fingers grazed it as he grabbed the arms and pushed himself up off the chair. The cup toppled onto the floor and rolled across the tiles, stopping against the leg of a table.

Yongguk started pacing, just as Daehyun sat back down next to Youngjae. He glanced at the two of them and sighed. Daehyun put his hand on Youngjae's knee and whispered to him. His voice could easily be heard in the dead silence of the room.

“Are you alright?” He'd asked.

Youngjae shrugged.

“Youngjae, please...say something to me?” Daehyun asked again. “You haven't said a word to me all day, please...”

Yongguk sighed when Youngjae simply got up and walked out of the room. Daehyun looked heartbroken dropping his head into his hands. Yongguk thought about ignoring him for a while, but when he saw the telltale shaking of his shoulders. Daehyun was crying.

With a heavy sigh, Yongguk walked over and sat next to him.

Zelo in Surgery: 2 Hours

Daehyun had been crying for half an hour, head resting on Yongguk's shoulder. He hadn't spoken since Yongguk had sat down next to him, but allowed the elder to just sit with him. For a while, he petted Daehyun's hair. Sometimes, he whispered soft words of encouragement to the younger.

“You know.” Daehyun's voice was scratchy and broken when he finally spoke. He paused and sniffled. “I never once thought that I wanted Zelo to die. He was the reason my dad left. He was the reason mom works all the time. He was the reason we were always broke, and I never once wished he would die.”

“He's your brother.” Yongguk responded softly.

Daehyun let out a bitter laugh and looked up at Yongguk. “Last night, I did.”

Yongguk paused, his eyes going wide in disbelief. “Y..you what?”

Daehyun's voice broke with a sob and his head fell into his hands. “I didn't mean to!” He whined. “I was just upset, Youngjae and I had gotten into a fight because of Zelo and I was upset. I was screaming and ranting and I just...I don't know why I said it...I don't know why I...and now...now he's...”

Yongguk patted Daehyun's back. “You didn't mean it.” He comforted the boy. “Everyone says things they don't mean when they're upset. When Zelo wakes up, he'll forgive you.

Daehyun shook his head. “What if he doesn't wake up? What if he dies...and, and the last thing I'll have ever said to him was that I wished he'd die?” Tears poured from his face and he pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.

“He's not going to die.” Yongguk responded once more.

“I just want him to love me..” Daehyun whimpered, hiding his face. “Why won't he just see me?”

Yongguk couldn't respond. Youngjae interrupted, showing up right in front of the two of them. Yongguk looked up to see Youngjae's distraught expression. They shared a nod and Yongguk stood up, letting Youngjae sit down next to Daehyun. Yongguk tapped Himchan on the shoulder and the two of them went down to the cafeteria for some coffee.

Zelo in Surgery: 3 Hours

Yongguk and Himchan sat outside of the hospital, leaning against the brick wall. Himchan sipped on some steaming hot coffee and he stared up at the stars. It had stopped raining and the moon was visible finally.

Yongguk took a long drag on the cigarette he'd bummed from some stranger. He rarely smoked. In fact, he'd probably only had three cigarettes in the past two years. Right now, though, he just really needed it.

“How much longer do you think this is going to be?” He asked his friend.

Himchan shrugged. “Who knows.”

Yongguk took another drag from the cigarette and put it out on the concrete, standing up and stretching his legs. Himchan handed him the last of the coffee and he drained the cup, tossing it in the trashcan on the way back into the building.

“We broke up again.” Himchan spoke up suddenly just as the elevator door swung shut. Yongguk looked at him curiously, waiting for him to speak again. “We had another fight. He...He slapped me. We sort of got into a bit of a fist fight and I walked out again.”

“How many times is this?” Yongguk asked, not even sounding surprised.

Himchan smiled sheepishly. “Five times?”

“Five times in what? Three, four months? Himchan, when are you going to just ditch this ?” Yongguk asked, mashing the button for the correct floor.

Himchan shrugged, taking hold of the elevator rails as the machine lurched into movement. “I can't just give up on him, Yongguk. It's not like its his fault...He's got nobody else but me.”

“He shouldn't even have you if he's going to keep beating you up.” Yongguk snapped.

Himchan rolled his eyes, tapping his foot and keeping silent until the elevator doors slid open once more. He stepped out and turned back to his best friend. “You just wouldn't understand, Yongguk.”

Yongguk sighed. “Of course I don't. You never tell me anything. I don't even know who this douchebag is.”

Himchan chuckled a little. “Of course not. If I told you, you'd just go kick his .”

Yongguk poutted innocently, “Now what makes you think that?”

Himchan rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around Yongguk's and resting his head on the boy's shoulder. “I know you, Yongguk.”

Yongguk's words were drowned when the two turned back into the waiting room. Daehyun and Youngjae stood with Dr. Kwon, holding onto each other. The doctor stopped speaking when he saw Yongguk walk in.

“What's going on?” Yongguk asked.

Dr. Kwon sighed, waiting for Yongguk and Himchan to come closer. “They've been working on Zelo for a long time now. At this point, they aren't sure he's going to make it. He's flatlined once already, but we've brought him back. They said it should be about two more hours. After that, it's just a waiting game.”

“Do you think he's going to make it?” Yongguk couldn't help but ask. The whole room seemed to get quiet again as they all looked at the doctor.

Dr. Kwon ran a hand through his hand, his expression tired, bags under his eyes and sweat around his neck. He sighed. “I don't know...but guys...it's not looking good. I'm sorry.”

Zelo in Surgery: 4 Hours

Moral in the waiting room had dropped extensively after their talk with the doctor. Daehyun had broken down crying once again, but this time Youngjae pulled the boy into his lap and held onto him tightly.

Yongguk dropped himself down into a chair and didn't move. He didn't speak or even respond to the others until finally they gave up on trying to speak to him.

He let himself fall back into his mind. He let himself think, to remember, and got lost in a memory that he wished would just disappear. The day Yongguk's mother had died.

Yongguk had been leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette in the moonlight, when two men turned the corner. He greeted them with a secret handshake, slipping one a wad of money he'd been hiding in his pocket. The other man wrapped an arm around Yongguk and the three started walking down the street and talking. The man slipped a bag into Yongguk's pocket and the two walked off with an innocent goodbye.

That had been when Yongguk got a phone call. He checked his cell and ignored the call. He'd thought, at the time, that it was his father calling just to bother him and yell at him about being an embarrassment for a son. He didn't know that the call was actually the warning that his mother was dying. If only he'd answered that call, he could have rushed to the hospital and been there for his mother when she was calling for him.

Instead, he turned the corner and grabbed a brick from an ally. He tucked it under his jacket and walked past a few pedestrians. Then he tossed the brick through a store window. The store's alarm went off loud as Yongguk reached in and grabbed some of the jewelry on display before dashing away as quickly as he could, only to be caught by the police four blocks away. That had been the first time he'd ever been arrested.

Yongguk pulled himself from his thoughts and looked around the room once more.

Zelo in Surgery: 5 Hours

He couldn't help but to smile just the smalled bit when he saw Youngjae kiss the top of Daehyun's forehead. He caught a bit of what they were saying.

“I don't know.” Youngjae muttered.

Daehyun hummed a response.

“I was so blinded by his smile that I never saw your tears” Youngjae's voice sounded soft, thoughtful. “For that, I'll never forgive myself.”

“It's not your fault.” Daehyun whispered, sniffling.

Youngjae laughed softly, sadly. “It is. And I promise. I'll make up for it.”

Daehyun smiled up at Youngjae and Yongguk looked away, giving the two boys some privacy. His eyes landed on Himchan, who had his knees drawn up in his chair and his arms wrapped around his legs. He played with a bracelet on his wrist, completely absorbed in it.

Dr. Kwon walked back into the room, disrupting everyone. Yongguk looked up at him as the doctor stopped walking and stood in front of the group, clapping his arms together.

“The surgery is finished.” He annouced, looking around at everyone before smiling. “Zelo's made it through.”