Taemin was awake long before he opened his eyes, trying and failing to go back to sleep. According to Jongin, his fever was gone, but he still felt horrible. Cracking open his eyes, he rolled over in bed. He felt bad about taking Jongin's bed for so long, but Jongin had insisted, and Taemin didn't feel well enough to argue. He groggily reached for his phone, knowing he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep any time soon. The screen told him it was one thirteen in the afternoon, and his only notification was a text from Jongin that had come in around seven thirty that morning. He unlocked his phone, opening his messaging app. 

<Stay in bed, you're still sick.> The text read, and Taemin rolled his eyes.

Like he even felt well enough to get out of bed. 

He closed the app, scrolling aimlessly through his phone. He glanced at the news section, and almost scrolled away, but something caught his eye. 

'Massive Fire at Coffee Shop in SM Shopping Center - Developing Story' 

Taemin's heart raced. That was where he worked, that was where Jongin worked. Then he realized, with a new sense of fear, that Jongin was there right now. Frantically, he tapped on the article, reading as fast as he could. 

"Today- At approximately 11:06 AM this morning, a fire broke out at EXO Cafe, a coffee shop in the SM Shopping Center. The fire quickly spread to the neighboring stores, and despite the efforts of firefighters currently on site, the fire is still uncontained and is continuing to spread. The cause of the fire is still unknown. As of 12:47 PM, we are still unaware as to whether or not everyone has escaped the building. More to come as the story develops."

Taemin was barely even aware of the fact that he'd closed the article, his hands were already dialing Jongin's number. Jongin didn't answer. Panicking, Taemin called again. Still no answer. He called one last time, but again, no one picked up. Swallowing hard, Taemin opened his messaging app, hands shaking as he typed out a message. 

<Jongin, where are you? Please answer me.>

He waited. When there was no response, he texted again. 

<Please, please, please be okay. I heard about the fire in the news. Just let me know you're okay...> 

He texted Jongin a few more times, but never received an answer. He checked the time. It was one thirty-eight. 

"." He muttered. Gingerly, Taemin sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He had to go, he had to know where Jongin was. He stood up and dragged his feet over to the door. 

Ten minutes later, Taemin was trying not to fall down the stairs of the apartment complex, feeling nauseous and dizzy. He couldn't stop now, though, he needed to make sure Jongin was alright. He had to. He couldn't lose him, not now... 

The thought of Jongin gone, or even hurt, was unbearable, and it fueled Taemin as he trekked through the stairwell door and into the unforgiving cold. He was glad he'd put on one of Jongin's coats, they were much warmer and larger than any of his own. However, despite the warmth the coat provided him, he was shivering by the time he reached the coffee shop, which was surrounded by police and firefighters. He'd been able to see the smoke from the building the minute he set foot outdoors, but now he could see the flaming building in all of it's terrifying glory. Where the coffee shop once stood was a smoking, flaming shell of a building, that looked as if it was about to collapse in on itself any minute. Several of the surrounding storefronts were also engulfed in flames, but the coffee shop appeared to be in the worst shape. Firefighters were going in and out of the stores, sometimes coming out with a person in a questionable condition. Even though he could feel heat coming from the flames in front of him, Taemin pulled his coat tighter around him. He began to weave through paramedics and police officers, firefighters and people who had come simply to observe the fire. There were several reporters there as well, but they stood away from everyone else, and so Taemin paid them little mind. 

"Jongin?" He called, but his voice was quiet, and with his noisy surroundings, it wasn't like anyone would hear him anyway. He shuffled onwards, searching for Jongin's face among the sea of people. A firefighter bustled past, almost knocking him over.

"Hey, watch it kid! Do something useful and get out of the way so we can do our job!" The man barked, and Taemin shrank into his coat, nodding meekly. 

As the man walked away, Taemin heard him mutter, "ing stander-by."  

Taemin sneezed. Perhaps he was getting in the way... He didn't see Jongin anywhere anyways, maybe he should go somewhere else, like the hospital. He could be there, right? As much as Taemin hoped he would find Jongin, he really hoped that he wouldn't find him there. 

He decided to go there, though, since he couldn't think of anywhere else he'd find him. As he was walking away, consumed in his thoughts, he nearly bumped into someone else. 

"Ah, sorry," He said, about to continue on around them, but then he realized who it was. 

"Jongdae?" 

"Taemin?" 

He looked at Jongdae in surprise. He'd thought Jongdae was off today.

"Wait, Taemin, aren't you sick? Oh my God, you are, just look at you. Go back home, you're in no condition to be out here!" An expression of concern crossed Jongdae's face. Taemin just shook his head. 

"Jongdae, have you seen Jongin? He wouldn't answer his phone, I'm worried..." 

"I haven't seen anyone. I was off today, I came because nobody would answer my calls either. But you should really go home, I'll let you know if I see Jongin."

"But I-" Taemin broke off in a fit of coughing. When he finished, Jongdae said, 

"Really, Taemin, go home. You shouldn't be out here." 

Taemin nodded. 

"Bye, Jongdae. Please tell me if you see him."

"Don't worry, Taemin, I will."

He walked away from Jongdae, feeling bad that he wasn't actually going home like Jongdae told him to, but he needed to know where Jongin was. 

The walk to the hospital was longer than the walk to the coffee shop, and Taemin had to stop a few times along the way to regain his strength. He was freezing, and felt as if he were going to collapse any second, but he finally made it there. However, the hospital was bustling, and hard as he tried, he just couldn't follow the fast pace of the activity. Feeling dizzy after walking around, trying to ask people if they'd heard of Jongin, he sat down in a chair in the waiting room to collect his thoughts. 

What was he doing here? He was crazy to think he'd actually be able to find Jongin here, of course the hospital would be insanely busy when there was a huge fire going on not far away. He should've listened to Jongdae and just went home... 

But what had happened to Jongin? He needed to know. But he supposed he'd find out eventually, right? Hopefully Jongin was alright, but he just couldn't know. And he had to wait to find out, there was nothing he could do about that. As upsetting as it was, Taemin still found that he had the sense to listen to reason now that he had no other option. So he picked himself up, starting to walk home. 

The walk back to the apartment was even worse than the walk to the hospital, the wind was harsh as it blew against him, and he found himself coughing more and more often along the way. Taemin was absolutely exhausted, he had no idea how he kept from passing out on the sidewalk right then and there, but he managed to somehow keep going. He truly thought he wouldn't survive going up the three flights of stairs to reach his apartment, he started crying before he even finished the first flight. He amazed himself yet again, however, making it all the way up the stairs and to his apartment door. But his hands fumbled clumsily with the keys, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the key to fit the lock. Finally, tired beyond belief, and feeling even worse than before, Taemin fell to the ground in front of the apartment, accepting the darkness that fuzzed the corners of his vision, unable to keep going. 

*****

Taemin had no idea how long he stayed there for, but at some point, Jongin showed up at their apartment door, kneeling beside him, waking him up. There was a hand on his forehead. 

"Taemin, I told you to stay in bed. Why were you out?" 

He looked at Jongin through half-closed eyes, mumbling something incoherent. 

"What?" Jongin asked. 

"You..."  

"I don't know what you're trying to say, but let's get you inside. Your fever's back." Jongin wrapped his arms around Taemin, lifting him from the ground as he stood up. 

"L-let me down," Taemin protested, struggling weakly. "I'm fine." 

Jongin put him down. Unsteady on his feet, Taemin found himself grabbing Jongin for support. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sudden rush of lightheadedness. 

"Are you sure about that?" There was pain in Jongin's voice. Taemin opened his eyes to see that one of Jongin's arms - right in the spot where he was grabbing it - was bandaged. He let go instantly, unbalancing himself once again before Jongin steadied him. 

"I'm-I'm sorry..." 

"It's fine." Jongin shook his head in dismissal. He wrapped his bandaged arm around Taemin's waist, in order to free his other arm while still supporting Taemin, who was feeling closer to passing out again by the second. Jongin winced, but didn't say anything as he reached around Taemin to unlock the door. 

"I can't believe you." Taemin was suddenly angry, remembering the fire, and how Jongin hadn't answered him. He was so scared, and then Jongin just turns up out of the blue, fine except for what seemed to be a burn on one arm.

Jongin looked at Taemin in confusion. 

"You were in that stupid fire, weren't you? I called you and texted you so many times, and you never even answered. Do you know how worried I was? I went to the shop and then walked all the way to the hospital, just to try to find you. And your stupid just shows up here, who knows how long after I've passed out from exhaustion, completely fine. I hate you." 

He slumped against Jongin, crying now, tears of anger and relief falling all at once. He weakly punched one fist into Jongin's chest, then repeated it, because somehow, it felt good. He was so mad at Jongin, who just stood there wordlessly, holding him up as he worked out his anger. 

"I hate you so much, why didn't you answer me?" 

Finally, Jongin moved, letting go of the key to rub Taemin's back. 

"I'm sorry. It's honestly such a stupid reason, but my phone is dead. I haven't been able to charge it all day. I should have found some other way to communicate though, this is my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be out here right now, I really am sorry. Please don't be mad, I'm okay. I got burned, but it's not that bad. I was lucky." 

Taemin sniffled.

"I was so scared..." 

Jongin held Taemin closer, pressing his lips to the top of Taemin's head. 

"I know, I'm sorry," Jongin murmured. "We really do need to go inside now though, okay? You need to rest."

Taemin nodded, letting Jongin open the door and guide him inside. Once he was in bed, he just wanted to go to sleep, but Jongin lingered in the room, trying to make sure his temperature wasn't too high. He swatted at Jongin's hands. 

"It's fine," he grumbled. "Let me sleep." 

Jongin sighed. 

"Okay, you do that. I'm going to go shower. Sleep well." 

Taemin's eyes were already closed by the time Jongin finished speaking. The day had been exhausting, and he was able to fall asleep quickly, knowing that Jongin was safe.