"Kris."

Yixing's flat tone rings in Kris' ear, making it ambiguous as to whether he was frustrated or on the verge of a breakthrough. Looking up from the manga he was reading, Kris raises an eyebrow at Yixing and sits straight up in his chair. Unfortunately, it was not his favorite armchair he was sitting in, but some conveniently placed wooden one that had been left in Yixing's lab when he'd needed it to change the lightbulb a few weeks ago. If Kris remembers properly, he offered to do it himself, but Yixing kindly refused claiming that Kris was too clumsy and was afraid he'd end up causing a short circuit or falling to the ground or something.

"Kris!" Yixing calls, making Kris jerk to attention. He sets the book down on his chair and walks over to where Yixing was furiously scribbling things down in his notebook, looking up at the peacefully lifeless Chanyeol every so often.

"What?" Kris asks. Easily surpressing a yawn, Kris leans forward at Yixing's desk, pressing his palms into the surface.

"You're hovering," Yixing states, clearly indicating to Kris for the thousandth time how he doesn't enjoy hovering.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Kris apologizes awkwardly. He clears his throat and shuffles a few inches to the side, waiting for Yixing to tell him what's on his mind. "So...?"

"Wait," Yixing finishes writing something down with his doctor's handwriting before swiveling around in his chair to look at Kris. "Okay," he starts. He stands up and leads Kris over to Chanyeol by the hand. Automatically, Kris slips on the face mask hanging around his neck while he follows Yixing. The heart monitor connected to Chanyeol hums quietly, displaying a calm, consistent pulse. Kris finds himself intrigued by how it teeters so close to flatlining, but whispers defiant cries of stability, refusing to give up life. It makes Kris wonder what kind of guy Chanyeol is. 

"I think I might know how to cure him," Yixing claims. When his mask covers half of his face, the dark circles under Yixing's eyes intensify, advertising Yixing's terrible sleep deprivation. Kris waits patiently for Yixing's explanation as the doctor observes Chanyeol for a few moments. The gears in his mind pick up speed with the momentum of his impending discovery, rust shaking off the ill-turned wheels for the first time in a week. Ever since Kris suggested taking blood samples from Jongin, Yixing felt lacking in the idea department. It made perfect sense to study the blood of a carrier, but Yixing was at a loss for what to look for - until now, that is.

After watching Yixing stare at Chanyeol for almost an entire minute, Kris begins to wonder if Yixing is still here or if he's spaced out again, lost in the realm of his own little world. "What are you thinking?" Kris prompts.

"The answer was here the whole time," Yixing draws out the words, uttering them slowly. "Kris!" he shrieks. Kris' eyes grow wide and both his eyebrows arch up surprised. "Jongin TOLD it to me! Straight to my face! How could I have missed it?!" Although concealed by the face mask, Yixing's smile grew wide and excited. Kris could see the emotion in his eyes.

"What... do you -?"

"The antidepressants!" Kris stares blankly, unsure where Yixing is going with this. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not... particularly, no."

"Kris!" Yixing shrieks again. "Think about it!" With newfound resolve, Yixing scrambles over to his whiteboard, tripping over some books in his excitement. He catches himself on the metal tray of the board, grabbing a red marker to translate his ideas into words and diagrams. "We've studied Jongin's blood and we've studied Chanyeol's too," Yixing explains, writing accompanying. "Grab me the clipboard," he instructs Kris without looking away from his drawings. The taller obediently hands him the board, and Yixing flips through the pages. "It's right here! Of course it is... Look here. How could we have missed this? Jongin's blood has such high levels of serotonin."

"Ah, you're right," Kris comfirms, not that he knows the reason behind his agreement.

"Exactly. So that's got to be why he's so immune to the EX-0! His abnormally high levels of serotonin essentially fight off the virus' ability to drain him of all emotion. If you think about it, that's always the first symptom to show - the patient looks dead emotionally before they start showing signs of low vitals. You know, the paleness, the weak heartbeat, cold skin, etc."

"Are you sure about this?" Kris asks, poking Chanyeol in the chest as if his finger could touch straight through to his heart.

"Yes," Yixing replies confidently. "Watch." Rifling through his work desk, Yixing pulls out a vial of clear liquid. 

"You're using a MAOI?!" Kris disputes, somewhat worried. "Why not use a tricyclic?? Don't you think this is a bit too dangerous??"

"No, it has to be this," Yixing answers firmly. "Tricyclics aren't enough for this. You know that," Yixing's tone borders on scolding, but Kris always knows it's not. Yixing is always too nice to him. "I'm only using a small dosage. Trust me. I'm a doctor," Yixing winks as he says the last words, earning a smile (albeit nervous one) from Kris. 

"Okay," Kris breathes and he watches intently as he strides over to Chanyeol. While Yixing injects the drug into Chanyeol's IV, Kris watches the long, unconscious man. His pale, smooth face looks angelic, even under the bright lights of Yixing's lab, and although Chanyeol clings to the last threads of life, there's a certain calm that surrounds him. It's subtle, but Kris can see Chanyeol's stomach rise and fall from his shallow breathing. 

"Alright," Yixing says, stepping back. "Now just watch," he orders again. Yixing throws an arm around the taller man and directs his attention to Chanyeol's heart monitor. The mint green line, barely bouncing from the middle, continues its rugged path with Kris' and Yixing's eyes glued to the screen.

"What are we looking for?" Kris inquires, turning his head to face Yixing as he asks the question.

"Shh," Yixing hushes. With his free hand, the smaller man clamps a hold on Kris' cheeks, turning his head to face the screen once again. They watch the screen intensely, and it's as if their surroundings start to melt away so that all that's left are Yixing, Kris, Chanyeol, and the teasingly steady murmur of Chanyeol's weak heart. Each second that passes makes Kris want to pipe up and say something, but he knows better than to protest Yixing. It's not that he doesn't trust him - Yixing's a great doctor, and his explanation makes sense, but Kris just can't help but feel his sleep deprivation is starting to take a toll -

"Kris, look!" Yixing yells. The tranquil line on the screen makes a small but significant jump, causing a gasp out of Kris and a shrill cheer of celebration from Yixing.

"Wow, I can't.. believe it..." Kris breathes. Yixing's smile grows wider and wider by the second and he hurriedly pulls out his notebook to scribble down detailed accounts of the night's events. "So can't we just give him more and it should fix him?"

"If only it was that easy," Yixing replies.

"Isn't it?"

"No. It's not, unfortunately.."

"Explain."

"I mentioned earlier that the first symptom shown is the loss of emotional ability," Yixing begins. Small hums from Kris punctuate Yixing's explanation. "I'm almost positive that the reason that is is because it creates a pathway for the virus. As in, because of that, the virus can mess with the body and deplete all the vitals while keeping the patient alive."

"So what you're saying is," Kris' hand moves from under his chin and he points a finger at Chanyeol. "The reason we can't shoot him with the antidepressants is because it would cause a shock to his system?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Then we need a way to simultaneously raise serotonin levels AND heart rate, blood pressure, and such?"

"Bingo," Yixing grants. Mimicking Kris' earlier gesture, Yixing plants his thumb on his jawline, rubbing his chin back and forth with the knuckle of his pointer finger. Kris could tell he was deep in thought and he huffs a small sigh of confusion, trying to think of some sort of answer to help.

"Don't worry about it, Kris," Yixing soothes, placing a gentle hand on Kris' shoulder. As he rubs Kris' arm, he flashes him a tired smile, the bags under his eyes sagging so low, Kris teases him that he might need plastic surgery in a few years. "Let's go to bed," he suggests, ignoring Kris' remark. "Real bed, and not your ratty arm chair."

"What's wrong with my arm chair?"

"Everything," Yixing chides, leading a pouty Kris out of the lab.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lights clicking off from outside make Baekhyun's eyes dilate before adjusting to the darkness. With a quick glance to Kyungsoo's digital alarm clock, Baekhyun gathers that it's almost five in the morning. That's odd, Baekhyun thinks. They usually aren't up working THIS late. Baekhyun shuffles around to bring himself to his knees and scoots up closer to the bedside where Jongin rests, back facing him. "Jongin ah," Baekhyun whispers. He pokes at Jongin with his free hand, wary of waking Kyungsoo as well. "Jongin ah," he repeats when he gets a minor rustle from the younger boy.

"Mmmh..?" Jongin mumbles. He turns over on his back and his head lolls to face Baekhyun, though his eyes are still closed.

"Jongin, I need your help," Baekhyun speaks slowly. "Just grab the key for me. I'm going to see Chanyeol." Almost robotically, Jongin rises from the pillow, lightly draping himself over Kyungsoo to swipe the key off the night stand. His arm heavily falls over the side of the bed, presenting Baekhyun with the key. "Thanks," Baekhyun breathes, skillfully unlocking the handcuffs, much unlike the first few times he had done it. Baekhyun wouldn't say he's taken advantage of Jongin's kindness, but he definitely wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see Chanyeol. Sitting in the cramped room chained to a bed post day in and day out didn't suit Baekhyun's lifestyle - especially when it meant keeping him away from his Chanyeol. Night time visits to Chanyeol at least made it bearable, and by no means would Baekhyun wave at the opportunity as it passed by. 

Creeping quietly out of the room, Baekhyun pads over to the lab where Yixing keeps Chanyeol, blazing the same trail he tracked every night. Baekhyun always found it difficult to contain himself when visiting Chanyeol. A couple nights ago, he almost accidentally woke Kris, who was sleeping in his armchair with his manga covering his face. Luckily for Baekhyun, he didn't find Kris or anyone in the common area tonight, so he freely moved to meet Chanyeol.

For as long as Baekhyun pressed the door open, a high-pitched creak saturated the silent air, but worry was the last thing on Baekhyun's mind. Instead of Chanyeol, the first thing that caught Baekhyun's eye was the heart monitor, still displaying Chanyeol's vital activity. With all the nights Baekhyun had been here, he's already memorized every aspect of the room, of Chanyeol, of the things hooked up to Chanyeol, and tonight, Baekhyun could obviously see something was different. He tries not to think too much of it though. 

"Chanyeol?" he coos. "Can you hear me? It's me, Baekhyun." Although Baekhyun never expects an answer, he still announces his presence to Chanyeol anyway, in hopes that things would change one night. His hopes are never high though, which is why Baekhyun is never disappointed when Chanyeol doesn't respond - at least, not THAT disappointed. "You spent a lot of time with Yixing and that tall guy," Baekhyun chatters idly, merely filling the room with the sound of his own voice. Dragging a chair over, he plops down at Chanyeol's bedside and rests his head on Chanyeol's shoulder. "I miss you, Yeol..."

A stutter emits from Chanyeol's lips, taking Baekhyun completely by surprise. Baekhyun barely hears the tiny sound, feeling as if someone dangled the tip of a feather over Baekhyun's sensitive ear, tickling him. As soon as he did, Baekhyun realizes just exactly what happened, his whole body absorbing the quiet noise. The chair screeches loudly when Baekhyun's legs immediately spring out in front of him, propelling him backward from the bed. A raucous thud ensues in Baekhyun's descent to the hard floor, but Baekhyun hardly feels the force, numb from the shock. "Ch-chanyeol??" Baekhyun stammers, climbing back up to his knees and leaning on the bedside, entranced.

"B..Bae..." Chanyeol groans the syllable weakly, even unable to sound out the 'k' to complete it. But Baekhyun knew he was calling out for him. He couldn't mistake it for the world.

"Chanyeol! I'm here! What is it??"

"Y-youu.." Chanyeol slurs the word, just barely able to croak it out altogether, but it's the first attempt at speaking he's made in awhile. Baekhyun can't even remember the last time he's heard Chanyeol's voice.

"Oh- Oh my god!! You know I'm here!! Chanyeol!!" Tears well up in the corner of Baekhyun's eyes, and he can't stop himself from rushing out of the room. He can't stop his hands from flailing wildly and he can't stop his shrill voice from calling out to the whole bunker. "Everyone!! Wake up! Chanyeol's speaking!!" The racket Baekhyun causes in the central area slowly draws in sleepy souls from every entrance. Sehun and Luhan stagger out from their far room, rubbing the sand out of their eyes as they yawn big hearty yawns. For the time being, it's completely unclear as to what's going on, other than it's too early to be up. Jongin exits the room before Kyungsoo, quickly catching on to the fact that Baekhyun has summoned them out here and soon, Kyungsoo will realize that Baekhyun isn't where he should be. Not a moment too soon, Kyungsoo's eyes grow wider than an owl's and Jongin's lips become uncomfortably sewn shut. Descending the staircase, Kris leads Yixing, wielding a baseball bat to ward off the unknown threat that turned out to be Baekhyun. A varying range of reactions came to surface by each member in the room, everyone's emotions mixing together like a tossed salad.

"What is he doing in the living room?" Kyungsoo's low voice speaks first, clearly unhappy about the situation. Luhan's mouth falls open at the realization, and his body freezes with fear, anxiety overtaking any and all of his motor skills. Noticing his boyfriend's uneasiness, Sehun steps in front of him, arm extending to shield him from Baekhyun. Although, in all his excitement, Baekhyun looks the least bit intimidating, especially with his messy black hair and lack of bad boy leather jacket and boots. Nonetheless, Sehun would protect Luhan at all costs.

"Sehun..." Luhan voices quietly, burying his head into the back of his shoulder. Normally Luhan would keep a strong face for Sehun, but without proper rest, Luhan doesn't have the energy to do so, and in all honesty, he didn't realize how unready he was to see Baekhyun again - especially just running around freely. Lifting his arm up, Sehun brings it above Luhan's head and pulls him into his side with a snug hold, calming and comforting his smaller boyfriend.

"I'm here," Sehun whispers.

"Jongin!" Kyungsoo shouts, turning to the guilty-looking boy. "Answer my question," he commands. Jongin looks everywhere but Kyungsoo. "What. Is. Baekhyun. Doing -" The words are articulated slowly and and clearly for emphasis, each word gaining another degree of anger, but luckily for Jongin, Baekhyun interrupts excitedly.

"No, no no wait!! Chanyeol was speaking!! He really was!" Baekhyun blurts out, as if Kyungsoo's concerns meant nothing (which to Baekhyun, they really didn't.)

"I don't care," Kyungsoo snaps. "YOU aren't allowed out here!"

"Kyungsoo, take it easy?" Jongin requests, half begging and half demanding.

"No, Jongin, why can't you understand? He's a criminal!" Kyungsoo angrily refutes.

"Can't you just put that aside for a second?" Baekhyun requests equally as angrily. He's ready to speak more about Chanyeol, but Kyungsoo isn't so merciful.

"No, BAEKHYUN, I can't!" Kyungsoo spits. He's fuming, and Jongin feels his skin searing just from standing next to him. But Jongin can't help but feel Kyungsoo is being more than unfair, and it makes his blood begin to boil too. It's far beyond Jongin's understanding why Kyungsoo treats Baekhyun this way, but he's had enough of it.

"Kyungsoo, STOP, okay? He was just... I just -"

"So you're taking his SIDE?" Kyungsoo accuses, cutting Jongin's explanation short. "And you just what? Is this your doing?"

"No I..! Well I mean.." 

An acute whistling noise smothers the flames growing from Jongin and Kyungsoo's heated argument, silencing its vigor with the surprising sound. All eyes dart to the source, namely Kris, who stands behind a contemplative Yixing. "Baekhyun," Yixing addresses. Baekhyun feels taken aback, seeing as he's never had any direct interaction with the doctor before now.

"Y-yes?" Baekhyun stutters, instantly calm.

"Tell me about what happened," Yixing requests and then leans back slightly into Kris' chest. "Please grab my notebook, will you?" Kris nods and disappears into the lab on his errand.

"Oh um," Baehkyun suddenly feels nervous, and all the words and feelings and emotions he could've spent hours talking about just a few minutes ago become smudged equations on a crowded blackboard. Suddenly, he draws a blank and finds it hard to read any of the things written on his mental board, desperate to make sense of the chalky smears. "Well I... was just talking to Chanyeol," Baekhyun explains then takes a pause. While Baekhyun recollects his thoughts, Yixing takes many notes. "And, I addressed him like I always do. I told him that I missed him, and he..." Baekhyun wipes a tear from his eye as he narrates. "He tried to say my name!" Baekhyun claims.

"How can you be so sure?" Yixing asks, not once looking up from his frantic scribbling.

"I know when Chanyeol's talking to me, Yixing... Er, Doctor... Yixing?" Baekhyun awkwardly corrects himself, hoping Yixing would correct him, but Yixing didn't even notice.

"What did he say exactly?" As Yixing fires off his questions, Kris observes the room, watching Kyungsoo and Jongin attempt to quietly argue and Kyungsoo mouthing the words 'This isn't over.' When Kris' eyes wander over toward Luhan and Sehun, he makes brief eye contact with the latter, who scowls at him, obviously still bitter about their first meeting. Seeing as it's been a couple weeks already, Kris wishes Sehun would just drop it, but he probably hasn't helped his case much by competing with Sehun to be the better caretaker. As far as Kris was concerned, he was just doing his job, but maybe he treated Luhan a little more nicely than he usually treats patients. Maybe.

Baekhyun spouts out the last of the information he has, spilling it all to Yixing. Unlike his feelings toward other people, Baekhyun doens't feel the compelling need to lie to Yixing, and so he tells him everything; probably because Yixing is Chanyeol's best shot at recovery. "Kris, you know what this means," Yixing breathes, looking over his notes.

"I do?" Kris dumbly responds, quickly trying to recover from his mini stare down with Sehun (if he could even call it that.)

"I think we might have found a cure," Yixing claims, which earns the attention of everyone in the room.

"Are you serious??" Baekhyun blurts. His eyes are wide as saucers and he trembles slightly from the words. "Y-you're not kidding... right?"

"I wouldn't joke about these things, Baekhyun," Yixing says. Now he's rubbing his chin in consideration, making a mental plan for his next steps.

"What do you need, Xing?" Kris asks, instantly appearing at Yixing's side.

"Like I said before, it's obvious the MAOI's work, but I need something to stabilize the vitals.. If I could raise the heart rate, everything else would follow," Yixing thinks out loud. Kris hums in assent, trying to contribute to the brainstorming. "I got it!" Yixing shrieks. "If we use a pacemaker, then it could do the job both steadily and efficiently."

"A pacemaker?" Sehun pipes up after staying silent for a long while. He still has Luhan under one arm and is idly the other guy's shoulder as he speaks. "You mean like those things that old people have to wear? But... Don't you have to perform surgery for those??"

"Sehunnie," Yixing laughs under his breath. "I'm the best doctor in town. Well," Yixing adds. "Now I'm the only doctor in town, but that's besides the point. You're right, it'll require some surgery, but it's really quite a simple procedure. To be honest, implanting the pacemaker isn't our problem."

"What is your problem?" Kyungsoo joins in. After about three minutes of arguing, Kyungsoo gave up speaking with Jongin about the matter and has been tuned in to the conversation ever since.

"The problem," Yixing replies. "Is that I don't have a pacemaker."

"What?!" Baekhyun panics, feeling his hope step out onto the ledge of a tall building, ready to jump at a moment's notice. "But I thought you said you were the best!!"

"Calm down," Yixing commands more than consoles. "I am the best. But this isn't exactly my ideal operating environment. I'm used to having an entire hospital with endless equipment at my disposal," he justifies. "I tried to grab as many things as I could, but it seems a pacemaker was not among them."

A burdensome silence sits on the shoulders of everyone in the room, mouths clamped shut and eyes wandering around, as if searching for salvation in thin air. Baekhyun trembles slightly more prominently, and the flare of emotions welling up inside him are a mix of anger, disappointment, despair, and many other things that can't equate to anything good. But just as he feels himself spinning away into darkness, Yixing's voice pulls him back, grabbing his hope by the back of the shirt and yanking it down from that ledge.

"I may not have one," Yixing admits. "But I know where to get one." Baekhyun's expression makes a complete 180, and Kyungsoo smirks at the poor boy's emotional roller coaster ride. Even though he knows he shouldn't, it makes him feel a tad better seeing Baekhyun suffer. For Jongin's sake though, he hides his satisfaction, keeping it to himself as he listens to the conversation.

"Wh-where?!" Baekhyun stammers. "Tell me! I'll get it for you!!"

"Oh no you won't!" Kyungsoo interrupts, taking a more active role once again.

"Kyung- " Jongin butts in, but Kyungsoo grabs his arm tightly to silence him.

"Baekhyun's not going anywhere," Kyungsoo firmly declares. "Not on my watch."

When Baekhyun opens his mouth to protest, Yixing chimes in with his calm demeanor. "No, Baekhyun can't go," he says.

"Why not?!" Baekhyun contests.

"To put it bluntly, I can't rely on you. You're too susceptible to panic, you have too much stake in this, and furthermore," Yixing sounds as if he's about to hit the nail in the coffin, and Baekhyun sinks further and further into disappointment, feeling helpless for his poor Chanyeol. "I need you here."

"Wait what?!" Baekhyun and Kyungsoo blurt out in sync.

"It seems that your presence contributes to Chanyeol's awareness," Yixing observes. "So I need you to stay here." With an answer like that, Baekhyun most definitely can't refuse, so he nods vigorously, small tear drops gathering in the corners of his eyes. Kyungsoo scowls slightly because it appears that Yixing wants Baekhyun around, meaning not chained up in Kyungsoo's room where he can keep an eye on him. But at the very least, he decides to stay too, since Baekhyun is his top priority in all of this.

"Let me go," Jongin offers, stepping forward like a soldier for duty.

"No, you can't go either," Yixing denies, claiming that he may need Jongin for further research. Like any vaccine, he might need to inject it with a bit of the virus itself, in which case he'll need more blood samples.

With Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Jongin out, that leaves Kris, Luhan, and Sehun. Obviously Kris is assigned the mission, but there's only one problem.

"Kris can't drive," Yixing admits on Kris' behalf with absolutely no shame, but Kris hangs his head at the statement, face cradled in his large hand.

"It's true..." he confirms.

"I can drive," Sehun offers. "I don't get to often, but I can do it."

"Wait no, Sehun, you can't go," Luhan protests, but he can already tell his arguments are baseless. He's just so used to intervening when Sehun's safety becomes an issue.

"It's fine, Lu," Sehun replies. His words don't necessarily ease Luhan, but they make him stand down and take a deep breath.

"Fine, then I'm going too," Luhan says with defiance. Although Sehun doesn't want to be separated from Luhan, he also doesn't want him to be hanging out with Kris any more than he needs to. It's stupid, Sehun thinks to himself. He knows the foundation for his dislike for Kris is actually quite weak and petty, but the image of Kris' lips on Luhan's is burned into his mind. Luhan wasn't about to die, really. Was he? Sehun shakes the thought from his head, but the scenes of Kris taking care of Luhan - bringing him water, giving him medicine, checking his bandages - keep flashing. Sehun's not a doctor or a nurse even, but he could've done all those things. Why didn't he? Why did it have to be Kris taking care of Luhan instead of him? It makes him realize Sehun hates Kris for his own helplessness, but now that he's already associated Kris with these bad feelings, he finds it easier to put it off on Kris.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, babe," Sehun tries to reason. "Kris and I can handle -"

"No, I think all three of you should go," Yixing interrupts.

"Do we really need three people to run an errand?" Sehun whines a bit, exasperated that Yixing apparently is not on his side right now.

"Normally no," Yixing says. "But when the closest town is pretty abandoned and I can't tell you exactly where you could find what you're looking for, I think it'd be a lot better. Plus, who knows how dangerous it'll be. Strength in numbers."

Defeated, Sehun agrees, along with Luhan and Kris. "Alright," he breathes. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"I mean, it's already 6 AM," Baekhyun points out. Everyone in the room internally groans, but there doesn't need to be any noise for it to be understood. 

"Get some rest first," Yixing suggests. "We'll all need it."

Closing his eyes and inhaling long and slow, Sehun nods his head. He isn't really looking forward to spending an entire day with Kris, but he understands how important their mission is. At least for the time being, Sehun decides to shelf his bad feelings toward the guy (though he hopes that maybe he can put them away and never have to bring them out again.) I will take care of Luhan, Sehun silently promises himself. He flashes a quick glance at Kris as he guides Luhan back into the room. Everything will be alright.
 

//hit chu with that science tho ayy. lolll no pls i hope it is acceptable ^^ i'm trying my best~ got my premed best friend helping me make it as believable/accurate as possible. aren't you excited?? also i had to add more baekyeol as per a reader's request~ and because my baekyeol heart just couldn't take it T_T Baekyeol otp!! hehe~ i hope you are all enjoying~ sorry for such a long a/n i'll go now ahah