Jonghyun’s POV

                “By the way,” Kibum said, cutting a large rectangle from the poster board. “Don’t call me Kibum. I prefer to go by Key.”

                I glanced down at the small bottle of purple glitter he had shoved at me with orders to “bedazzle something”. I watched as the small purple flakes sparkled in the light.

                Key, hmm? That’s interesting.

                “Jonghyun hyung.”

                I jumped slightly when I heard Key call my name. I looked up quickly and saw him gazing at me with a curious expression. His eyes were dark and framed with perfect lashes, catching the light as brilliantly as the highlights in his hair-

                Wait. What the hell am I thinking?

                “Jonghyun hyung!” Key called again, more loudly this time. He struck a pose and winked at me. “Take a picture, it lasts longer. I’ll also expect you to frame it and keep it on your nightstand.”

                I cursed myself as I felt my face turn red. What was it about him that made me lose my composure? He was just so…unique. I had never met anyone who dressed like him, so bold and daring. Even the way he spoke was intriguing, making snide comments to people he barely knew. The way he was ordering me around made me feel as if we had been friends for ages.

                I started as a soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

                “Yah,” Key whispered, his lips merely inches from my ear. He snatched the bottle of glitter from my hand. “Glitter is meant to be used and appreciated. Stop staring and get to work.”

                I jerked away quickly and scrambled for something to do. I settled for gluing large, rectangular pieces of foam together to create the pyramid’s shape. I glanced at Key out of the corner of my eye and saw him watching me with a small smirk on his face. I felt the heat rise to my face yet again and prayed that no one would notice.

                What the hell is wrong with me?

                I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair, struggling to regain my composure. I focused all my attention on the foam, spreading the glue carefully and checking to see if all the edges matched as I pressed them together. Taemin sat across from me, his tongue stuck out in concentration as he cut shapes from a piece of neon green poster board.

                When the foam was sufficiently arranged, I decided to start on the pieces of food. I grabbed a piece of brown construction paper to begin my work on the grains. As I finished tracing a loaf of bread, I realized that I didn’t have a pair of scissors. I scanned the supplies in front of me, searching for the familiar glint of metal. My eyes finally landed on them, skimming across a piece of paper. The bright red handles were securely clutched in Key’s hand.

                I cleared my throat softly as I prepared myself to ask him for them.

                Preparing? Why do I need to prepare to ask a guy for a pair of scissors?

                “Key,” I called. My voice was still too soft. I cleared my throat again.

                Key looked up at the sound of his name. The way his hair fell softly across his forehead suddenly caught my attention. It seemed to rest in just the right places, accentuating the unique curve of his eyes. His lips turned up into a smile when he caught me staring once again.

                I shut my eyes tightly and struggled to focus.

                “Can I use those scissors when you’re finished with them?” I asked, staring at the white carpet beneath my hands.

                He laughed lightly and held them out to me. “Here, I’m done.”

                As I reached over to take them, a flash of red caught my eye. I blinked, thinking it was just the handle of the scissors as they came toward me. As I looked again, my eyes were drawn to a small puddle of crimson liquid that was slowly seeping into the snow-white carpet. My eyebrows lowered as I spotted the small droplets that were dripping from Key’s fingertips. I traced their path from his hand up his arm, to the large red spot that stained the brilliant material of his jacket sleeve and ran in rivulets toward the floor.

                “Key!” I shouted, my voice rising in panic. I reached over and grabbed his wrist lightly, pulling his arm gently toward me as his blood traveled across my fingertips. My breath caught in my throat as a pained expression twisted his features.

                “Jonghyun, what are you –,” he began, his voice tight with pain. He tried to pull his arm away, and his beautiful eyes widened as he examined the expanding pool of blood on his sleeve.

                “Damn. My jacket!” He muttered, sliding his arms out of the sleeves and examining the bright material closely. “This better wash out…”

                I gaped at his arm, now fully exposed to the living room light. A large white bandage had been placed slightly below the elbow, and the gauzy material was soaked through with crimson blood. The pale skin of his forearm was streaked with dozens of winding red rivers. His fingers were cloaked in a mess of blinding red.

                “Hyung…?” Taemin glanced at Key and then turned to look at me, his eyes wide with concern. His face paled slightly and I saw his hands start to shake.

                “Taemin,” I said firmly, tightening my hold on Key’s blood-soaked fingers. “Do you have bandages anywhere?”

                He nodded slowly and began to stand up, bracing himself against the wall for support.

                “Aish~,” Key said suddenly, jerking his arm from my grasp and getting to his feet. “I can take care of myself, you know.” He stalked off toward the kitchen and I heard the sound of water running in the sink. I scrambled to my feet and made my way to the kitchen as well.

                Key was standing with his back to me, scrubbing his arm carefully as the water spilled across it. I saw him flinch as he peeled the bandage from his skin, revealing a deep, jagged gash. The amount of blood swirling down the drain quickly became alarming, and I ran up behind him, turning the faucet handle until the cascading water ceased.

                “Yah,” he muttered weakly. He turned around and I saw his fingers tremble as he gripped the edge of the sink to keep himself upright. He ran his hand through his hair. “Go away. I can deal with this on my own.”

                “No, you can’t!” I shouted, wrapping my fingers around his wrist and examining the wound. “Can’t you see that this needs stitches? We’re taking you to the hospital.”

                “I’m fine!” Key shouted back. His bright eyes slipped closed in pain as he tried to jerk his arm away again. I tightened my grip on his wrist, determined to make him comply.

                His perfect features twisted in pain as he swayed slightly. I placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He reached forward blindly and his fingers closed around the fabric of my shirt. I felt his hand shake as he struggled to stay standing.

                “Key, you can do it. Come on, you just have to make it out to the car, okay?”

                He shook his head slowly and released his grip on my shirt. He took a step back and pressed a hand against his forehead as he staggered. His skin was drained of all color, standing out in sharp contrast against the crisp black of his tank top. He squeezed his eyes shut.

                Time seemed to slow down as I watched Key topple to the floor. I saw his bright highlights streak through the air as his head came closer and closer to the unforgiving tile. I sprinted forward and managed to catch him securely in my arms before the impact could occur. Trails of cruel crimson s past my feet, whisking away the color from Key’s skin and the light from his eyes. I picked him up gently and ran into the living room. Taemin was leaning against the wall with his head in his hands.

                “Taemin, let’s go,” I ordered.

                He looked up quickly, his pale face making his red hair appear even brighter. He took one glance at Key’s limp form and unlocked the door, running down the driveway with unstable steps.

                I followed and placed Key in the backseat next to Taemin. After I made sure that his head was resting comfortably on Taemin’s shoulder, I slid into the driver’s seat and started the car with shaky fingers. Key muttered something incoherent, and I watched as his eyelids fluttered. I reached around the seat and brushed his hair out of his eyes, my heart heavy with some unknown emotion.

                “It’s all right,” I said softly. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”

                “Don’t,” he whispered, pushing my hand away. “I’m…fine… I don’t want you…to get involved…”

                Taemin made a small sound of worry and closed his eyes.

                “You’re not fine!” I said forcefully, putting the car in reverse and backing out of the driveway. “Now stop being stubborn and let us take care of you.”

                “Jonghyun…” Key’s voice faded as he lost consciousness again. My hands tightened on the steering wheel. I was shocked at how difficult it was to see Key like this. The strange, outgoing boy I had known for such a short time was gone, and this pained me more than it should have.

                Key’s blood dripped onto the leather seat, mocking the crystal clear tears that ran down Taemin’s cheeks as I sped down the road.

     Gehh. -_- So tired. I really need to stop staying up late just to update. Haha. >.< Sad things are still happening, I know... I'm trying to make it happier, I swear! But at least Jjong was there... O.o  BTW, I seriously wish I could just hug each and every one of you guys. ^;^  I'm glad you're sticking with the story...and commenting. I love comments. ^;^ <3 <3  It is now almost 1:00 AM... and I have a math test tomorrow. I should be sleeping. Let me know what you think about this chapter~ <3 <3 I love you all! ^;^