Emma unknowingly fell asleep by Baekhyun’s bedside.  The injured boy smiled and her long brown hair.  She stirred a little, repositioning her head on his stomach.  He chuckled lightly.

Meanwhile, Chanyeol was leaning against the wall, staring off into space.  He was rarely like this; usually Baekhyun would see the boy bouncing around with so much unused energy.  It was a bit odd and somewhat frightening to see him like this.

Baekhyun cleared his throat, causing Chanyeol to snap out of his trance. 

“Thanks for saving me, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said with his head bowed.

Chanyeol only looked at him and nodded absently.  To be honest, he didn’t save Baekhyun for the sake of saving a friend; he saved him for Emma.  His heart was about to break again at the thought. 

A wave of anger surged over him.  Why did he have to go out of his way to save him?

“He’s your friend,” a voice at the back of his head whispered.

Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck.  “Uh, I’m sorry for being a complete jerk today.”

“No kidding,” Chanyeol snorted.

“Aw, come on, Yeollie,” Baekhyun emphasized his nickname.  “You know you wanna forgive me.”

“It’s kinda hard not to,” Chanyeol finally cracked a smile, making Baekhyun relax.  He took a deep breath.  “I’m sorry too.  I was just…well, jealous.”

He received a quizzical look from Baekhyun.

“Ah, hyung,” Chanyeol whined.  He sighed, seeing no way out.  “It’s just that…I feel like…you and Emma are perfect for each other.  I wanted that to happen to me.”  He paused.  “She’s a beautiful flower, Baek, a flower that doesn’t want to be found.  You know what I learned?  I learned that those kind of flowers are the most beautiful and the most precious.”

Baekhyun was silent.  He was sensing weird feelings from Chanyeol ever since they met Emma, which was only a couple days ago.  He knew that boy loved her from the moment she greeted him with a formal bow.

Chanyeol sniffed.  “Just…take care of her, okay hyung?  You win.”

Baekhyun blinked.

“I want you to be happy with her,” Chanyeol continued solemnly. 

“Wait, time out,” Baekhyun held his hands up.  He couldn’t take this anymore.  “How do you know she likes me and not you, or vice versa?”

The younger hummed with thought.  “I don’t…”

“Then why are you presuming-?”

“I just know, okay?”

Baekhyun scoffed.  “Wimp, you didn’t even confess to her.”

“I did, though!  Indirectly!” Chanyeol nearly shouted.

“Hush, you’ll wake her up,” Baekhyun said as Emma stirred slightly.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol whispered.  He cleared his throat.  “As I was saying, I already confessed-”

“You didn’t do a big speech or anything,” Baekhyun poked at his fingernails.  “That’s usually what guys do.”

“The most intimate relationships begin haphazardly,” Chanyeol declared while waving a finger in the air.

“Sure sure,” Baekhyun snorted.  He sighed.  “The formal is coming up.”

“Yup,” Chanyeol chuckled.  “Hana’s gonna be all over you.”

Baekhyun shuddered.  When Hana wants something, she usually gets it.  The thought of her pinning him to a wall, pressuring him, gave him the chills.

“Are you going to ask anyone?” Baekhyun asked, changing the subject slightly.

“I was going to ask Emma,” Chanyeol responded quietly.  “Now I don’t know what to do…”

Baekhyun pouted.  The last thing he wanted was for Chanyeol to be depressed while everyone else was happy.

Suddenly, an idea popped in his head.

“We could join up and ask as a group, you know,” Baekhyun suggested.  “I mean, as flirty as Kai is, he won’t have a date.  Suho and D.O. were going to stay home, and Sehun was planning on basically doing nothing…”

Chanyeol’s eyes got their usual sparkle back.  “Hm, that isn’t really a bad idea.”

Baekhyun smiled. 

Emma’s eyes opened slowly.  They were still red and puffy from crying.  She sighed and groaned into Baekhyun’s stomach.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Baekhyun said gently.

“It’s all your fault,” she muttered into his stomach.  Both boys could tell she was in a really bad mood. 

“How-?” Baekhyun started.

Emma interrupted.  “You were the one who wanted to ditch class.”

“Hm, I was,” Baekhyun smirked.  “But you agreed to come with me.”

“As if you gave me a choice,” she muttered.

“Very funny, you two,” Chanyeol laughed sarcastically. 

Baekhyun clucked his tongue.  “Aish, this girl,” he thought.

The door opened.  A crying Sehun came in, wailing loudly, and sat across from Emma.  Behind him were the rest of the boys, and all of them were wearing worried looks on their faces.

“Oh, hyung!” Sehun cried.  “When Channie called, I thought I lost you!”

“Shut up.”  Baekhyun punched the younger’s shoulder lightly.  “You’re giving me a headache.”

“How do you feel?” Suho asked.

“Like crap,” Baekhyun pouted.

“Psh, man up, will ya?”  Emma rolled her eyes.

“Well, look who’s in a bad mood,” Kai muttered.

“She’s just tired,” Chanyeol said softly.

“’Tired’?” she glared at him.  “Of course, I’m tired!  I’ve been worried-sick!”

Baekhyun smiled teasingly.  “Aw, so you care about me?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled and buried her head in his warm chest.

“You guys look really cute together,” Sehun commented, squealing slightly.  He clung to Suho’s arm.  “Hyung, wouldn’t they have really cute kids?”

Suho elbowed Sehun, hard.  “Not in front of Chanyeol,” he hissed in the younger’s ear.

Sehun nodded his head and actually silenced his tongue.

Chanyeol still heard Sehun’s comment, but he went along with it.  “They are cute, aren’t they?”

Suho’s eyes widened, and he elbowed Sehun again.

“Ow, hyung!” Sehun whined and held his ribs.  “What the heck-?”

Chanyeol ignored their bickering.  “You guys really should-,” he started.

“I’m not having kids,” Emma interrupted.

“Why not?” Baekhyun pouted.  “I thought you liked me.”

“What if I don’t?” she shot back teasingly.

“Then…then…well…” Baekhyun trailed off, desperate to find a comeback.

Emma rolled her eyes.  “I’m joking, Baek.”

“Wait, so does that mean you like me?” he asked.

“Uh, no,” she deadpanned.

“But you said-,” Baekhyun protested.

She silenced him by pressing her finger to his warm lips.  “Hush, don’t waste your breath.”

“Whoa, it’s getting hot in here,” Sehun coughed awkwardly and undid the topmost button of his uniform. 

Emma and the rest of the boys ignored his remark, but Suho elbowed him again.

She wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest.  She could hear his steady heart beat steadily.  Boom…boom…boom.

Baekhyun chuckled.  “As much as you want to hate me, you can’t help but hold me.”

“ert.”  Emma pinched his side.

“I love you,” Baekhyun murmured in her hair.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but flinch.

--

Suho, Sehun, Kai, Chanyeol, and D.O. reluctantly left to go home while Emma chose to stay behind.

Baekhyun’s head was pulsing, as if it was a living thing by itself.  He gingerly touched the back of his head, which he figured was probably smashed inward.  Surprisingly, his hard head served him well, and it wasn’t too badly injured.

“Yah, stop touching it,” Emma slapped his hand away.

“’Yah’?” he raised an eyebrow.  “I believe I’m older than you.”

“If I said otherwise, you wouldn’t listen to me,” she pointed out.

“Hm, true true,” he said.  “But, seriously, though, how old are you?”

She scoffed.  “It’s rude to ask a woman what her age is.”

“You consider yourself a woman?”

“Duh!  What would I be then?”

“Hm, a guy disguised as a girl.”

“Then you would be considered gay.”

He held his hands up with defeat and smiled.  “You got me there.”

She laughed and then sighed.  “I’m fourteen.  My birthday is coming up, though, in a month.”

“Wow, really?”  He chuckled.  “I thought you were, like, twelve based on the way you look.”

“Huh,” she grunted.

“That’s not a bad difference though,” he said.  “When’s your birthday?”

“Christmas Day,” she replied.

His eyes widened.  “Really?  That’s so cool!”

She shrugged.  “I guess…”

A moment of silence seized them. 

“When’s yours?” Emma asked.

He imitated her shrug.  “Sixth of May.”

She nodded. 

“Yup, nothing special about it,” he said quietly.

She sighed. 

“Are you going to the formal?” he asked suddenly.

She shrugged again.  “Only if someone asks me…but probably not.”

“Why?”

She rubbed her hands until they were red.  “Well, if you think about it, I’m the oddball of the group, and people hate me.  Going to the formal is basically committing social suicide.”

He put his hand on hers.  “I promised I would protect you no matter the costs.  You’re beautiful, and I want the entire world to see.”

She smiled softly.

--

It’s been a full week since Baekhyun was admitted into the hospital.  He was doing much better, with Emma and his brothers by his side. 

With every spare chance she had, which was often, Emma went to see him, no matter what time it was.  Every time she saw him, she saw his strength rising significantly.  The heavy gauze wrap around his head slowly turned into a light bandage, concealing the crusted scab at the back of his head.

She still remembered the doctor’s fear.

“Honestly, he may not make it,” the doctor said.

Her eyes begged to differ.  “Please, sir, you need to help him!”

“Miss, all we can do is wait,” the doctor replied back calmly.  “The concussion might affect his mentality…”

“You don’t know that!” she shouted angrily.  “Baekhyun’s strong, and he wants you to be too!”

--

“How do you feel?” Emma asked one day.

“To be honest, I almost feel worse,” Baekhyun sighed, his eyebrows furrowed.

She touched his hand lightly.  “Does it hurt?” she asked, gesturing to his lightly bandaged head.

He nodded.  “It feels like someone’s taking a hammer and smashing my brain into a million pieces.”

“Way to be descriptive,” she laughed.  She leaned forward and gently brushed her lips across his warm forehead.  Their eyes met as she pulled back.  “Feel better?”

Baekhyun nodded.

A knock sounded and the door swung open.  The doctor came in wearing his familiar poker face.

“Is everything okay, sir?” Emma asked cautiously.

The doctor nodded.  “I’m only here to evaluate his progress, so if you could please wait out in the lobby…”

Emma nodded and gave Baekhyun’s hand one last reassuring squeeze before walking out the door.  She sighed and sat down in a somewhat comfy chair. 

The entire lobby wasn’t as packed as she had expected.  There were a lot of kids running around, bothering the doctors and numerous grown ups, as expected.  Some families huddled together in a corner and mourned for a lost loved one.  Others were angrily yelling at the doctors, and for a second, Emma actually pitied them.

“You don’t understand,” a girl said.  “I have to see him.”

The lady at the front desk pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.  “I’m sorry, but if you can’t give your current relation to the patient-“

“Former girlfriend!” the girl shouted.  “Is that enough?”

The lady sighed and looked at her computer.  “Someone is currently evaluating him.  You’ll have to wait.”

“Thank you,” the girl bowed.

Emma’s brow twitched. 

Baekhyun’s being evaluated right now.  There’s no way…

At that moment, Baekhyun’s doctor walked out into the lobby and said a few words to the front desk lady.  She nodded and hurriedly typed things into her computer.

The lady looked up.  “Miss?  You can see him now.”

At first, Emma thought the lady meant her, but when the girl across the room got up, something inside her clicked.

Is that…Baekhyun’s ex?

The girl made her way down the hall to Baekhyun’s room.  Emma got up and followed. 

Emma stationed herself at the closed door, pressing her ear up against it.  She could hear their voices.

“What the hell are you doing here, Sookyung?” she heard Baekhyun growl.  “How did you know-?”

“I always know, Baek,” the girl, Sookyung, said.

“Don’t call me that,” Baekhyun snapped.  “We’re through.”

Emma could hear shuffling. 

“Oh, Jagiya,” the girl cooed.  “Does it hurt?”

“Don’t touch me,” Baekhyun hissed.  “And, yes, it hurts a lot.”

Emma wondered if she should break their conversation or not.  A part of her screamed to get in there and save him, but another part wanted to hear the untold past.

“I missed you,” Sookyung said.

“I didn’t,” Baekhyun muttered.

“I just moved,” she continued.  “I’m going to your school now.”

“I thought we agreed to stay away from each other, as far as possible,” Baekhyun pointed out.

“Oh, Jagiya, that was the past,” Sookyung said.

“Stop calling me that,” Baekhyun said.  “You’re making me sick.”

“Naturally,” Sookyung commented, a note of pain in her all-too-pretty voice. 

“Go away,” Baekhyun grumbled.

More shuffling.  “Ah, but Jagiya…”

“Don’t you dare touch me with those dirty hands of yours,” Baekhyun spat.

“Oppa!” Sookyung squealed.  “Oppa, you feel so good…”

Emma absolutely had enough.  Without thinking, she barged into the room. 

The girl, Sookyung, lay across Baekhyun’s body.  Her hands were in mid motion of undoing his hospital gown’s buttons.  His upper body was exposed, and her other hand his chest.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”  Emma glared.  “Was I interrupting something?”

“Definitely,” Sookyung said.

“Not at all,” Baekhyun said at the same time, a pleading look on his face.

Regardless, Emma stood there with her arms crossed.  Her foot tapped impatiently, waiting for an explanation. 

“Emma, this isn’t what it looks like,” Baekhyun started.

“Oh yeah, it totally isn’t,” Emma rolled her eyes.  She couldn’t help but walking up to Sookyung and peeling her hand off of his chest.  “Who the heck are you?”

Sookyung sat up.  “I’m Lee Sookyung, Baekhyun’s-,” she started.

“Ex-girlfriend,” Baekhyun finished for her as he redid the buttons on his gown.

“Funny,” Emma noted.  “Baekhyun never mentioned you.”

Baekhyun stiffened.  “Some memories are worth forgetting.”

Emma pursed her lips.  “Can’t you clearly see he doesn’t want to see you?  If not, then I would recommend paying a visit to the eye doctor down the hall.”

Sookyung’s face turned red with frustration.  “And who are you?”

“I’m a close friend-,” Emma started.

“She’s the ‘beloved’ I’ve been looking for,” Baekhyun corrected her quietly.  “So get out.”

Sookyung screamed with anger.  “You ugly, little brat!  I should scratch that face of yours off-!”

“Why would you waste your manicured nails on my face?” Emma deadpanned.  “My face is pretty ugly anyways.  I’d say I’m doing you a favor.”

“Objection,” Baekhyun said and lifted a finger into the air.

“Later, Baek,” Emma waved him off.

Sookyung scowled.  “You…you think you’re so…”

“What, ‘precious’?” Emma suggested.  “I probably am, but I can’t assume.”  She paused.  “Baekhyun is right, though.  You should leave.”

“You can’t make me!” Sookyung shouted.

Emma smirked.  “Shall I call the others?”

“What ‘others’…?” Sookyung’s brow furrowed. 

“Oh, you know…giant, beanstalk Chanyeol, weight-lifting Kai; by the way, I heard D.O. is great with kitchen knives,” Emma listed.

Sookyung abruptly got up and stomped towards the door.  She turned around and faced them.  “Fine, witch.  You win this round.”  With that, she slammed the door.

Emma sat on the bed, her breath shaking.

“Emma…” Baekhyun touched her arm, and she flinched.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t want you to know about her.  It took me a long time to forget.”

She put on her famous fake smile.  “It’s fine.”

Unfortunately for her, Baekhyun saw right through it.  “No, it’s not fine.  I can’t believe you can see that and not throw me out the window or something.”

“It’s called ‘self control’,” she laughed.

“Wait so you’re not mad?” Baekhyun inquired.

She gave him a weird look.  “I never said that.”

In fact, she was completely mad, furious, even.  She couldn’t believe Baekhyun didn’t have the nerve to tell her.  Did he not trust her?  Did she seem insignificant to him?  Waves of doubt washed over her.

He touched her hand.  “Emma, I’m really sorry-,” he whispered.

“I’m going out,” she said absently.  “Stay here.”

For once in his life, Baekhyun felt so helpless.  He couldn’t help but letting out a tear as she closed the door behind her.

“What have you done?” he said to himself.