To reunite with his mother was what Baekhyun thought he would never get to experience. But to be reunited under circumstances and situations like this, was unthinkable. He dragged his heavy heart and burdened shoulders up to ground level where Karlos was waiting for him with a grim expression on his face. Now that Baekhyun’s thought about it, never has he seen any of them wear a smile on their faces. Not that he was expecting them to because of what he’s read about them. But it was entirely different to experience it in real life as compared to reading.

“Thank—”

“We don’t say ‘thank you’ on Zenn.” Karlos gruffed under his breath. He let out a huff and strode off, leaving Baekhyun to wander on his own.

The man sighed and dragged himself to the shattered glass room, only to see that Shixun was nowhere to be found. His heart hammered and thrashed against their cages as a wave of panic surge through his body. His lips trembled as he saw that Boa was on the seat now instead of his best friend. His eyes ed towards the blood bag hung from the top of the saline stand as Boa had her eyes shut, going through the transfusion.

“Where is she?” Baekhyun tried not to sound hostile, as much as he was angry at his mother; Boa was still the mother he loved and longed to meet ever since the incident.

Or wasn’t she?

“Relax, I’ve transferred her to the room beside yours.” Boa sighed contentedly as she cracked her eye open. “Bless her O negative blood type. Kris made a good idea to insert it into her and not you—”

“Kris.” Baekhyun finally remembered the sole reason he wanted to see his mother, “He said you locked him down there. Why would you?”

Boa’s upper body got off the bed, a solemn expression wiped off her beam. “He told you that, and you believed him?”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows rose, an unsure smile crept on his lips as he breathed out in relief. “You didn’t, right?” He didn’t know if he wanted it to be true, or if he just needed to believe it was.

Boa mimicked his grin without serving an explanation. Well, of course she didn’t find the need to. She fluttered her eyes shut again, but not before reminding Baekhyun to not inform Shixun regarding Kris’, to which he only silently responded by leaving the room. He gave one more glance to his mother before reaching out to reach for a bottle of tablets before fleeing the scene.

.

.

.

.

.

“Shixun…?”

Baekhyun poked his head through the door of the room, but instantly gagged when a wave of severe and heavy smell of iodoform clogged his nose the instant he stepped foot into the room. Pressing the back of his palm onto his nostrils, Baekhyun narrowed his eyes as he moved deeper into the ‘room’.

What could he describe it as? A makeshift ward? It looked nothing like a decent bedroom. Every inch of the room reminded him of a hospital ward, and Shixun hated the smell of iodoform the most. His eyes watered at how sharp the smell was, and as he was blinking away the tears to search for Shixun, it took them a split second to widen after.

“Oh my God.” He breathed, rushing to the side of his friend. “Shixun, what did they—”

Shixun had her eyes tight shut, her cheeks void of colour and the ebony tracks were more evident than ever against her pale, pale skin. Her arm still had the blood infuser attached to her veins, and she now had a ventilator mask over her nose and mouth. She was being forced breathe in a consistent speed; and Baekhyun didn’t have to be a doctor to know. He knew the basics, every other Resistance member had to be a Jack of all trades. Her fingers were trembling, cold and thin. The iron pills weren’t even in her system for at least 4 hours, at this rate; Shixun will—

“I’m so sorry Shixun,” Baekhyun breathed into his friend’s ear as he bent by her side, a hand carefully placed above her crown. “I don’t know what to do…”

The man dropped to his knees, one hand cupped over his mouth as he broke into a cry and sobbed into a hectic mess. Weeks ago, he never thought he would be able to see Shixun again. And 3 days ago, he was telling Kai off being a threat to her life; but look at where things were going now. Kris was right. Boa isn’t his mother, she wasn’t the mother he knew.

The one he called ‘mom’ treated them both equally. She cared for both of them as if they were her own. Ever since Shixun lost a mother and Baekhyun’s father left, Boa and Kris made a pact to ensure their kids would get a taste of how it’s still like to have both parents alive.

And this wasn’t what his mother would’ve done, no matter how desperate she was.

As he sobbed into his palm harder, he felt cold fingers reach upon his own. He brought his head up only to see that Shixun’s eyes were half-lidded, her frail fingers curled around his hand almost desperately. No words escaped her lips, none could’ve even if she wanted to speak. But he didn’t need words to understand her cry for help when a lone and wistful tear rolled down her hollow cheek.

~”~

“They took all you