OH SEHUN

When I woke up the next morning, I could hear the sound of the shower running in the bathroom.

The events of the previous night came to my mind and I found myself letting out a deep exhale. I couldn't help but feel guilty because Jongin was always looking out for me, even when he was in pain himself. But all I did was avoid him for two weeks. He probably noticed it too. That was no way to treat a friend, a roommate, even if I was starting to have feelings for him. He didn't deserve that from me.

At the same time, I knew if I spent more time with him, my feelings for him would only grow and develop. I didn't want them to. And after that dream, I didn't think I could ever dance Latin with him without blushing bright red (and possibly getting ). Jongin was a great friend and I didn't want to scare him off with my feelings. I didn't want my heart being broken like I knew it would, either. I just needed to keep a safe distance between us. Because every time he asked if I ate well and bought me food if I didn't, every time he was caring to me, every time he danced with me or smiled to me or even talked to me, I'd feel my heart beat just that little bit faster.

Jongin was danger, and I knew that.

I liked Yixing. I'd started liking him right when I first met him. There was no reason not to. But I managed to find that balance with Yixing. That shaky, fine line where I was able to be his friend while keeping my feelings for him in check. It didn't hurt so much to be liking him, knowing he was very straight and would never reciprocate my feelings. I was fine with it. Yes, it hurt sometimes, but I'd gotten used to it. I was happy the way we were and couldn't wish for anything more.

But I had no control over my feelings when it came to Jongin. The way he looked at me, the way he danced with me, the way he talked to me. Not to mention how ually attracted I was to him. It was starting to become too prominent to ignore.

I sat in my bed for a while, thinking over what I could do. I certainly couldn't deal with this drama when I had such an important showcase in two weeks.

The showcase... I never invited him, did I?

Right then, the bathroom door opened and Jongin stepped out with nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips. I found myself unconsciously admiring his beautifully tanned skin, his toned abs, and those arms... damn. I'm such a ert.

I blushed to myself when Jongin turned to me and smiled. When he smiled at me like that, it always looked like he was just so genuinely happy to see me. That alone made me get all jittery.

"Oh, you're up. Did you sleep okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Good morning," I muttered, "Um... how's your chest? Does it still hurt?"

"Nah, it's fine. I had you to come to my rescue after all."

I simply smiled at that and watched him make his way over to his closet.

"Jongin!" I jumped up in panic, quickly making my way over to him with wide eyes, "Wh-What's with your back?"

"Huh?" He turned to me, frowning, "What's wrong?"

"You've got bruises all over your back," I stated, tracing one of the bruises on his back with my hand. I felt him shiver slightly under my touch and quickly withdrew my hand, clearing my throat.

"W-What?" He asked, confused, trying to look at his back through the mirror, "What the...?"

"Did you fall or get into a fight or something?" I asked in concern as I looked at his back that was covered in bruises, tainting his perfect skin. They were all around the size of a tennis ball and were scattered all across his back in an almost, but not quite regular manner.

"No I didn't..." He seemed just as confused as I was.

"Does it hurt?"

He shook his head, "Not at all."

"Maybe you should go to the doctor's and get it checked. It might be some sort of rash."

He shook his head as he threw on a black button up shirt, covering the bruises, "I'm sure it's nothing."

"What do you mean?! It looks really serious, Jongin!"

He grinned at me, "You worry too much. I feel fine, so just forget it."

I crossed my arms, "I'm not convinced. You seriously need to get that checked."

Jongin sighed, "Fine. I'll go later today, okay?"

"I'll come with you," I found myself saying, before mentally slapping myself. Why did I say that? I don't have a reason to go with him. 

Jongin raised a brow at me, "That's okay, I'll go by myself. Thanks anyway."

"A-Alright. Suit yourself. Just as long as you go."

"I will, promise."

"Good," I nibbled on my bottom lip for a few seconds, silently contemplating. "Say, do you... Do you wanna go grab breakfast together? My treat this time."

He eyed me for a second before breaking into a beautiful smile, "Yeah, I'd love to."

"I don't get all these people that come to the cafe on Monday. I mean, the weekend's over. Get out of denial, people." Tao grumbled from behind the cashier as I wiped the counter, chuckling. I was already used to Tao's complaining about his job by then, having worked with him for a good year already. When I was done with the counter, I heard the sound of the bells as the entrance to the cafe opened. Seeing as Baekhyun had already gone to take their order, I stayed behind the counter with Tao.

"Hey, isn't that your creepy roommate over there?"

I scowled, "My roommate is not creepy." I then turned to where he was looking to find Jongin sitting at a booth with none other than Soojung. Those two had been spending an awful lot of time together lately... I thought to myself, just a little salty.

"You may say whatever you want but I still think he's a creepy stalker," Tao stated bitterly. "Granted, a very hot one..." He added. I looked to see Tao checking him out from the cashier, slightly biting his lip.

I scowled and hit him at the back of his head with my notepad, "Who's being the creepy one now?"

If there was anyone I knew who was openly gay, it was Tao. He never shied away from or hid the fact that he liked guys. He didn't give two s what people thought about him either. 

Sometimes, I really envied the guy for his thick-headedness.

I looked back at Jongin and Soojung, who were chatting and laughing together. I couldn't help but feel my skin crawl at the sight. Aren't they just the perfect couple, huh? Are they on a date, anyway? I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest.

"Dude, who do you wanna murder?" Tao asked, looking at me in amusement.

"You, to start with," I grumbled. Just then, Jongin was looking around and spotted me by the counter, immediately breaking into a smile and waving at me. Before I knew it, he was making his way over.

"Hey! I almost forgot you had a shift today," he said, before turning to Tao who was silently eyeing us, "Hey, Tao."

"Sup, creep."

Jongin chuckled at that and turned back to me, having been used to the title from Tao.

"Weren't you going to the doctor's today?" I asked Sehun in a low tone so Tao wouldn't hear us.

"About that..." He replied, "I was going to but when I looked at the mirror earlier the bruises were gone."

"What?" I frowned, "How does that even make any sense?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"That's weird..." I frowned, "I think you should go anyway."

"Like I said, it's probably nothing. Look, I promise if it happens again I will go the doctor's. Okay?"

"...Fine. You're sure you're okay though, right?"

"Yes, I'm perfect," he grinned to emphasize his point.

"Alright, if you say so," I complied, sighing, before looking over to the table where Sookung was sitting by herself. "You should probably get back to Soojung now."

"Ah, yeah," he muttered, "I just came to say hi. See you later, then." He hesitated for second before leaving, as if wanting to stay for a little longer. I watched him go back to his table, sighing slightly to myself. I thought back to those bruises on his back that morning. How could they disappear all on their own in a few hours just like that? Was I just imagining it? No, I was pretty sure he saw them as well. Weird...

"Hey, what were you two whispering about?" Tao probed while elbowing me, snapping me out of my train of thought.

"None of your business," I rolled my eyes, making him pout unattractively.

"Are those two dating, anyway?" He asked, nodding at Jongin and Soojung.

I shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant as I answered, "I don't know. Why does it matter anyway? I thought you were loyal to our lovely Boss, Junmyeon."

Tao blushed at the mention of his name, "It's not like we're dating. I'm still a free bird."

"Not for long, I muttered to myself.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing," I brushed it off, "Hey, Tao?"

"Hm?"

"How did you first find out you were gay?"

He seemed at little taken aback with the sudden question, eyebrows lifting up in amusement. "I kissed a guy and I liked it," he stated bluntly, shrugging.

"Really? That's it? And you just accepted it calmly?"

He nodded, "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know, I mean... I know if I found out someday that I liked guys, I'd freak the out." Of course that was what actually happened, but Tao didn't need to know that.

He chuckled, "That's because you're a weak, conventional motherer. No one is supposed to dictate how you should live your life or who you should fall in love with. Just because being gay is unconventional, doesn't mean I should change myself and who I should be attracted to just because the rest of the world doesn't approve of it. What do they know about being in my shoes, anyway?" He scoffed.

I thought over his words for a minute and I knew Tao was right, about everything, but especially about me being weak and 'staying with the herd', as he had put it. I knew I couldn't ever be like Tao, proudly flaunting the fact that I liked guys. I couldn't stand up to everyone and proudly flaunt the fact that I liked guys. No, I had to keep it all inside me.

"Never knew you could be deep," I said, somewhat in awe. Tao grinned smugly at that.

"I spit wisdom in my sleep, love."

I cringed, "Don't ever call me that. Get back to work, some costumers are on their way here."

"Sure, love," he winked.

"I absolutely hate my life," I groaned, digging my face into my pillow. Jongin sighed and tapped my back, trying to comfort me.

"Look I'm sure you'll be just fine when you wake up tomorrow."

"Yeah right," I grumbled, "Leave it two me to get sick two days before my goddamn showcase."

"You're getting snot all over your pillow," Yixing said, scrunching his nose up and handing me a tissue, "Here, wipe your nose."

I gratefully accepted the tissue from him and blew my nose into it, making a loud snorting noise in the process. I noticed both their faces scrunch up at that but I couldn't care less at that point. "Thanks, Yixing."

"I'll take it from here," Jongin spoke up, looking at Yixing, "I'll make sure he gets some medicine. You should go get some rest, I'm sure you're tired."

"You sure?"

"I can handle it," Jongin chuckled.

"Alright. Thanks for taking care of him, Jongin," Yixing said gratefully, smiling at Jongin, to which the latter smiled and nodded. "And hey, it's not the end of the world. We'll figure something out, okay?" Yixing turned to me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Night," I mumbled, watching Yixing leave the room.

"You're lucky I've got some night pills for colds with me," Jongin said as he dug through his drawer, "It'll help you get some sleep, too."

"Thanks," I sighed, swallowing the two pills he handed me with a gulp of water.

"Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Mmm..." I closed my eyes, throwing my elbow over my face. My throat was sore and parch-dry, my nose was runny, and I felt as if I barely had the energy to lift a finger. And I was anemic too, just the cherry on top. How was I even gonna be able to dance in two days? I couldn't mess up the performance for everyone because I couldn't give it my 100%. It wasn't like I could back out now either. There wasn't enough time to rearrange the choreography for four dancers.

"You'll be fine," Jongin whispered as he caressed my hair. It was comforting.

"You might wanna stay away from me... I don't wanna make you sick too." I said feebly.

"I don't mind," he said with a smile, "Aren't you gonna change out of these clothes?"

I groaned, "I'm too lazy."

He chuckled and covered my body with my blanket. I immediately cuddled into it comfortably.

"Good night Jongin," I said lazily as he turned off the lights. It wasn't long before I dozed off, hoping I'd wake up feeling better the next day.

A hand was softly caressing my cheek. The touch felt so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't like I could be bothered to think about it, either. I was too tired. It just felt nice and I leaned in to it. I was too lazy to even open my eyes to see who it was, so I simply allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of it.

Was I dreaming? I wasn't sure. I couldn't really tell. I didn't care all that much either.

Slowly, I felt something get closer, and soon enough there was breath fanning my face. The tip of my nose was brushing against another as a thumb softly caressed my cheek. I didn't know why, but I just wanted whoever it was to close the distance between us.

Their lips were so close, only slightly brushing against mine but far from being a kiss. And then, they just stopped there. I wanted to lean closer but I couldn't. I simply couldn't move my body. It wasn't long before they moved away, pressing their lips against my cheek once. After lingering for a few seconds, they simply walked away from me. Before I had the chance to even mourn the loss, I was already slipping away.

I woke up to the sound of someone coughing. Eyebrows scrunching together, I slowly opened my eyes. I sat up in my bed and stretched my body out for a few seconds, before looking over to Jongin's bed. His face was contorted into a frown and he was coughing in his sleep.

That was when I realized I was feeling completely fine. My throat wasn't sore anymore, my nose wasn't runny and I was as good as new. All traces of the horrible cold I had the previous night had completely disappeared, like it never even happened.

Was it the pills? No, they wouldn't have acted this fast... It could have just decreased my cold, but not completely make it go away.

And there Jongin was, coughing again. I wouldn't have been surprised if I made him sick the previous night, but it was almost like my cold moved from me to him.

Okay now that's just stupid. It's 5 a.m., Sehun. You're not thinking straight.

I was glad I wasn't sick anymore but I couldn't help but feel odd. I knew how it went when I got sick. It'd usually stick around for a week, at the very least. And it'd usually get worse after the first day. But here I was, the very next morning, and I'd almost never been better.

Jongin's face was flushed and his body was shivering under his blanket, to which he'd been holding on to for dear life.

I made my way over to him and placed a palm on his forehead. He's burning up. I covered him with my blanket, giving him some extra warmth. That alone seemed to have woken him up and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Morning," I whispered, "You've been coughing in your sleep."

He groaned, voice coming out hoarse and throaty. "Hm... How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine... unexpectedly. Almost like yesterday's cold was just a dream."

Jongin chuckled feebly, "That's good to know."

I cringed at how hoarse his voice was, "You're running a fever."

"I can tell," he sat up, "But at least you're fine, I'm glad."

I frowned at that. Jongin was so selfless sometimes that it was almost infuriating. Didn't he care about himself at all?! "Worry about yourself here," I retorted, "You look like ."

"Gee, thanks," he rolled his eyes, "It's just a cold. I'll live."

I wished I could stay in the room and take care of him, but I really couldn't. I had rehearsals with the dance crew and our showcase was the very next day. All I could do was get him breakfast and some medicine from a nearby pharmacy before leaving for practice.

"I'll be fine, Sehun. You need to go rehearse," Jongin said feebly, rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll just laze around and watch some movies on my laptop."

"Alright... If you need any help with anything just give me a call right away, okay? I'll get you lunch later today."

"You don't need to. I'll call Soojung and ask her to stop by today. You need to focus on your showcase tomorrow."

My eyebrows scrunched together, "You mean like you'll tell her to come here? In this room?"

"Uh, yeah. Is there a problem with that?"

"No um.... Not really..." I said awkwardly, "Okay then, I'll go now. You take care of yourself, okay?"

"Will do."

Once I left the room, I found my fists clenching. If it wasn't for the showcase being tomorrow, I'd be the one in there caring for Jongin all day and he wouldn't need to call Soojung.

What the hell are you thinking, Sehun?

I quickly shook the thought off and made my way to the studio for the rehearsals.

Hey guys, sorry if this chapter was a little late.

Also I'm not even sure if this story is good lol. I'm having a pretty hard time writing it and I just don't think it's interesting enough. What do you guys think of it so far? Comments and upvotes are always appreciated!

Until next time :)