It was Friday morning, and Taemin was finding relief in the fact that he wouldn’t be home alone anymore after this weekend. It was lonely being home all week by himself. It was even worse when he would wake up in the morning, or go to bed at night, and see the door to Jonghyun and Minho's room, knowing there was no one there, but there should be. He tended to avoid that hallway as much as he could. He slipped out of bed and checked the time. It was early enough, but there was a chance Jinki would already be gone.

He went to his dresser and pulled out a blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of comfortable, though slightly worn out jeans. It felt cold today for some reason, and he was staring out the window as he pulled on his shirt when he realized why. It was going to rain, and it would probably be one hell of a storm. He shook his head and slid on his jeans. He didn’t like storms. He may have given Key a lecture about not treating him like a child, but he knew he needed his boyfriend to get through anything that involved loud noises.

He was already upset just thinking about it, and he left his room, his sock covered feet sinking a bit in the plush carpet of the hallway. He looked at the closed door across from his and heard the beginning rumbles of the storm. He took off like a bullet down to Jinki’s room, bursting through the door without knocking. Jinki, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, phone pressed to his ear, looked up at him in surprise. He stood, holding out his arm, and Taemin rushed to him, clinging to the appa he knew would keep him safe. He didn’t pay much attention to the words coming out of Jinki’s mouth, knowing it wasn’t directed toward him.

Eventually Jinki closed his phone and tossed it on the bed, then wrapped both of his arms around Taemin, hugging him gently, but his grip was secure. Taemin rested his head on Jinki’s chest and remained quiet for a long time before he finally looked up at the appa. Jinki’s eyes held concern as he his son’s hair, and he felt too guilty to leave him home alone today, so he lead Taemin down the stairs and slid the boy’s jacket over him.

“Put your shoes on. We need to get going.” Jinki said.

Taemin nodded, sliding his feet into the already laced sneakers he always wore. He stayed close to Jinki the whole way out to the car, though Jinki didn’t complain once. He chose, instead, to wrap an arm around the maknae. He hated when his boys were upset, but this was beyond his control. It made him a little angry to know how many things were beyond his control, how many things he couldn’t help his boys through. He opened Taemin’s door and waited until he was seated comfortably before closing the door and going around to the drivers side.

“Where are we going?” Taemin asked as Jinki started the car. Jinki looked over at him and scrunched up his nose a bit.

“Well, right now we’re sitting here until you put your seatbelt on.” He said. Taemin flushed, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he pulled the strap over his torso. “And now...”

Jinki put the car in drive, heading down the driveway and out onto the main road. Taemin stared at him quietly, wondering, when a flash of lightning lit up the sky. He let out a loud squeak and jumped before cringing back into his seat. He started chewing on his shirt sleeve, trying to keep calm, when Jinki’s hand moved from the steering wheel and over to his own hand.

“Just squeeze if you get scared.” He said, flicking on the wipers as he drove away from town. Taemin nodded, holding on tight when he realized what was going on.

“We’re going to see Jonghyun, aren’t we?” Taemin asked. Jinki let out a slow breath.

“It’s complicated.” He said. Taemin tilted his head. “His doctor called this morning. He’s not sure if Jonghyun should come home this weekend after all. He’s worried Jjong will get over excited.”

“So we have to convince him.” Taemin said firmly. Jinki nodded.

It took a little while for them to get to the facility, and by the time they did Taemin was crying. Jinki felt guilt washing over him as he looked at the skinny little boy in his passenger seat. There wasn’t much he could do to comfort him in times like these, but he was always willing to try.

He got out and opened Taemin’s door, reaching around his son to unfasten the seat belt just as he had for Minho during their first trip there. He pulled Taemin out and into the downpour, then shut the door firmly. He wrapped his arms around Taemin and pulled him into the building where the thunder was significantly muffled. Taemin relaxed slightly, but still clung to Jinki’s side the whole way to the wing Jonghyun was in.

Upon entering the area Taemin began searching for his hyung almost instantly. He saw the back of the elders head, easily recognizable due to his too-long too-fluffy hair, and moved to him quickly. He stopped directly behind him, nervous suddenly, but then a rather loud rumble shook the very air and Taemin let out an undignified yelp. Jonghyun turned his head quickly, looking for the source of the noise, and smiled when he spotted Taemin.

“You don’t like storms either?” He asked, motioning for the younger boy to take a seat. Taemin shook his head, wiping at his eyes as he sat down. Jonghyun reached out and took his hand, squeezing gently from his place in his chair. Jonghyun looked different, somehow. His face looked fuller, his skin healthier, and even his eyes had more life to them, but there was something else, too...

“Your arm.” He blurted out. Jonghyun tilted his head, then looked down at his right arm.

“Yeah. It was a small, clean break. Took next to no time to heal.” Jonghyun said, grinning. Taemin swallowed.

“How can you be happy if you don’t like storms?” Taemin asked. Jonghyun shrugged, looking out the window for a moment.

“Because, even though it’s raining, as long as I can behave and stay calm, I can go home today.” Jonghyun said. “It’s just till Sunday night, but..it would be so nice.”

Taemin nodded slowly, staring at Jonghyun for a while. The happiness in terms of maybe getting what he wanted was there, but there was something else there too. A more...permanent happiness. Like he was suddenly more comfortable in his own skin, and Taemin felt bad for never having noticed just how uncomfortable he must have been. He was about to ask Jonghyun what had changed when suddenly, a small dog came from nowhere and jumped into Jonghyun’s lap.

He watched his hyung’s face light up as he gently the animal’s head. The dog plopped down on his lap and let out a long breath. Taemin blinked a few times. Had the dog just sighed? Jonghyun laughed and looked up at Taemin.

“This is Eun chan.” He said. “It’s the nurses dog. She has an obsession with some show called Coffee Prince.”

“It’s a good show.” The nurse said, picking up the dog from Jonghyun’s lap. Her tone was teasing as she continued. “If you want to name a dog, go get your own.”

“I will, someday.” Jonghyun said, nodding. The nurse laughed and walked over to where Jinki was standing, talking to Jonghyun’s doctor. Taemin bit the inside of his cheek before speaking up again.

“Are you feeling better?” Taemin asked. Jonghyun’s face turned more serious as he considered Taemin’s question. Eventually, he nodded.

“I am.” He said. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted, and I know that now.”

Taemin smiled, about to say something else when a huge clap of thunder shook the building, causing both boys to jump slightly. A moment later, Jinki was standing behind Jonghyun, reaching down to fluff his eldest son’s hair. Jonghyun looked up at him in surprise, and grinned when he saw the smile on Jinki’s face.

“Are you ready?” Jinki asked. Jonghyun nodded, and Jinki pushed him toward the door.

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Jinki opted to just bring Key and Minho home with him after work, instead of doing his usual run around. It made him happy to know that Key would be staying with him permanently from then on, but it still upset him a bit to know that Minho was still going to be stuck at the home for another two weeks. He sighed as the boys got into the car.

Minho looked kind of sad again, and Jinki knew it was the result of him not seeing Jonghyun for a week. He hadn’t bothered to tell the boys he had picked up Jonghyun that morning, deciding to leave it as a surprise for the tall boy. Jinki had seen him go through guy after guy, letting them treat him horribly and play tricks on him just to get some small amount of the attention he was always craving. He deserved to be happy, that much Jinki was sure of.

Key looked worried as he stepped out into the rain. Taemin had been home alone all day in this weather? What had Jinki been thinking? The sweet little Maknae couldn’t stand thunderstorms. Key put on his seatbelt and stared out the window, waiting for Jinki to start driving.

When they got to the house Key ran inside, Minho only a few paces behind him. Neither wanted to be stuck in the rain longer than necessary, and the house looked warm and inviting in the cold dampness. When they got inside, however, they were greeted with a sight they would never forget. Taemin and Jonghyun had fallen asleep on the couch, the television on, and two mostly empty mugs of cocoa on the table.

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So, um. Yeah. There's 4 more chapters after this one, then there's the sequel which will be roughly 25 chapters as well. As for the chapter image this time...it's how I picture Jonghyun and Minho size-wise. Jonghyun looks so little. xD I thought it was cute.