The course of true love never did run smooth.

It was early the next morning when Yixing finally returned home. Seung was on the floor of the living room, pressing her face into the carpet. She had a pillow tucked under her body, curled around it with her hands fisted tight. He had to watch her for a few minutes just to be sure that she was breathing, and, when he was, he closed the door behind him and walked over to her, kneeling down.

"When did you get home?" he asks, yawning slightly. She was wearing his pajamas - the ones he loaned her.

"Why does it hurt?" She mumbles into the carpet. She sounded in pain, and Yixing touches her back lightly.

"What hurts? I can help. Did you get jumped?" He asks. He shouldn't have let her walk home alone. Suho wasn't worth it, he tries to convince himself. Seung falls onto her side and shows her face, her eyes red, her cheeks damp. She blinks her eyes when the imprint of the carpet sets in on her forehead.

"No." She whispers, hugging the pillow closer.Yixing remains where he is, staring at her face in concern.

"What happened?" He asks, softer. Something was deeply wrong; this he understood. Seung shakes her head and she takes calming breaths, trying to piece herself together. curves into a frown and she scrunches her face up, unable to stop the sadness she never wanted ever again.

Something whimpers from inside the pillow and Seung is suddenly back on her knees, releasing the pillow to reveal a beagle puppy she had pressed against her chest. He yawns and she stares at it, her staggered breathing smoothing out as she focuses on something different.

"Where did you get that?" Yixing asks. Suki jumps off the couch and treads over, sniffing the puppy carefully. It settles down and starts to sleep once more.

"He...he was dying and I-I couldn't just leave him...I just...brought him with. He needs a...a name." She replies unsteadily. She was trying hard to control herself. Yixing simply watched, unsure how to help as much as he wanted to.

"Seung, what happened after the party?" He quietly asks, leaning forward a bit. She glances at him and he sees the pain in her eyes, sharp enough to make him lean back again.

"Why does it hurt?" She whines softly in her question. It clicks and Yixing makes a pained expression when she wraps her arms around herself and chokes on her breath, "Why?"

"Seung?"

"I'm gonna to call him Gidae." She announces, nodding her head. The frown was still on her face, betraying her inner turmoil. The sleeping puppy wasn't interesting enough for Suki, who was rubbing on Seung's arm as she began to rock back and forth slightly.

"Seung, you need to-"

"I don't need to tell you anything. Ereh emoc evah t'ndluohs I. I should have stayed on the streets. I could have run away. There's so many things I could have done. Yhw? Gnineppah siht si yhw? Siht tnaw t'nod I. It hurts, Yixing. It hurts and I can't do anything! Pots ti ekam!" She suddenly bursts out. Yixing watches as she presses her hands to her head and swaps languages smoothly, not recognizing what she was saying half of the time. A few tears roll down her face and she quickly wipes them away.

"Diputs si siht. pots ot deen I. Gniyrc enod m'I. On." She hisses to herself, but it doesn't work. Her face contorts again and a sob slips out.

Yixing moves closer and opens his arms up for her to hug, but she stares at him, breathing heavily. Seung shakes her head and wipes at her face again, rubbing her eyes. There's a yawn that rolls through her body and she blinks, eyes heavy with stress and lack of sleep. This was just a mental breakdown, she assures herself. Yixing moves closer, arms still stretched out. When she moves back, he drags his knees across the carpet and tackles her in his hug with a quick movement.

"Shh, please. You need sleep." He worries. She tries to push him off, but he holds on tight and locks himself around her until she calms down. Soon, her body finally lets him hold her and she takes a deep breath.

She should have hugged Chanyeol longer. His arms felt much nicer than Yixing's. The regret was flooding her mind, cleaning out everything e