Stop, Please Don't go
Follow That Red Thread HomeJeonghan groaned, he didn’t feel like complete but he did just roll up on a car and then back down onto asphalt. Rather hard too. Screams were everywhere and a lot of noise. And one voice stood out from the rest, like a beacon calling Jeonghan home.
“Niko! Jeonghan!”
If Jeonghan’s head was so concussed that he heard a certain desperation in Joshua’s voice, well, there was nothing wrong with that. Let a guy dream a little. Ambulance sounds could be heard. He felt hands, gentle big hands on his face. And a rather still cat in his arms.
“God,” Joshua’s shaky voice said, “let them be all right.”
Jeonghan heard a ragged breath. Damn. Was Joshua crying?
“Please.”
Pity Jeonghan chose that moment to knock out. He just couldn’t stay awake anymore.
Jeonghan came to slowly, his eyes fluttering. The scent of antiseptic and the utter clean of what was only a hospital assaulted his nose. “,” he groaned.
“The doctors said you’re lucky to get off with just some bruising and a few scraps for the stunt you pulled,” Joshua said quietly.
Jeonghan wanted to roll over to look at him but he still felt a bit muzzy. “Then why do I feel like crap,” Jeonghan croaked.
“Pain,” Joshua said his voice calm and icy cold. “You’re extremely lucky that you didn’t crack your head open on the concrete,” he hissed. “And that there wasn’t any internal bleeding.”
“I saved your cat,” Jeonghan argued softly.
It got quiet then. He heard rustling.
“Thank you for that,” Joshua whispered over the beeping Jeonghan’s heartbeat monitor. His voice took on that ragged edge Jeonghan heard before he passed out, “But it was stupid. If that car hit you two any harder then I would’ve lost the bo—”
Jeonghan eyes finally listened to him and opened the up. Joshua sat on the chair next to his hospital bed, lips thin and his eyes narrowed. Even in his pain his fellow professor made a lovely picture. “Sorry,” Jeonghan said, pitching his voice low, in a comforting tone. “How is Niko?”
“He’s fine. A broken leg but the vet says he’ll heal.” Joshua stood up, rather abruptly in Jeonghan’s opinion. “I owe you for saving him.” He took a shuddering breathe in, like whatever he was going to say pained him beyond belief. “Call me if you decide you need something I can help you with.” Pressing a piece of paper into Jeonghan’s hands, Joshua his heel and left.
Waiting for his brain to comprehend everything, Jeonghan lay there, clutching at the scrap paper Joshua left him with.
He took stock of what transpired. First, he rescued Joshua’s cat. Second, he and Niko got hit by the car and were sent flying. Third, Joshua said that he owed Jeonghan. Fourth, he left his number for Jeonghan. And fifth, good god. Fifth was that he got Joshua’s damn number! He’d squeal in delight if it wasn’t for the pain.
Jeonghan deflated fast though. He only got the number because Joshua felt like he owed him for saving Niko. To abuse the number to get to know Joshua was a quick way to get blocked. But what else could he do? Ask for Joshua to go out for dinner as a means to pay his debt? That was so cliché and childish. And really underhanded. . Should he?
“Hyung?!” Chan barged in, out of breath. “Are you ok?”
“After that warm greeting you’d wake the dead,” Jeonghan said as dryly as possible. “Pipe down. You’ll get us kicked out of the hospital.”
“Oh,” he wilted into the chair that Joshua had just occupied, “you’re awake. Thank god.”
Jeonghan opened his mouth but before he could say anything someone came in.
“Perfect,” she said with a grin. “You’re awake. I’m Dr. Kim.” She looked at Chan, “And you have a visitor even.”
“Cousin,” Chan said, softer this time around.
Nodding, she took the clipboard at the foot of Jeonghan’s bed. “That’s nice. You’re his first visitor of the day. We worried a bit that no one would get here in time.”
First? But Joshua sat on that very chair just a couple of minutes ago. “First? There was no one else?” Jeonghan stared at her, trying to see if she was lying. And he would know, he was a rather accomplished liar himself.
“Indeed,” she said, flipping the pages before looking back up at him. “The nurses were worrying if we couldn’t contact anyone family for you. But it seems they were just overreacting a bit. You’re miraculously quite all right. Minus a few bumps here and there.”
“What happened?” Chan bore his eyes into Jeonghan.
Too busy with his thoughts, Jeonghan didn’t answer. If Chan was the first visitor he had then how did Joshua get into his room. Did Jeonghan imagine his presence? Was he that interested that he thought up of Joshua? Clenching his fist, Jeonghan frowned.
Ah. No, he didn’t. Feeling that crumple of paper, he looked down into his palm. Joshua gave him his number. Jeonghan didn’t imagine him at all. Maybe the nurses just didn’t bother to take Joshua’s name down. Or the doctor simply didn’t look at the visitor’s list well enough. Yea, that’s what happened.
“He got hit by a car,” Dr. Kim explained. “Rolled right off of it and into the asphalt.”
“How? Were you not looking Jeonghan hyung?” Chan’s eyeballs looked ready to come out of their sockets he opened them so wide.
“I was saving a cat,’ Jeonghan said.
“A cat?! You risked your life for a cat? I get trying to save an animal, but hyung you risked your life, for a cat.”
Normally, Jeonghan wouldn’t have been so harsh. He knew Chan didn’t mean it the way he did, but something in him just snapped. “It wasn’t just a cat! He’s important to him.” There was a steely edge to his voice that was rarely heard. Jeonghan watched as Chan flinched and shrank into the chair.
“Well now,” Dr. Kim said. “He’s perfectly fine. Just bruises. No internal bleeding, no concussion. Almost a clean bill of health. We’ll release you in a couple of hours as other tests come back and we run a few more.” She her heel and left the two of them in the room.
At home, Joshua sat on his chair, breathing in deep, slowly to stop himself from shuddering. In between his fingers dangled the ribbon that Jeonghan gifted to him many centuries ago.
A/N: Do i know where this is going? Still a giant fat no.
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