Kibum sat against the wall, ignoring the rest of the class while he silently read his book. Every now and then someone would run by or a ball would bounce near him, which he would have to throw back just so they would leave him alone. He wasn’t particularly fond of P.E. but he didn’t hate it completely. It was quiet enough if he stayed in the back corner and kept to himself. Even better, the teacher had pulled him aside to let him know that he didn’t have to stay active during class due to health reasons. He wasn’t quite sure what health issues he had but he wasn’t going to argue. It was an hour of the day where he could just sit and read, just like he would have at home. Except for if he were at home he would be hanging upside on the couch reading, laying on his belly halfway off his bed with the book on the floor, or sitting at the window seat with the sun beating down on him.

On the other hand, if he were at home then he would be able to watch a haggle of girls bounce up and down practicing cheers for the upcoming cheerleading tryouts. He had to bite back a smile because they were close enough that he could see their every time they tried to lift their legs in the air and he was particularly enjoying their s bouncing up and down whenever they jumped up. So there were some perks when it came to being in school which he decided that he was quite fond of.

“Hey.”

Kibum tore his eyes away from the pretty girls and looked up to find Taemin standing over him with a grim expression on his face. He set his book aside, bending the corner of the page so he didn’t lose his place.

“What’s up, Taemin?” Kibum asked, cocking his head to the side. It was so rare to see the slender boy without Key or Mir, but every now and then they would have a nice, deep conversation. “How come you’re not hanging out with Mir?”

“He went to the office to get a new locker because the one he has keeps getting stuck,” Taemin informed him with a shrug, but he didn’t seem too interested in talking about Mir. Instead he knelt down to Kibum and placed a hand on his knee. “I need you to go check on Key. He went to the bathroom a little while ago and he hasn’t come back. I’m starting to get worried.”

Kibum frowned slightly. Now that it was mentioned, he realized that he hadn’t seen Key in a long time. He hadn’t been paying too much attention to his brother all day since he’d had his nose stuck in a book, but he’d felt Key’s presence near him until just now.

“How come you can’t check on him?” He asked, pulling his small black backpack into his lap. He ped it and put his book away before sliding into the straps and pulling it onto his back.

“I’m not allowed to leave the gym,” Taemin confessed, looking away as his cheeks tinted red.

“Why?” Kibum inquired curiously, although he had a pretty good idea that it probably involved something to do with Minho. He shook his head, changing his mind. “On second thought, I don’t want to know. I’ll look for Key, though.”

Taemin smiled in relief.

“Thanks, Kibum,” He said gratefully. He reached over and patted Kibum’s knee before standing up. He gave Kibum a smile before returning to his group of friends on the other side of the gym.

Kibum looked around for the teacher, wondering if he was supposed to get permission to leave, but the old guy was busy talking to a couple of older students so he decided to just go ahead and start looking for his brother. He decided to check the bathroom first, since that’s where Taemin had said Key went to. He walked slowly down the hall to where the facilities were, looking around hesitantly as if something was going to jump out and get him. It didn’t feel right without Key being near him; the school felt a lot bigger.

It only seems smaller when I’m with Key because his personality is so big it takes up a lot of space, Kibum thought to himself as he pushed open the door to the men’s restroom. The lights flickered as he walked inside, looking around unsurely.

“Key, are you in here?” Kibum called out in a loud whisper, peering down the line of stalls. He waited for a moment and just as he was about to leave he heard someone move inside the stall farthest from the door and a second later it opened up.

He walked over and pushed the door open, revealing his missing brother. Key was on the floor leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. Kibum noticed that he looked a little green around the edges and knelt down next to him.

“Are you okay?” He asked carefully, and Key automatically shook his head.

“I really don’t feel good,” Key whispered, massaging his temples with his fingers.

Kibum tilted his head to the side, observing his closely. He knew that Key would get these terrible migraines that lasted for days but he wasn’t sure that’s what was happening here because usually Key would be curled up in a ball crying from the pain.

“You might have caught the flu that I had this weekend,” Kibum told him sympathetically, reaching over to rub Key’s shoulder. “I’ll call Heechul and have him come pick us up.”

Key shook his head. “I’ve been trying to call him but he isn’t answering his phone.”

Kibum sighed, unsure of what to do. If Key really did have the stomach flu then he needed to get home right away because throwing up at school was the worst most embarrassing thing that could ever happen to someone. Unfortunately there was no one else to call for help. They were going to have to walk home, which was completely unappealing even though it only took about fifteen minutes to get there from the school.

“Come on, get up,” Kibum said, tugging on Key’s arm. “We’ll just have to walk home and I know that but unless you want to stay here for two more hours…”

“Give me a drink of your water,” Key grumbled as he pulled himself up.

Kibum dug through his bag and pulled out his water bottle, handing it over as they began to leave the bathroom. “Just keep it; I don’t want the germs to come back. I just started feeling better this morning. You’re going to have a rough couple of days.”

“You’re not making me feel any better,” Key sighed as he followed Kibum out of the school. The cold air hit him like a wave and it felt heavenly against his warm skin, but the bright sunlight made his eyes water and his head throb painfully.

Kibum noticed his discomfort, feeling quite sympathetic. From then on he kept his mouth shut because he really did understand how horrible Key must have been feeling. Instead he led the way through the park, which was their shortcut home. He felt bad that he’d given Key the flu but he wasn’t sorry that they were going to be able to stay home from school for the rest of the week. Heechul would never make him go without Key, at least he hoped not.

As they walked side by side, he deeply breathed in the fresh autumn air and stretched his arms out. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest now that he was away from the school. He had the freedom to go wherever he wanted and do anything that appealed to him; there was nothing and no one that could stop him. All he wanted to do was run all the way home, feel his blood pumping through his veins and the oxygen deep in his lungs. He wanted to feel the cold air on his skin, listen to the trees rustle in the soft wind, and to stare up at the blue sky knowing that there was nothing holding him down.

It was such a beautiful day, which normally he would be spending outside basking in the sunlight. He was going to have to have a chat with Heechul about this whole school thing, because even if he were being honest with himself and admitted that it was completely horrible, he was so much happier when he wasn’t contained within walls all day. Bouncing girls had nothing on complete freedom.

When the house came into view, Kibum noticed that Heechul’s car was missing from the driveway, which meant he was probably out running errands. He unlocked the front door and gestured for Key to go first before closing it behind them. He kicked his shoes off and dropped his bag by the door.

“I’m going to bed,” Key whispered tiredly, slowly making his way upstairs.

Kibum watched him in silence, wondering what he could do to help. He didn’t know when Heechul was coming home but he knew that when he had been sick he’d just wanted Heechul by his side. Since that just wasn’t going to happen right now for Key, Kibum decided to just ta