The next day, Youngsaeng woke up when the alarm clock began blaring and lazily slammed it off. He slowly sat up and looked over at Hyunjoong, who had not bothered to but his clothes back on after another making love session that night. Youngsaeng moved Hyunjoong's hair and felt the boy's forehead. It was still warmer than normal. Hyunjoong would have to stay home again today.

Youngsaeng slid off the bed and stood up to wash up when an arm grabbed his wrist. He turned to see that his lover was awake.

"Where are you going?" the older boy asked, his voice still coarse with a half-awake mind. The otter sat back onto the bed beside him, gently patting his head. "You're going to stay home today, okay? You're still sick."

"You're going to school? But I want you to stay with me," Hyunjoong protested with a few coughs, sitting up. "Stay home."

"I already missed school yesterday, I shouldn't miss school again," the prince told him, taking the boy's hand with both of his. "Go back to sleep. Once you wake up, your meals will be warm in the oven, alright? I'll leave a note on the table."

"But... You're already really smart, you already know everything. Why do you have to go to school? Stay home with me. I don't want you to leave. I don't want to sleep alone... It's scary..."

Youngsaeng smiled gently and turned to the door. "Hachi~" he chimed and a few seconds later, the dog appeared at the door. The younger boy waved him over and made him jump onto the bed.

"Hachi will be with you," the otter told his lover. "He's a great companion."

"Otter..."

Youngsaeng bent down and pecked Hyunjoong on both his eyes. "I'll be back before you know it, don't worry. I'll head home right after school ends, okay?"

Hyunjoong was reluctant but nodded. "Okay..."

---------------------------

"I'm home!" Youngsaeng exclaimed as he opened the front door, entering the house. He heard claw pattering on the wooden floor and out appeared Hachi, barking loudly from the living room.

Youngsaeng furrowed his eyebrows and rushed over into the room to see that Hyunjoong was lying on the carpet, his face flushed with fever, his breathing low and heavy.

"Joongie!" the otter exclaimed, running over and kneeling down to see what was wrong. "Joongie? What happened? Why're you like this?"

The latter didn't respond, his breathing coming out in rasps as his eyes were shut tight. Youngsaeng grit his teeth as he threw one of the arms of Hyunjoong over his shoulder and struggled to stand up again. Hyunjoong weighed him down but he still managed to drag the heavy boy onto the couch before falling to the floor in exhaustion. 

"Kin Hyunjoong! Why do you have to be so heavy?" he muttered bitterly under his breath. As soon as Hyunjoong was safely lying on the couch, Youngsaeng brought three blankets over, layering them in top of the sick boy. 

"Hyunjoong," he murmured as he carefully tried to wake the boy. "Can you hear me? Hyunjoong."

The latter groaned but didn't reply. Sighing, the prince got up and grabbed an icepack from the fridge, bringing it over to his boyfriend and placing it gently on the latter's forehead. Hyunjoong had little reaction to it and only continued shivering. Youngsaeng cautiously removed a few stray hairs on his lover's head. He began asking himself why the fever got worse. All of a sudden, he remembered the meals made for Hyunjoong that were still in the oven; he frowned. So Hyunjoong didn't eat. 

"You are such a troublemaker," he grumbled. 

*A few hours later*

Hyunjoong stirred and slowly opened his crusted eyelids. Where was he? What time was it? What happened? The last thing he recalled was darkness taking over him and the barking of a dog. He felt quite comfortable with all the blankets on top of him. Turning his head slowly, he realized that he was in the living room. 

"You're awake?" His lover's voice chimed from the side. Turning his head even more, he saw Youngsaeng sitting on an armchair with a book in his hands and his redframed glasses on. He opened his dry mouth to speak but nothing came out, only a hoarse squeak. He blushed when the younger boy chuckled and told him to sit up before reaching to the side table beside him for the glass of water, passing it to him. 

"Drink," the otter ordered. Hyunjoong took the glass and gulped it down before opening his mouth again. Still, barely any sound came out and all Youngsaeng heard was "mian". 

The latter huffed. "What are you sorry for? Apologizing for not eating your breakfast or lunch? It wasn't me that suffered the consequences at the end, now was it?"

Hyunjoong gazed at his lover who had turned back to his novel. Youngsaeng wasn't usually this blunt. The prince looked up when he heard something growl; it wasn't Hachi but Hyunjoong's stomach. He smiled as he put down his book and stood up. "I'll get you your dinner."

"Youngsaeng..." Hyunjoong began hesitantly. 

Youngsaeng stopped and looked back. "Neh?"

"Saranghae..."

The latter's eyebrows knotted as he stepped back over to his lover whose eyes seemed quite depressed as he gazed at him. The younger boy sat beside him and wrapped on arm around Hyunjoong's shoulders. "What's wrong?  Did something happen?"

Hyunjoong immediately wrapped his own arms around the cute boy, burying his face into the latter's shoulder. "Saranghae... neomu saranghae."

Youngsaeng didn't know what to say when the older boy's body started to tremble; instead, he simply Hyunjoong's broad back to comfort him. Hyunjoong kept on repeating the same three words no matter how heavy his sobs were; his voice sounded broken and even though Youngsaeng barely had any idea what caused this, it still made his heart ache to see his lover in this state. 

"Hyunjoongie, gwenchanayo?" he whispered as he gently pulled away and made the older boy look up at him with teary eyes, caressing the boy's cheek. 

"Do... do you love me...?" Hyunjoong cried softly, unwanted tears still sliding down his already-tearstreaked face. With a breath, Youngsaeng pulled the latter into a tight hug again and closed his eyes. 

"Of course I love you," he murmured into the boy's ear. "Don't doubt, alright?"

"But... I'm scared..."

"Scared of what? Tell me."

Hyunjoong began to cry again. "Scared that you might leave me... In my dream, you left me. You walked away with someone else. You didn't even look back. You--"

"Shhhh," Youngsaeng hushed. "I'm still here, everything's alright."

The otter prince pulled away and leaned in, lightly connecting their lips before smiling and standing up. "Let's eat dinner now. You must be hungry after a whole day without food."

Hyunjoong quickly grabbed the boy's wrist, shaking his head frantically, his eyes watery and bloodshot. "Stay here. Don't go get my dinner. Stay by my side"

"Aigoo~ When did you become such a child?" Youngsaeng chuckled as he pecked his lover on the forehead and slipped his wrist out ot the older boy's grip. "I'll be back in a few seconds so wait here."

Hyunjoong reluctantly let Youngsaeng go into the kitchen, his heart thumping nervously at every step the boy took. Seconds felt like hours to him and finally, the latter was back by his side with a tray of warm food. 

"Come on, let's cure that cold," he said with a smile and scooped up a bit of congee, feeding Hyunjoong. 

A while later, Hyunjoong pointed to something on the tabke as he swallowed. Youngsaeng looked over his shoulder and saw the present he had given Hyunjoong on his birthday. 

"Do you want to open it now?" Youngsaeng questioned as Hyunjoong had refused to open it the other day.

"Mmhmmmm."

Youngsaeng got up and reached over to the present, taking it into his hands and passing it over to his lover. It was wrapped with pink wrapping paper with a red ribbon around its square edges. Hyunjoong grabbed it eagerly with a grin and untied the ribbon, ripping off the wrapping paper carelessly. Youngsaeng saw his eyes almost pop out of their sockets when Hyunjoong saw what the present was.