Donghae's brought him to bed. Changed his clothes. Laid him properly.

Hyukjae's breathing. His pulse seems fine. But he doesn't respond.

"Baby?" Donghae says again. Brushes back his hair. Touches his cheeks. "Wake up, Hyukkie..."

He hasn't turned into a mannequin. Yet. But what if something's wrong with his body? Donghae's checked his temperature. It's normal.

Hyukjae's a mannequin though. Donghae doesn't know what's fine. What's normal for him.

He's scared.

Donghae calls Leeteuk. He has to tell someone.

"Teukkie!"

"Hae, I'm sorry, dad didn't--"

"Teukkie, Hyukjae passed out a-and I don't know what to do..."

"What?"

"H-He just... fainted," Donghae says. Tries not to sob. "I don't know what's wrong with him..."

"Hae, wait. I'll be right there."

Donghae's grateful. He wipes his face. Hangs up. Breathes in to calm himself. Looks at Hyukjae lying still on the bed.

He quickly leans down. Kisses his lips.

"Hyukkie?"

He presses another kiss on his lips. Longer. He hopes it would do something. They started with kisses. It has to do something.

"Baby, please..."

Why isn't it doing anything? Because Hyukjae hasn't turned mannequin? His heart's beating. So... he should wake up. Complain. About Donghae moving him around. Kissing him when he's sleepy. He should say no. Should tell Donghae he wants to sleep...

Donghae kisses his forehead. Stands again. He prays Hyukjae just needs to sleep. That he is sleeping. That it's nothing serious. That he'll wake up. Be happy.

He's about to exit the room... but he stops. He leaves the light on. Comes back to sit on the floor. Beside the bed.

What if Hyukjae turns to a mannequin? If he's left alone?

He can't let that happen.

"Hyukjae, sweetheart, I'm right here, okay?"

He holds his hand.

----

It's been an hour. Donghae can't do anything. Leeteuk can't do anything. Hyukjae won't wake up. They can't take him to a hospital. He has no identification. Neither can think of someone who could come. To check on him.

"Donghae..." Leeteuk says. Squeezes his shoulder. "If he didn't get hurt in any way and seemed fine all day today... I can't think of what could've caused it... he might just be sleeping..."

Donghae sniffs. He's been watching Hyukjae's face. Hearing his breathing. That's been comforting. But Hyukjae's so... still.

"I asked him how he knew his age..." Donghae says. "H-He didn't even know his name when I first met him... and if he's a mannequin, how does he suddenly know his age? I... I shouldn't have asked... T-That's what made him get... weird. He said something about dreams... things from before. And then he just collapsed." Donghae looks at Leeteuk. "What does that mean?"

"Dreams from before?"

"A few days ago... I woke up and he was sitting on the bed. He said there's something in his head and he can't remember it. But not like his memories, it was like... something he knew was there but he couldn't get to it. So I thought he probably had a dream. He only had nightmares before, about... about your grandparents actually, so this was new for him..."

"Yeah, we don't always remember much from dreams..." Leeteuk says. Quietly.

"So... he dreamt about things in his life... from before?" Donghae says. "Before your grandparents..." He stops. Thinks. "He... said something that one time... about when he turned mannequin... with other people. Before me. Before your grandparents. But he said... his time with them was very short. They were all scared of him. Or tried to hurt him."

Donghae looks back at Hyukjae. His heart squeezes. He's so innocent and harmless. Donghae hates it. Hates anything ever hurting him.

"Do you think..." Leeteuk says. "He remembered one of those moments? Maybe it was too much for him..."

Donghae hugs his knees. "I don't know... it's like he... realized that... he dreamt of things... of his life... before? And then just fell? But what... what does that mean?"

"Life before he was a mannequin?"

Donghae looks up. Stares.

Leeteuk shrugs. "I don't know. Has he said anything about it to you?"

What if Hyukjae was turned into a mannequin? He wasn't... created? Did he dream of... his own past life? Before he was a mannequin? Did he... just suddenly notice pieces of his dreams were of a true past? Where he was a person?

What was there in Hyukjae's past?

Who... or what... made him like this? Why?

Donghae's afraid.

What if it's something more painful? Than what happened with Leeteuk's grandfather?

He tears up. Instantly.

Hyukjae suffered so much from remembering that. What else does he have to face now? Can he handle it?

"It's weird, you know. How he is," Leeteuk says. "What he is. There has to be more to it. Gaining life through love. That sounds like a curse from a children's fairytale." He chuckles lightly. Sees Donghae's eyes. Stops. Sighs. "But Hae, you might need to just let him get out of this on his own. I don't think it's... normal, whatever he's dealing with." Leeteuk stands. "Go to sleep, Hae... you know he wo