“Better hurry EXO-K…Father time isn’t on your side today” Xiumin chuckled.

At this point, the boys were clenching their fists and gritting their teeth out of pure stress and anger. They needn’t worry about Baekhyun as much as they needed to worry about you. They knew about Baekhyuns strengths and they would be able to have already figured something out by the time that Baekhyun needed more oxygen. But you on the other hand- they weren’t sure.

All of a sudden, their minds drew a blank. Everything was just rushing through their minds all at the same time. They had to think of a plan, quickly. But it was the panic and fear that was distracting them from keeping their thoughts together.

You could breathe. You were still underwater but you could breathe. And it was because of the lips that were on yours. Baekhyun’s lips. Your eyes widened at the realization. Mouth to mouth…he was doing mouth to mouth, simply to let both of you breathe. But for you, it felt like more. There was a tingling sensation that shot through your body and the butterflies wouldn’t stop fluttering in your stomach.

Baekhyun too could sense it. The moment he put his lips on yours, he felt a sudden spark inside of him, a tingling sensation in his chest. He didn’t even know what had driven him to take such extreme measures, all he knew was that he had to save you, and this was the only thing he could think of.

“Xiumin…You don’t have to do this” Chanyeol tried to stay calm, but his voice was shaking. “It’s ended now, just go home”

Xiumin scoffed, “Home? You’re telling me to go home?” Tears started to form in his eyes, which was when EXO-K seemed to freeze in bewilderment. Whoa. They weren’t expecting that. “Do you realize how frustrating it is…watching stupid people live so happily…so stupidly ignorant…yet you’re jealous of them despite their stupidity and ignorance?” The pain in his voice was evident. But it was agitating him to his core. How easy it was to tell him to go home, to ignore everything. But they didn’t know anything- hek they don’t know a quarter of what they’ve been through, the things they’ve done just to stay alive. The people they’ve had to leave behind, the things they had to give up.

EXO-K slowly felt their anger disappear from them. After hearing the pain in his voice, seeing the look in his eyes, all that they could feel towards him…it wasn’t anger anymore…but just pity.  

“…Minseok-ah…” Suho murmured, feeling a heavy weight pulling his heart to his stomach. True that he- nor any of the members- have ever actually been close to him. But they knew him back in EXO…and to see him behave in such a way...it actually hurt them a bit.

“Let’s so how long the girl can la-“ Xiumin didn’t even get to finish his sentence, when all of a sudden, he felt a swift heat wave and abruptly, he could feel his body start to disappear. , he found out. He cursed at himself.

The members had to cover themselves when the heat wave suddenly swept into the room…No, it felt worse than a heat wave, it was as though the whole room itself was suddenly ignited into invisible flames for those quick few seconds and suddenly vanish again.

The moment they lifted their heads, confusion was all that occupied their minds. There was no ice anymore and Xiumin was nowhere to be seen. Almost instinctively, everyone turned to Chanyeol who just kind of stood there, blinking in bewilderment. “Er…As much as I’d want to take credit, that wasn’t-“

Chanyeol was interrupted when two figures appeared from the water. You both pulled yourselves up from the pool side, coughing and spluttering.

“Ji-Eun!” Kai called, dashing up to you and Baekhyun. The other members followed suit, feelings their shoulders relax from all the tension that had built up. You and Baekhyun just sort of laid there on the pool side, completely exhausted as the other crouched down beside you.

“Wow, Ji-Eun-ah, you were under there for almost ten minutes” Sehun said, clearly impressed and surprised at the same time. “Impressive”

“Now’s not the time to be impressed maknae” D.O snapped at Sehun before his eyes flickered from Baekhyun to you, “Although it is a little bit suspicious”

At that, your eyes accidentally met Baekhyun’s and you both almost instantly had to look away. You could feel the colour rushing to your cheeks already and your heart wouldn’t stop racing.

Baekhyun too had to hide his embarrassment. To think that he actually went as far as to- oh god Baekhyun, he cursed himself.

“Baekhyun, can you stand?” Suho questioned, concern in his eyes. He hadn’t forgotten that Baekhyun was severely injured. The said male took one last deep breathe before trying to stand, only to inevitably stumble and wince in pain. D.O reflexes quickly caught him before he could fall and everyone jolted when Baekhyun suddenly let out a painful cry.

You felt your heart sudden clench when you finally looked up at Baekhyun. You could tell he was in so much pain, he was gnawing on his lower lip to keep it in but it wasn’t working.

“Baekhyun-ah” Chanyeol felt a lump at his throat as he watched his friend try to keep in the pain. He knew that Baekhyun was always good at keeping it in whenever he got hurt. How he’d always shrug it off as nothing much when surely- it was much more. So to see him like this…it brought tears to his eyes.

“You idiot” D.O said as he swung Baekhyuns arm around his shoulder to support him, “Too think that you’re more reckless than any of us”

“We need to get home, now” Suho stated, his eyes indicating towards Kai who was couched down beside you. All of a sudden, you could feel your body being lifted princess-style, but your mind was too occupied with other thoughts to argue on the matter.

Before you knew it, you were already back in Latte café, upstairs. Everyone quickly made a move. D.O laid Baekhyun on the couch and Kai carefully laid you on your bed. You only realized that you and Baekhyun were still soaking wet when you noticed that you were dampening everything that you touched; the couch, the bed, Kai’s and D.O’s shirt. But you had other concerns rather than getting things wet.

From there, the members focused on treating Baekhyuns wounds. Suho had kindly advised you not to watch and to take a rest in one of the other rooms. After much contemplation, you agreed to him. But no way could you have gone to sleep. No matter how tired and drained of energy you were,  you felt so shaken by everything that you couldn’t keep your thoughts together. Everything just confused you so much. How you don’t remembered what happened- how Baekhyun got hurt- how he fell into the pool. Why couldn’t you remember it? It felt stupid to say but it felt as though…you didn’t even see it. And also what bothered you…was what Xiumin said…

“What would you know, huh? It’s easy for you to laugh, isn’t it?...You wouldn’t understand…the pain we go through each moment of everyday, the fear that eats us alive every night, the innocence that we once had crumbling in our hands and for nothing! For mere life that doesn’t grant us miracles…And fate continues to mock us…for us to be saved by some girl!? After years of fear, you expect us to trust our lives with her?”

Thinking back to it made you feel uneasy. You’d never really thought about it much…but this prophecy thing…Was your role that important? Were you seriously somewhat responsible for these lives? Just thinking about it made you shiver. Was this…all your fault?

“Guys, you’re acting as though someone’s chopped my leg off, seriously, it’s not that bad” Baekhyun sighed at the members who crowded around him.

“Not that bad? That cut was at least 2 inches deep- it could very well have been cut off” Suho scolded. “What were you even thinking you idiot” He mumbled.

Baekhyun didn’t reply, he just cleared his throat whilst shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Suho had done well with the first aid. A few stiches were needed and Suho’s steady hand did more of a good job at treating the wound. Now not only hid leg was securely wrapped in gauze, but also the little but and bruises the other members were also tended to in a short amount of time. Suho had always been the one to almost ‘nurse’ the other members. It was something that he himself was pretty proud of, but he was used to treating D.O with something as drastic. Never before had he ever had to undergo such treatment for Baekhyun. “What happened anyway- to Xiumin?” Baekhyun changed topics.

“We don’t know either” Sehun shook his head.

“There was this weird heat wave and he suddenly disappeared along with the ice and everything” D.O explained.

Just like how the other members had looked at him, Baekhyun glanced at Chanyeol quizzically. The said male widened his eyes and rapidly shook his head.

“Hey, as I said, as much as I’d like to take credit- that wasn’t me, I don’t even know if I have my powers back yet” He snapped his fingers repetitively, thus showing that the sparks that ignited were still lacklustre.

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows. That’s odd.

As Baekhyun was thinking to himself, Kai just stared at the male, twisting his lips in thought. He wasn’t just going to let Baekhyun’s out-of-character behaviour go. “You know, it’s not like you to act so reckless, Baekhyun” He said.

Baekhyun turned to Kai and saw that there was a different meaning in his eyes, ones that said that he already knew why Baekhyun had done what he’d done. Baekhyun himself knew that it wasn’t like him. He’d never done something like that before…but his body just reacted on its own, it was a reflex. A reflex to save you. But he couldn’t say that out loud. Something just wouldn’t let him. “You would have done the same though…right?” Baekhyun retorted.

Suho sighed. Can they be any more obvious? He thought whilst shaking his head. True that they were being rather obvious in Suho’s eyes, but the others members just saw it as a general conversation between Kai and Baekhyun. “Well, time to call Professor” Suho said.

“Why?” Sehun asked.

“To tell him the bad news…” He sighed yet again. “That there’s a time controller amongst them” 

“Xiumin…I’ve warned you, haven’t I?”

Xiumin stood uncomfortably, biting at his lower lip to stop himself from arguing his point.

“I’ve warned you not to touch the girl”

“I still don’t get it…” Xiumin murmured, “I don’t get why you favour the girl so much…although she’s your-“

“Kim Minseok”

Xiumin jolted when his real name was suddenly mentioned.

“I’ll think of a punishment for you later…for disobeying me that is” Just like that, it went quiet and Xiumin knew that the other male had already disappeared. He clenched his fists, letting his nails dig at his skin as he held in his anger.

You only realized that you had fallen asleep in one of the boy’s room when you woke up in the middle of the night, confused for a moment after waking up on the floor instead of your bed. You lifted yourself to sit up, but as soon as you did, you felt a heavy invisible boulder on your chest.

With a terribly dry throat, you decided to get up for some water and quietly stepped out of the room, tip-toeing into your bedroom where you noticed the members were all fast asleep. Chanyeol, D.O and Sehun on your bed, Suho on the single arm chair, Kai on the top of your bunk bed and Baekhyun on the couch. All of a sudden, a small smile appeared on your face. How you loved knowing that there was someone else in your house. EXO-K has been with you for almost half a year now and you still loved the feeling of warmth whenever you remembered that they were still here with you.

You stepped closer to the lot of them and chuckled at the sight of the three idiots on your bed. Chanyeol was sprawled out so much that his leg was on top of Sehun’s and his arm was on D.O’s who’s face looked so agitated that it seemed as though he would wake up and slap the other male any second now. You turned to Suho, who you weren’t surprised to see sleeping peacefully on his own, hugging a pillow in his arms. And then your eyes glanced towards Baekhyun and for some reason, your heart seemed to skip a beat. The moonlight shone right onto him through your window almost too perfectly.

Without realizing, your feet brought you closer to him and you stopped in front of him. He seemed so peaceful, so graceful whilst he was asleep. You crouched down to face him and sighed quietly. You hadn’t even thanked him for helping you yet…but maybe because it was a bit awkward…after all you did kind of- no. It wasn’t a kiss. It was mouth to mouth- there’s a difference, right? Before you could stop yourself, your fingers brushed Baekhyuns bangs away of his eyes, “Thank you” You whispered, barely audible before getting yourself back up again.

About to make your way into the kitchen, you stopped when your eyes noticed your guitar leaning at your desk. It felt as though you hadn’t seen it in a while, as weird as it sounded. You were so caught up with everything that’s been happening that it was almost like you’ve abandoned it…

Ignoring your dry throat, you decided on walking closer to your desk, just to look back at what you had left on it. There were scrap pieces of paper here and there, pencils and pens scattered and old texts books and then…there was your calendar.

Your CNBLUE calendar that you almost forgot about. You realized that you hadn’t even flipped the pages since three months ago. You sighed at yourself. Your calendar was always something you would diligently check, but that habit must have died out since you’ve forgotten about it. You picked up your red sharpie pen from the side and crossed out the days neatly, day by day from October onto December. You came to the final date which was today…however your eyes wondered to the blue letters in the box of the 22^nd which was only a few days away…

Mom

Suddenly, that heavy feeling returned. The realization hit you like a wave, slowly and calmly, but surely. It was nearing your mother’s death anniversary...And along with the thought of your mother, the thought of Xiumins harsh words and Baekhyun injury came that unpleaseant feeling in your stomach. 

Guilt.

Little did you know as you stood there, there was a certain male who had been watching you from the upper bunk. Silently watching from the moment you walked into the room to now…

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*[A/N: More to come guys, i'll clear the confusion soon and OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT *CRIES AND HUGS YOU ALL*]