Youngjae scooted his chair forward, folding his arms onto the cotton sheets of the hospital bed as he rested his cheek onto his forearm. With a soft sigh, he continued to watch Himchan as the elder continued to sleep. It was strangely relaxing to watch the way Himchan would twitch the tip of his nose or let out a small sigh as he slept on. Reassuring, maybe, was a better word.

With a small sigh of his own, Youngjae pulled one arm out from beneath his head and reached forward. He lay his hand gentle atop of Himchan’s, “You’re not allowed to get hurt anymore, hyung…” he mumbled, his thumb gently against the others skin, “I think I care to much about the family. You scared me, hyung.”

Youngjae let his eyes drift closed as he sighed again, trying to ignore the annoying pain in his stomach. In their haste to get to the hospital, he and Daehyun hadn’t eaten breakfast, and seeing as they really had wanted to be there when Himchan woke up, it was well past lunch time and they still had yet to eat. Daehyun had left Youngjae alone in the room to watch over Himchan after having thrown a fit at Youngjae’s suggestion of leaving Daehyun with Himchan and going alone. Ever since Daehyun and Yongguk had gotten back from whatever they had run off to do the day before, Youngjae had noticed a slight change in Daehyun. He could only guess that it was the result of the very real idea that any of them could be shot much like Himchan had been at any time. At least, he hoped that was the reason for Daehyun’s change in behavior.

“I like bunnies… not rabbits.”

Youngjae opened his eyes, meeting Himchan’s glazed over gaze. “What was that, Himchan hyung?”

Himchan merely smiled in response, sliding his hand out from under Youngjae’s as he reached up to fix the younger’s hair with his fingertips. “Dinosaurs don’t like when you frown like rabbits… Bunnies are sweeter.”

A smiled pulled at Youngjae’s lips, only growing wider as Himchan mirrored it. The elder patted Youngjae’s hand before speaking again, “I don’t want any more peanut butter in the soup…”

The confusion must have been evident on Youngjae’s face because Himchan let out a huff, flailing his hand at the medicine pump next to him, “The peanut butter! I don’t like it… Don’t let him give me anymore!”

Youngjae looked over at the machine next to Himchan’s bed before following the IV line with his eyes, realization hitting him, “Oh! You don’t want any more medication?” he asked, “But Himchan… You need it right now. Without it, you’d be in a lot of pain.”

Himchan merely let his head flop heavily back into his pillows as he puffed his cheeks out with a sigh. He stared up at the ceiling, looking from one tile to another, “I… don’t know how… I just…” He looked over at Youngjae, “I have noodles in my head… and I can’t figure out how to cook them.”

Youngjae sighed, sitting up and taking Himchan’s hand in his own, “Hey… it’s okay, hyung.” He smiled, “I’ll have Dae—I’ll have marshmallows cook them for you, okay?”

Himchan shook his head quickly, “No! Nonono, they’ll get sticky and he’ll eat them all like always! … I want my puppy.”

“He’s at home though—Oh! I know… hold on…” Youngjae dug into his pockets, pulling out Himchan’s cell phone and powering on the screen. He ignored the smears of blood that had dried to the sides from the day before as he pulled up the keypad and held down the number 2 and waited for the speed dial to connect. He pressed the phone to his ear, listening carefully as it rang a mere two times before it picked up.

“Yoboseyo? Is everything okay? Youngjae? Is Daehyun with you? How’s Himchan?”

Youngjae sighed, unable to get a single word in as Yongguk ran through the quick list of questions. “Hyung… Hyung! Everything is fine, calm down… I sent Daehyun down to the cafeteria to get us lunch. Himchan is fine…. He just misses Jongup.”

“He… aish… I knew I should have listened to Jongup and just let him stay… Hold on, Youngjae…”

Youngjae waited patiently, listening to the small noises on the other end of the phone as Yongguk moved around. There was a soft knock and the creak of a door opening before someone’s voice finally filled the void on the line.

“Yoboseyo?”

“Jongup… its Youngjae…. Himchan misses you.”

“Puppy!”

“Is that him in the background?”

“Oh, hold on… Here…” Youngjae rolled his eyes as Himchan held out his good arm, making grabby hands for the cell phone. He took it eagerly, pressing it to his ear as his grin widened.

Youngjae wasn’t sure what Jongup was saying on the other line, but, he was sure it was helping Himchan sort through whatever fog the medication had left him as he laughed a little. “No… nono, he wanted to let marshmallows cook the noodles…. I told him they’d get sticky… yeah; I know… marshmallows swallow up everything…. No… yeah, like a katamari…. Uh-huh…”

Youngjae eased up out of his chair, slipping quietly out of the room so that Himchan could talk alone with Jongup. Leaning against the wall outside of the elders room, Youngjae slid down to sit on the floor, picking at the hem of his shirt as his stomach gave a loud growl.

“Wow… Are you sure you don’t need that checked out?” Youngjae looked up as JB walked over, watching as the nurse wrinkled his nose, as he inspected where the other was sitting. “I’m not sure if that is healthy to sit down there…. Even though this is a hospital… I’m not sure if the floor is the most sanitary plac—umph.” JB glared at Youngjae as the dirty blonde laughed after having tugged him down to sit next to him.

“It won’t kill you to sit down here with me…” Youngjae said.

“I don’t know…” JB joked, smiling all the same. “So…” he leaned back against the wall, “Like... I know you can’t tell me anything, cause it’s probably all classified…. But… Youngjae help me out here, Curiosity is literally killing me.”

Youngjae propped his elbows up onto his knees, puffing out his cheeks with a heavy sigh. “I… really can’t say, JB…” He said, looking over at his friend, “It’s… just really complicated, okay?”

JB nodded, “Okay…” He scanned over Youngjae’s features before reaching up and lightly brushing his finger tips along the small scratches that still littered the others face. His forehead creased as he finally took a closer look, “I get that it’s complicated, Youngjae… but these same cuts were all over Himchan, and I noticed a few on your friend Daehyun…”

“Yeah… and?” Youngjae mumbled, brushing away JB’s hand.

“Well… I’ve worked here long enough to know what shrapnel injuries look like…” When Youngjae’s only answer was a quick rotate of his body so that he was once more looking away from JB, the metaphorical light bulb clicked in the nurses mind. His voice was lower than a whisper, “Youngjae… The police say that explosion was gang related… You were there, weren’t you?….These guys… they aren’t… you know?”

“It’s complicated.”

JB sank back into the wall, staring forward with Youngjae in shock. “I’m not… like… going to get shot, right?” He asked. “Yah! That hurt!!” He rubbed at his side where Youngjae had elbowed him.

“They aren’t like that, JB.” Youngjae looked up, a smile tugging at his lips, “Hey… I’ll talk to you later, JB, okay… and I promise, I’ll explain everything eventually.”

JB nodded, holding out his hand as soon as Youngjae was to his feet, clearing his throat and grinning as Youngjae made a show of rolling his eyes as though it was a great annoyance to help his friend to his feet. “Okay, but I’m holding you to that, Youngjae… You owe me now.” He said, patting the other on the shoulder before looking down the hallway to what had caught Youngjae’s eye. He looked back at his friend, making him look him dead in the eye, “Hey… and if they are a part of a gang… promise me that you won’t let him hurt you… You deserve the best, okay?”

“I… no it’s not like that, JB… Wait! Aish!!” Youngjae stomped his foot with a pout as JB grinned and ruffled his hair before rushing off, leaving Youngjae standing in the hallways as he waited for Daehyun to get closer.

“Yah! Youngjae, why are you standing out here, you’re supposed to be in there with Himchan hyung…” Daehyun said as he grew closer, “Is hyung okay?”

Youngjae nodded, “He’s on the phone with Jongup…”

Daehyun laughed, “I should have figured he’d start asking for Jongup…” He held up the bag that was in his hand, “Nothing was good in the cafeteria here, so I ran out and got a good lunch… I hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course now, I’m starving…” Youngjae said, grinning. “I just don’t want to bother Himchan while he’s on the phone…”

Daehyun nodded, “Okay then, we can go eat in the waiting room…”

Youngjae followed Daehyun through the quite halls to the small waiting room they had been in the previous day. Together they sat down in the waiting room as Daehyun unpacked the precooked packaged food. They ate together, mostly in silence as they both tried to inhale as much food as possible.

It wasn’t until almost all of the food was gone, leaving behind slightly dirty throw away containers, that a nurse approached them. “I’m sorry, but this is not a cafeteria, if you aren’t here to see a patient, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She said, her arms folded and her glare sharp.

Daehyun stared up at the nurse, his mouth hanging open a bit, “Uhh…”

Youngjae rolled his eyes at Daehyun’s blank expression, trying not to laugh at how utterly adorable it kind of was, and instead turned to the nurse, “My uh…. Grandfather is here… Room 235, on the seventh floor.”

The nurse narrowed her eyes at them with sudden suspicion, “Then why might I ask are you two eating down here.”

“Well, I couldn’t eat in his room, the uhm… the cancer makes him a bit nauseous from time to time, and this babo here would have gotten lost on the way up to meet me in a closer waiting room.”

The nurse continued to stare at them, “Well, okay then. If you are done eating I’ll take you back to your grandfather’s room so that you do not get lost.”

Youngjae nodded, “Of course, let us clean up our mess first.” As the nurse walked away to give them a moment, Youngjae helped Daehyun clear away the takeout containers into the empty bag before taking it over to the small trashcan and pushing it down into it.

“Youngjae… She’s going to know we’re lying!” He whispered into Youngjae’s ear.

The younger shook his head, “JB told us about Mr. Kim, remember? Just go with it, babo.” He smiled gently, trying to reassure the panicking brunette.

“Are you boys ready?”

Youngjae nodded his head forward, smiling politely as they followed after the nurse. The elevator ride was nothing short of pure awkward as Youngjae stood between Daehyun and the nurse. The nurse kept cutting them glares to see if either would confess to not actually having a relative in the hospital, and Daehyun wasn’t making anything easier on them as he suspiciously kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“And what is your grandfathers name?” the nurse ask as they stepped out of the elevator and headed in the direction of the odd numbered rooms.

“Kim Eunseok.” Youngjae said, smiling gentle as the details JB had told them about the elderly man came to his mind. “He’s a wonderful guy, really… He’s put up a good fight too… I just wish there was more that we could do for him in this time of need.”

The nurse seemed to soften just a little as she stopped in front of room 235, knocking lightly on the door before easing it open, “Mr. Eunseok… Are you okay for company?”

“Yeah yeah…” the voice within the room was a bit gravely and worn out, but strong none the less. “Let the little punk in, aish… I could use company…”

The nurse pushed open the door and let Youngjae and Daehyun in before following in to at least check over the elderly patients readings and chart and make sure he wasn’t in need of anything. She watched him carefully as he looked over at Youngjae and Daehyun, “Sir, you do know these two boys right?”

The elderly man rolled his eyes heavily, “I’m dying of lung cancer, not brain cancer, are you going to ask me this every time I have a guest stop in to see me?” He punctuated the sentence with a heavy cough and the nurse quickly shook her head. “Good… first you scared of my little Zelo…” He looked to Youngjae, grinning, “He’s my favorite, you know that…. Always has been… Aish, sweet kid… shared his cherry tomatoes with me…” The man looked over to the nurse, raising and eyebrow, “Well…. You guys told me I’m dying… least you could do is let me talk to my family in peace!”

“O…Of course, sir. I’m sorry…” She quickly bowed, making her way out of the room.

The second the door clicked shut, the elderly man cleared his throat with a heavy cough before looking to Youngjae and Daehyun and waving his hand at the chairs next to his bed, “Well then, take a seat! She’ll be hanging around outside for a while…” He smiled kindly at them, “The name is Kim Eunseok… Great uncle to one kid who calls himself Zelo, I never knew blue hair ran in the family… Oh, and I have a grandson named Jongup now too…. And I got to meet my brother’s son, Yongguk, great fellow… gets that wonderful voice from me, if I do say so myself…” The elderly man smiled.

Youngjae smiled at the Eunseok, “Youngjae, claimed grandson…”

“From my son’s second marriage…” Eunseok grinned and looked at Daehyun.

Youngjae laughed a little, “And this is your grandson’s babo of a friend, Daehyun, that froze up when the nurse came over.”

Eunseok laughed, the sound coming out very constricted and only ending in him coughing harder, “I’m sorry, you’ll have to excuse the old lungs…” He said as he readjusted the canals feeding pure oxygen through his nose to make it easier to breath.

“It’s no problem, Mr. Kim…”

“Please… call me Haraboji, Youngjae… You too Daehyun.” He smiled as both boys nodded. “How is your friend doing? Jaebum told me a bit about his condition and Zelo said he was doing better last night…”

“He is doing okay… He’s a bit high on the pain medication…” Daehyun said.

Eunseok watched Daehyun for a few minutes before bursting into laughter, the sound both evoking happiness and saddening because of the constant interruptions of coughs.

Daehyun pounted though, “What is it?” He looked to Youngjae, “Do I have something on my face?” He whispered.

Eunseok, however, waved him off, “No no! It’s just… You must be from Busan…”

Daehyun nodded a little, his cheeks flushing lightly.

“I can hear it… oh that satoori of yours takes me back… Want to hear a story?”

Both Youngjae and Daehyun smiled, nodding as the elderly man settled back into his pillows with a content sort of smile on his face as he took himself back through happier, cancer free memories and told them only the sort of story that one with age and wisdom could tell.

Omgomgomgomgbapiscomingbackpleaseexcusemewhileigothrowmyselfoffofbridgescauseomgomgomgomgdoyouseehowhottheylookandahahhhhsflaskdjflasjflj.

Anyways, Sorry for the delay in updating, again, haha. I've been pretty busy this week, but i got the chapter up today like I wanted even if it's a few hours late.

Anteeways~ I think Jongup's backstory is going to be in next chapter... or at least... the parts of it that I can tell~ *cough cough* I hope you guys are prepared for it... Cause I'm pretty excited for it.

PS. Kim Eunseok is based off of my Great Grandmother, who died of lung cancer when I was little. She was a fighter... I can remember the years of going over to her house(well, okay, it was a trailer, but, that part doesn't matter) and we'd play Mario together (and i swear to god, if you didn't go back and collect every single coin in the game, she would litterally hit you with the remote). She was amazing at Tetris, but the games had to be turned off the second her day time Soap Operas came on. She was a great lady and greatly missed (I expecially wish that my dongsaeng had gotten a chance to meet her.)

I hope you guys enjoyed this, please excuse me now while I go sob at my desktop..... Coooooffeee shoppppp >^< wae does b.a.p do this to me?!

Cuddles,

Lynn