Jonghyun woke earlier than usual the next morning. He stared at Minho's sleep-relaxed face for a long time before he reached out and touched his arm shyly. When the other boy didn't wake up, or react at all, he pressed his lips against the same spot he had touched, his face flaming a bit. He couldn't explain even to himself why he had done that. He just felt like he had to, before he took a chance at never being able to. He slithered out of the bed and awkwardly hobbled out into the hall, a small part of him trying to figure out how he managed to do that without waking Minho. He hadn't really been quiet about it, but then again, Minho usually woke up first, and he had never had to wake the other boy before, but he chose not too think too hard on it. He was on a mission, and nothing would stop him. He reached the door across the hall from his and pushed it open, quietly thanking whatever gods there may be that Key and Taemin had decided to sleep in the bed closer to the door. He stood in the doorway for a moment, swaying a bit on his good leg, and bit his lip. He looked at Key and sighed, knowing he had to do it.

 

"Kibum." He said softly. There was no reaction from the younger boy, and he scrunched up his nose in frustration. "Kibummie. Key, Key~"

 

"Hmm..?" Key's eyes slid open slowly as he tried to focus on the source of the noise. He looked at the doorway and saw Jonghyun holding onto the doorframe. He sat up slowly. "What are you doing? Where's Minho?"

 

"I.." Jonghyun faltered for a moment, looking down. Could he do this? Did he really want to? He looked up at Key, determination in his eyes, and spoke purposefully. "I need your help."

 

Key slipped out of the bed, taking care not to wake Taemin, and went over to the older male. He looked Jonghyun up and down, then nodded and looped Jonghyun's left arm around his shoulders and took him down the hall to the guest bedroom. The conversation didn't last long, being that Jonghyun knew what he wanted to ask, and Key had been waiting for this for a while. By the time they left the room they had a plan, and Jonghyun was about as nervous as he could be. Key helped him into the bathroom, and then went into the room he shared with Minho to get him a better outfit. He was wearing washed out jeans that were baggy enough to cover the cast, a dark blue t-shirt with a white star on it, and white sweatshirt with pastel colored dinosaurs patterned all over it when they left the bathroom and went down the hall to wake Jinki up. They had barely made it through the door, however, when they realized something was wrong. Jinki's smile was forced when the two greeted him, and he waved off the boys questions, instead, inviting them to sit on his bed and tell him why they were up so early. Jonghyun looked at Key for a minute, but Key didn't look like he really had much to say at all, so he sighed and started talking. 

 

It was simple, really. Jinki would offer to take them all on a picnic, and Jonghyun would decline, saying he was too tired. Minho would, inevitably, feel bad about leaving Jonghyun alone, and volunteer to stay behind. Jinki, Taemin, and Key would have a nice outdoor lunch, and come back to find that Jonghyun and Minho had discovered a mutual attraction. It was simple, it would work, and it was perfect. Jonghyun had even put on a nice outfit for the occasion, and he was clearly excited for this to happen. But now, Jinki looked pained.

 

"What's the matter?" Jonghuyn asked. Jinki sighed, starting to shake his head, but Jonghyun cut him off, panic entering his voice. "Are you ok? Are you sick?"

 

"No, I'm fine, Jonghyun, don't worry about me." He said. Jonghyun looked over at Key nervously, but Key just shrugged.

 

"Did something happen?" Key asked. Jinki sighed, and looked up at Jonghyun.

 

"You need to go back to the hospital." He said after a minute.Jonghyun stared at him for a moment, not sure he heard right.

 

"For...more tests?" He asked. Jinki shook his head, and Jonghyun felt the panic welling up inside his chest. Had they set his bones wrong? Given him the wrong medicine? "Then what?"

 

"They just...want you to stay there for a little while." Jinki said gently.

 

Jonghyun blinked a few times, his eyes narrowing, then suddenly growing wider, and then he felt his blood run cold. Why? Why did he have to go there? He would behave. He would do what the doctor told him to do. He didn't like it there. He didn't want to go back. That place scared him. He didn't didn't realize he was saying these thoughts out loud, shaking his head rapidly as he did so, until Jinki's sympathetic eyes looked away, regret clear on his face. Key placed his hands on his shoulders, and he jumped a bit, turning his gaze to the younger boy, who was now his hair.

 

"You'll get sick if you keep working yourself up." Key said, and Jonghyun felt his stomach roll.

 

"I hate it there." He pleaded softly. Key bit his lip, not sure what to say.

 

"The doctor who treated you called me not too long ago. They're worried you might sneak around, move too much, if I can't watch you all the time." Jinki said. Jonghyun shook his head.

 

"I won't, I'll-" He started to say, but Jinki cut him off.

 

"If I don't bring you in, I could risk losing you. All four of you, and my job, too, because I will be known to have put the welfare of a child in danger. I've done everything right so far, but Jonghyun, even if I don't bring you in myself, they will take you away from me, and someone from the state will bring you in. And there's no guarentee you'll be put back with me, or even with Minho and Key and Taemin." Jinki explained softly. Key pulled his hands away from the older boy, but he barely noticed.

 

Jonghyun swallowed hard, looking down at his lap. They didn't trust him, and there was nothing he could do but show them he could listen. He didn't want to make things hard for the others, but he hated that place so much more than anywhere else. He looked up at Key's face, to see the boy had pulled a mask over his features, hiding his emotions and thoughts on the matter completely. He didn't want to make Key unhappy, and he knew this was the only thing that would make him unhappy. He nodded slowly, his throat thick. He didn't trust his voice in that moment, but in the end, it didn't matter. Tears slid down his cheeks, even as he fought to choke them back, and he refused to make eye contact with either of the others in the room. He felt arms slide around him, and slowly lifted his gaze to Jinki, who looked very guilty.

 

"I'll be there every day. It's just for a little while, until you gain enough weight to come home." Jinki said. Jonghyun nodded, not expressing his concerns, but that somehow made things worse. "Key, go and wake Minho up."

 

"A-aniyo, let him sleep." Jonghyun said, wiping at his eyes uselessly. "I'm ok."

 

"No matter how upset you've gotten, you've never cried before." Jinki said. Jonghyun shrugged, still trying to hold himself together. "Kibum, go get him."

 

Key nodded and slid off the bed, heading out into the hall as Jinki hugged Jonghyun. Jjong was angry with himself, now, for crying over something so minor. It wasn't the end of the world, after all. He would be able to see the others, and even come home, soon enough. He startled himself with his thoughts, though. Did he really consider this place home after just a week, or was it just something he said, because there was no better word for this place? He rubbed at his eyes, bowing his head and hiding his face. There was a creaking sound, and the bed shifted as more weight was added to it. Jinki released his hold on Jonghyun, and Minho pulled the older boy into a hug.

 

"What's the matter?" He asked. Jonghyun shook his head, but Minho wasn't about to let it go. "Why are you crying?"

 

"I just don't like it there." He said softly. Minho blinked a few times, then looked up at Jinki with a confused expression.

 

"He has to go into the hospital." Jinki said. "They want to put him on a diet to help him gain weight, and make sure he's gaining enough weight to be healthy."

 

"That's not so bad, you know." Minho said, rubbing Jonghyun's arm. Jonghyun shrugged, wiping at his eyes. "Why don't you want to go?"

 

"People die in the hospital. All the time. They get sick, or they get hurt, and they go into the hospital, and they never leave." Jonghyun said, sniffling and trying to stop his shoulders from shaking.

 

"You're not going to die." Minho said softly. "You don't need to be afraid of that."

 

"I'm not." Jonghyun said. "But if all you could think about was that somewhere in the same building as you, maybe the wing, maybe on the same floor as you, someone was dying, would you want to stay there? Would you want to be getting better, while they're getting worse, and know that they know? That they know that, while someone else is getting better, and going home to their family, they're not? I don't like it there. I just don't."

 

There was silence in the room for a few minutes after that, except the ocasional sob or hiccup coming from Jonghyun. Jinki swallowed hard, before getting up slowly. Minho and Key looked at the appa, and waited. Jinki was usually good at finding loopholes, but there didn't seem to be one this time. This time, if he did what was best for Jonghyun, bad things would happen to everyone, and it was sickening. Jonghyun looked up suddenly, his eyes a bit wide.

 

"I don't feel so good." He said. Nobody responded for a moment, while what Jonghyun had said sunk in, but then Jinki grabbed a trash bucket and held it in front of Jonghyun just before he got sick.

 

"Told you." Key said, though there was no happiness or triumph in his tone. He rubbed Jonghyun's back, looking up at Minho with concern in his eyes.

 

"I really don't want you to be this upset. It won't help you get better at all." Jinki said, handing Jonghyun a tissue. The younger boy wiped his mouth before answering.

 

"I'll be fine. I won't cry any more. I'm sorry." He said. Jinki shook his head, knowing that it would just be worse if he hid it inside, but before he could say so, Jonghyun turned his head toward the door. "Hey, Taemin."

 

"What's going on?" He asked, looking worried. Key opened up his arms and Taemin climbed up on the bed, sliding into his lovers hold.

 

"We're having a party." Jonghyun said, laughing a bit.

 

"Don't try and be brave for me." Taemin said seriously. Jonghyun looked surprised. "I'm really not that much younger than you guys. You need to stop acting like I'm a baby. Even the therapist said I'm fine."

 

"Omo." Jinki said, looking over at Taemin. "You're a genius."

 

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Hi guys. So, unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time Jonghyun has cried in front of the others. :<

 

And what's Onew thinking...? :3