Lilies of the valley are, apparently, poisonous.

Maybe that’s why Yixing has been having immense headaches and blurred vision (which also leads to disorientation) whenever he tries to swallow down the flowers if he ever feels the urge to vomit them in public. Maybe that’s why his case turns out to be more severe because apart from his lungs and throat, it’s affecting his nerves as well. Maybe that’s why the flowers he’s vomitting now are tainted in deep red stains and it’s only been less than 2 weeks since his infection.

Maybe that’s why he out earlier at dance practice after coughing out mountains and mountains of flowers, the floor was no longer visible beneath the mass of white petals.

Baekhyun has also been unnecessarily close and does quite a lot of skinship that day. And while Yixing wraps the awful sting in his chest with a smile, Jongdae can hear his cry for help and drags Baekhyun away from Yixing everytime he sees the devil clings onto the older. He doesn’t forget to put up some antics when Baekhyun protests that Jongdae keeps disturbing the byunxing moments and retorts with “Mind you, Xingdae is obviously a better and way hotter couple than Byunxing because we both got abs”. To which, Yixing laughs and sends grateful gazes at the younger.

But of course, Baekhyun always finds a chance to slip in Yixing’s personal zone and when he sneaks a playful kiss on Yixing’s bare shoulder, Yixing looses his control and pukes and pukes and pukes. Once his lungs are empty, his consciousness fades and he hears someone calling his name before he completely faints.

.

.

.

“Lu-ge! I saw the news, how are you feeling now?”

“Better, I reckon. They said I need to always have cans of oxygen with me to aid my breathing and drink glasses of hot tea because my throat is still recovering. Sorry for making you worry…”

“I’d be more worried if you keep vomitting daffodils. It’s good to have you back and healthy.”

“I guess, hahahah.”

“Did you end up telling Minseok-hyung, though?”

“I don’t think there’s a point in telling him. The feeling is no longer there anyway.”

“I see… How did it feel like? The surgery I mean.”

“Silly, of course I don’t remember. I was unconscious.”

“Hahahah. That’s true. But what about the aftermath, though?”

“Honestly? It’s… awful.”

“Awful?”

“Yeah. It feels as if a piece of your heart has been taken away forcefully. What’s left now is a hollow feeling in what’s used to be consisted of something.”

“Oh… I never knew that…”

“Me too.”

“Lu-ge, I’m truly sorry for you loss…”

“I am too.”

.

.

.

Yixing wakes up to a sound of faint snoring beside him. When he notices the small figure resting his head on the same mattress that Yixing is lying on with his arms folded beneath his cheek, Yixing reaches out to touch the silver blond hair and the boy jolts awake.

“Hyung!” he exclaims and Yixing is engulfed in a hug (his chest sort of hurts from the contact, he reckons it’s because of the stitches) in an instant.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun sobs into his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Baekhyun. It’s not your fault,” Yixing reassures, his arms go around the other’s back and returns the hug. He waits for a bitter pang to strike his lungs that sends him into a coughing fit but it never came and he hugs Baekhyun tighter.

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun repeats, over and over until Yixing notices the strange void beneath his chest. The older can only nod weakly.

“I am too.”