jonghyun coughed hoarsely, staring out of the window by his bed. he could see almost everything outside; the rows of houses, shops opening and people leaving their homes to take on a new day’s work. he could have been doing that too.

he turned his head, eyes scanning the dull blue room. jonghyun had woken up to the same grey-speckled ceiling, eaten the same frozen then microwaved foods and ventured the same tedious and photo-covered walls for exactly three months. even though there were probably a lot more people in the hospital who had been there longer than he had been, jonghyun still complained.

he didn’t want to be here anymore.

“jonghyun-ah?”

he turned at the sound of his name; his source of sunshine had just entered. jinki smiled, holding his clipboard in one hand and a guitar in the other. the acoustic instrument peeked jonghyun’s interest.

jonghyun smiled when jinki returned the expression with a small sigh of relief.

“ah, good you’re awake,” the doctor smiled. “i didn’t want to disturb you while you were sleeping. how are you feeling?”

he had pulled a chair beside jonghyun’s bed, sitting himself down comfortably.

the patient nodded, attempting to sit up before wincing from the attack of pain that shot through his spine and into his neck.

the guitar and clipboard clattered to the floor as jinki rose to save jonghyun from any further pain, grabbing a free pillow from another bed and tucking it behind jonghyun. he held the sides of jonghyun’s arms, fixing him with the lightest touch of his hands. he sat up properly, and looked down at his empty palms.

“is it normal to feel this useless?” he asked the doctor, “tell me jinki-ah, is it?”

jinki bent down, lifting the guitar and clipboard up from the ground as he sat back down on the stool beside jonghyun’s bed.

“you’re not useless, jonghyun. you’re injured and you’re healing.” jinki said with much courage, “there’s nothing wrong with that.”

his tone was subtle, direct; jonghyun liked it. he nodded and his head rose, staring at the instrument leaning on the set of drawers beside his bed. jinki looked up from his notes, glancing at jonghyun before turning to the guitar.

“oh, the guitar?” jinki smiled, “cool, isn’t it?”

“that’s a gibson les paul. my music teacher said they’re the best types of guitars.” jonghyun replied.

it suited jinki. the dark forest green and then the tanned brown outer lining and neck, slightly bronzed tuning bolts from over use. it was perfect in all the right ways. jonghyun could imagine jinki, sitting on a squeaky mattress, feet bare and his fingers strumming useless chords that would sound amazing to anyone who happened to be listening.

jinki chuckled. “i don’t think it’s the guitar; i think it depends on who’s actually playing it. whether they have the skill to play and continue playing.”

jonghyun nodded. he liked how jinki thought.

“i brought it in to play to the kids in the children’s hospital.” the doctor’s face brightened into a smile again, “usually i’m not so good with kids though. i like playing for the older people in the hospital.”

“i was going to say,” jonghyun started, wincing as he righted himself a bit against the pillow, “you’ve never brought it here before.”

jinki shifted the ear pieces of the stethoscope into his ears and rose off the seat slightly, lifting the heavy circular piece of metal onto jonghyun’s chest.

“breath in, hold it,” jinki instructed, “yeah, usually i’d put it back in the car when i was done. breathe out. but then you said you played guitar, so i thought i’d ask you to play for me.”

jonghyun grinned, watching jinki’s hand moved to another spot on his chest. “breathe in again.”

he did so, “and breathe out,” still grinning when he watched jinki’s cheeks grow to an attractive shade of red.

“you want me to serenade you?” he questioned; he caught jinki’s elbows in his hands before he could sit back down. the doctor blinked widely and turned his flustered expression away from jonghyun, “not so much sing for me as opposed to letting me listen to you.” jinki replied. he looked at jonghyun, only to see a questioning grin on his lips.

jonghyun’s hands let go of his elbows and jinki sat back, taking the stethoscope away from his ears and leaving it to hang around his neck. he cleared his throat.

“don’t get technical with me, hyung.” jonghyun ordered, “here, pass it.”

jinki handed the neck of the forest green guitar to jonghyun and watched as the patient fixed it on his lap, his right arm curving naturally on the instrument’s bodice. his fingers placed themselves on the chords, each digit spaced out mildly to different frets.

“what are you going to play?” jinki asked. jonghyun shook his head. “you just wait.”

jinki stayed firmly in his seat, preparing himself to hear the sounds jonghyun would play from the gibson les paul. jonghyun cleared his throat. “it’s been a while since i’ve played, so i apologise in advanced if i sound like .”

jinki laughed at jonghyun’s sarcastic expression until he started strumming. it wasn’t even the strumming that caught jinki though; jonghyun began singing, and he sounded absolutely beautiful. his voice was husky and pure and perfect as it sang a familiar tune.

“i know that song,” jinki murmured, entranced. “aloha, right? by standing egg.”

jonghyun smiled, nodding as he stopped playing. jinki blinked. “why did you stop playing?”

jonghyun leaned forward over the guitar, gently touching jinki’s hand. jinki turned his eyes down to their hands and gasped mildly when jonghyun murmured, “because i want you to sing with me, hyung.”

the doctor’s eyes rose to look at his patient, gaining a smile in return. jonghyun tugged his arm back and jinki left his seat, sitting comfortably at the side of the bed. jonghyun’s hand left jinki’s, readying himself to play. “are you ready, jinki-ah?”

he nodded, knotting his fingers together. after the first single strings played, jonghyun started singing smoothly, eyes on jinki as the doctor found his place in the song, beginning the chorus with ease as jonghyun harmonized beneath him to carry the doctor’s voice through the highest octave in the song.

they continued in unison and jonghyun smiled; if it meant staying in the hospital for another month or even beyond that, jonghyun didn’t mind if that whole time was with jinki.