Jonghyun sighed in relief, Roo in his arms as he stood by the check in desk, anxiously waiting for the door to open. Jinki had said he was coming to get him, and he wanted to go home. His bags were packed and at his feet, and Roo was wiggling nervously in his arms. Jonghyun kissed the dogs head, trying to settle her down.

He had had the dog for three weeks now. Minho had already gone home the week before, but Jonghyun had struggled with gaining the final ten pounds. He sighed as he looked around again, catching sight of that awful wheelchair he had spent so much time stuck in. He hated that place, and he hugged Roo to him as he waited to leave it behind forever.

He knew his being there was strictly to help him, but it didn’t always feel that way. He had wanted nothing more than to go home the entire time he was there. No matter how many times he had begged to go home they wouldn’t let him, and even took his cell phone at night. He didn’t care much for talking on the phone anyway, but he could text Minho, Key, Taemin and even his Appa, and that had made him feel more secure.

He felt like he was closer to them all now than he had been before. It wasn’t like a phone call where you had to answer right away, so they could all take their time answering one another, or chose whether or not to answer at all. Something he really liked, though, was he could take pictures with the phone and send it to everyone else. Jinki kept track of his meals that way, but he had developed a habit of taking a picture of himself, or Roo, every day and sending it to Minho.

Minho had a habit of sending him pictures of random things, like the refrigerator, or Jinki’s rearview mirror. He even sent a picture of the toilet once. Jonghyun just shook his head, never sure quite what to make of the strange images Minho sent to him, but they made him smile. His wallpaper on the phone was one of him with Minho, Taemin, and Key. He had gotten it from Jinki, who had also set it as his wallpaper. He looked around, catching sight of the clock and sighing.

It was ten minutes past the time Jinki had promised to arrive. Jonghyun was getting tired from standing, but he refused to let it show. It wasn’t like it was his fault, but he didn’t want to give them any reason to make him stay. He hadn’t been allowed to walk in over a month. He was proud of himself for even being able to stand up on his own, let alone walk around. He wanted to be able to run again, but he knew it would take some time. He felt his legs beginning to shake and turned his attention to the door again.

Finally, the door opened and Jinki stepped through, but Jonghyun was surprised to find he was alone. The appa made his way across the room, a smile on his face as he approached Jonghyun. The boy looked relieved, and Jinki laughed, fluffing his hair and reaching out to take Roo.

“I got stuck in traffic.” Jinki said. Jonghyun nodded, wanting nothing more than to sit down. Jinki turned to the nurse. “Do I need to sign anything, or can I just take him home?”

“Oh, just sign this.” The nurse said, pushing a single sheet of paper over the counter. Jinki read it over, and Jonghyun leaned against the wall. He glanced up at Jonghyun, then quickly signed the paper and handed it back to her. She pushed over a thick envelope. “Alright, these are his discharge papers. He’s all set to go. Bye, Jonghyun~”

Jonghyun waved awkwardly, and Jinki picked up his two bags before leading the way out of the building. Jonghyun got into the car silently, settling himself in and pulling on his seatbelt as Jinki put the bags in the back seat. A moment later he was in the seat beside his son, and he grinned. He looked more excited than Jonghyun had ever seen him, and Jonghyun felt infected by his happiness. Sure, he was tired, but he was doing so much better than he had been. His calcium levels were up, his bones were healed, and he was going home!

“Are you excited?” Jinki asked, and Jonghyun nodded in response, leaning back in the seat. “You don’t really seem like you are.”

“I’m tired.” Jonghyun admitted. Jinki ruffled his hair.

“I would imagine. How long were you standing there?” He asked. Jonghyun blushed, looking down at his feet.

“Half an hour.” He said. Jinki’s brows went up at that.

“They just let you?” He asked. Jonghyun nodded. “They told me your stamina would be low for a little while. Even standing up that long...that’s a serious burn on your energy.”

“I’m ok.” Jonghyun said, flashing a smile. Jinki rolled his eyes.

“Sure, sure.” He said, starting the car. “By the way, Minho doesn’t know you’re coming home for good.”

“He doesn’t?” Jonghyun asked, looking up at his father-figure.

“Nope. I thought it would be a nice surprise.” He said, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the house. Jonghyun nodded.

“He sent me a picture of the microwave yesterday.” Jonghyun randomly blurted out. Jinki snorted, glancing over at Jonghyun.

“The microwave?” He asked. Jonghyun nodded, giggling himself.

“He sends me weird pictures all the time. He sent me one of the toilet, one of the fridge, and one of the car mirror.” Jonghyun said. “He sent me one of nothing, too. It was just black, like he took a picture in the dark.”

“I think he just got over excited, and started sending you random things.” Jinki said, trying not to laugh anymore. Jonghyun grinned, too.

“I don’t mind.” He said, looking out the window. He could see their driveway now.

“I’m sure you don’t.” Jinki said. He pulled into the driveway, putting the car in park, then shutting it off. He got out of the car, shortly followed by Jonghyun, who quickly headed inside, his hands full of the excited puppy.

He pushed the front door open, stepping inside and looking around as he kicked his shoes off. He didn’t see anyone, and he headed into the living room, his arms feeling heavy from the exhaustion of supporting Roo’s small weight. He made it to the bottom of the stairs before he set the dog down and crossed his arms, a pout forming around his lips. He was too tired to search the whole house.

“Minho?” He called. A moment later he heard footsteps from above him, and he grinned as he headed up the stairs, the small dog following closely behind him.

“Jjongie!” Minho said when he reached the top of the stairs. He wrapped his arms around Jonghyun, pulling him in close. “Are you supposed to be walking?”

“Yeah.” Jonghyun said, resting his head on Minho’s shoulder. “I’m home now.”

“I know, I see you.” Minho said, laughing softly.

“No, Minho.” Jonghyun said, looking up at his boyfriend. “I’m home.”

“Oh..oh!” Minho said, understanding dawning on his face. He lifted Jonghyun into his arms and spun him around. Jonghyun clung to him, but his legs were shaky when Minho set him back down. Minho noticed right away. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t have much energy.” Jonghyun said, sounding tired. “Can we sit down?”

“Really?” Minho asked. Jonghyun nodded, his eyes staying low. Minho’s eyebrows pushed together, then went up. “Are you sick?”

“No. I’m just tired.” Jonghyun said. His whole body was shaking now, and he felt like he was going to collapse. He’d used all of his energy. There just wasn’t any left.

“Alright, come on.” Minho said, his arm staying tight around Jonghyun as they went to the bedroom. Jonghyun collapsed on to Minho’s bed, his own bed too far of a commute. Minho bit his lip, then took a seat beside him on the bed. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I’m fine.” Jonghyun whined, laying back on the bed and closing his eyes. Minho leaned on his side, putting his hand on Jonghyun’s stomach, and his eyebrows went up.

“Can I see?” He asked. Jonghyun nodded, not really paying attention. Minho ped Jonghyun’s sweatshirt and pushed his shirt up. Jonghyun’s stomach matched Taemin’s now - untoned, but nice to look at. “Wow.”

“Mhm..” Jonghyun mumbled. He was falling asleep, and he didn’t care enough to try and wake up. Minho shook him, but Jonghyun ignored him, his body too heavy to respond even if he had wanted to.

“Jjong, are you ok? Jjongie?” Minho shook him again. “Jonghyun!”

It was quiet for a after that, though the shaking didn’t stop for a moment. When it did stop, though, Minho started yelling. He was calling for Key, Taemin, and the appa, and a little while later he felt himself being moved. He let out a soft whine, then cuddled closer to the heat source that was holding him. Then he was being shaken again and he started whining again, squirming against the person holding him. Why wouldn’t they just let him sleep?

“Jonghyun.” He heard his appa say. He cracked his eyes open slightly and saw his boyfriend staring at him.

“I’m tired.” He said, his voice cracking. Jinki rolled his eyes.

“Minho, let him sleep. He had a long day, he’s exhausted.” Jinki said. Jonghyun looked at Minho and cuddled closer to him.

“Alright. Sorry.” Minho sighed, letting Jonghyun fall back into the pillows and petting his boyfriends hair before tugging the blanket up over him. He was starting to pull away from Jonghyun when the older boy grabbed his sweatshirt with weak fingers. He froze immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Stay with me..” He mumbled. Minho bit his lip, then looked up and shooed the others out of the room before sliding under the covers with Jonghyun. “I just need to take a nap. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Let’s just sleep, ok?” Minho said, and Jonghyun nodded. He slid his arms around the others waist, his previously hindered legs now freely tangling with his boyfriends as he pressed himself closer to Minho. Minho laughed softly, easily winding his arms around Jonghyun and holding him close.

It was only an hour or so later that Jonghyun woke up, and when he discovered that Minho was still awake he felt guilty. Minho pet his hair softly, and Jonghyun noticed for the first time just how close they were. He grinned, his grip on the younger tightening with his happiness. He leaned up, catching Minho’s lips with his, effectively surprising the taller boy. Minho’s fingers cupped the back of Jonghyun’s head, keeping him close as he kissed back, but releasing him a moment later.

“Feeling better?” Minho asked. Jonghyun nodded, his head resting back on the pillows, but he was clearly more alert than he had been.

“Where’s Roo?” Jonghyun asked. Minho rolled his eyes.

“Where do you think she is?” He asked. Jonghyun puffed out his cheeks and rolled on top of the other boy.

“Are you ticklish?” He asked. Minho raised a brow.

“Are you?” Minho asked. Jonghyun shook his head. “I didn’t think so. I’m not either.”

“But Key and Taemin are.” Jonghyun said, looking mischievous. Minho laughed, shaking his head and pulling Jonghyun closer to him.

“You just woke up. Don’t go burning out all of your energy again.” Minho scolded him. Jonghyun pouted, cuddling against his boyfriend without complaint.

“Minho?” He said. Minho hummed in response. “I’m hungry.”

“Alright, alright.” He said, sitting up slowly to ensure Jonghyun wouldn’t fall. “Let’s go bug appa for food, then.”

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One chapter left.

Here's the link to the sequel, by the way. It's not up yet, obviously, but I decided to create the story so people would know where to find it before this one is over. Please subscribe! <3

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/216842/holding-on-family-friendship-jongho-onew-shinee-taekey