Mei was feeling terrible and it had nothing to do with her fight with Luhan and everything to do with her body. She sighed, trying to sit in a more comfortable position on the wooden bench, ignoring the twinge of pain in her nether regions.

Cramps. Of all the things.

She'd wondered why she was being such a sentimental, unreasonable crybaby – sure she had her moments when tears got the best of her but it wasn't like her to completely lose it. Over a silly argument like that – she knew Lily was with Xiumin, but at that time, it'd seemed like such a big deal. Just like his motorbike or his joke that she wasn't cute. Stupid, foolish reasons.

All because she was going through PMS. Because of her exams and Sehun's untimely calls and Kai's uncharacteristically potent pheromones and Luhan withdrawals, it had completely slipped her mind that she was due next week. She turned into such an emotional mess when her moods hit, it was a wonder anybody could keep up with them. If she'd remembered…

She sighed again, feeling those unreasonable tears rise again. She'd woken this morning with a terrible backache and a couple of hours later, bam! She'd come out for a walk, hoping to relieve some of the pain – it was annoying no matter where she sat or how she sat down – and maybe clear her mind enough to think about what to do next.  

She was missing Luhan terribly and remembering the way she'd ditched him – even though he'd piggy-backed her all the way to her dorm while she sniffled into his neck – made guilt rise like bile in . She should apologize…

But he had implied she had feelings for another guy – when she was obviously crazy about him – and then accused her of being too free with her hands. That was not a silly reason – he had to apologize for that first. How could he even…

The tears spilled down her cheeks in a familiar stream – the way she'd been crying past two nights, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had tracks on her face by now. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, irritated and in pain, shaking her fist in the air.

'YOU JERK!' Her voice rang in the empty park.

'Oh… sorry… maybe I'll come back later…'

She blinked the tears away and a familiar face became clear. Kai. Looking sort of scared at her sudden outburst, backing off slowly.

'I'm sorry…' she mumbled, noticing Tiffany was standing behind him as well, covering to stop her giggles. 'I didn't see you there…'

'It's okay…' he still looked wary. 'Are you…?' He didn't finish the question because she so obviously not alright.

His concern touched her – he was the only one who'd actually bothered to show up – not Sehun or Tao who'd become her friends first or even Luhan, who should've been the first one to come. She started crying in earnest.

…………………

Kai looked at Mei helplessly, no idea what to do. He turned to look at Tiffany – who looked like she wanted to smile – questioningly. She shrugged her shoulders, then nodded towards Mei. 'Comfort her.' She mouthed.

'How?' Kai mouthed back. He had no idea how to deal with crying girls.

'Hug her, pat her head – do something!' She insisted. He felt his eyes expand in shock. Hug her? His heart jumped into his throat – unlike Sehun, who was always getting slaps on the back or random touches from her, he had always kept his distance.

Being near her drove him wild. Touching her… the one time she had hugged him, on that fateful day, he'd been overwhelmed, barely managing to push the beast back. To willingly put his arms around her… the beast growled its approval.

He swallowed, pushing it back. He wasn't opposed to the idea in general but she was crying for another guy. His Shadow, to be exact – and obviously had no room in heart for him.

He looked down at her, her shoulders looking suddenly tiny and frail as they shook, her hands infinitely small. And felt his heart melt.

I must have a martyr complex, he thought as he lowered himself beside her and awkwardly wrapped one arm around her shoulder. There was no other explanation for his behavior – willfully putting himself in the friend zone. But he didn't like seeing her upset.

She started crying even harder, turning into his chest as she sobbed her heart out. 'It'll be alright…' he murmured, uncomfortably patting her head.

He looked up at Tiffany – anything to distract him from the way her body was pressing against his – but she wasn't there. He looked the other way, but no sign of her. The park was completely devoid of anyone but him and Mei.

He took a deep breath, holding it for as long as possible so her scent wouldn't overpower him. This was going to be hard.

……………………….