Daehyun woke up the next morning alone in his room, the doctors and nurses clearly having moved him back to his bed after he’d fallen asleep in Youngjae’s room. He would have preferred they left him with Youngjae but he understood.

They’d left the sling on his arm of course, and Daehyun sat up a bit, rubbing his eyes with his free hand and being careful of the needle still there. When he glanced out the window he caught the gaze of one of the nurses, who jumped a bit and walked in, smiling softly.

“Is he awake yet?” he asked, and the nurse just shook her head, not saying another word but checking all of Daehyun’s injuries and changing some of the wound dressings. Daehyun could feel his heart sink. The nurse watched as he curled in on himself and she frowned.

“The doctors are doing their best,” she said softly, reaching out to touch Daehyun’s shoulder but pulling away when he flinched at the contact. She sighed. “Once you’re more stable they’ll probably let you go home and they’ll keep in contact with you about his condition.”

Daehyun bit his lip, brows furrowed as he looked down and nodded in silence.

Home…

Before he could really respond she was gone and Daehyun was by himself once again. He looked around, playing with the cast for a moment before distracting himself with the television in the room.

Doctors and nurses came in and out, bringing him food and water when he needed it and checking in on him occasionally. Daehyun remained quiet however, keeping to himself and not saying much that he didn’t have to.

“We looked through all of your charts and you should be able to go home tomorrow,” the doctor said, looking over a few charts and making sure that Daehyun was drinking the water that he had been given. Daehyun paused for a moment, nodding before he continued with the sip he’d been taking. The doctor looked at him with furrowed brows, sitting down in the chair near his bed and letting out a little worried sigh. “Are you feeling better? Are you still worried about Youngjae?” he asked, and Daehyun looked at him before nodding again.

“It’s all my fault. Jaehwa beat up Youngjae because of me,” he said softly, speaking over the rim of his cup. The doctor just kept his eyes on Daehyun, watching his responses quietly. There was a long, awkward silence before Daehyun pursed his lips and turned to look at the doctor sitting next to him. “I don’t have a home to go back to. Jaehwa forced me to back out of my lease and move in with him. I have nowhere to go right now.”

The doctor just looked at him with wide eyes, setting down his clipboard and taking in a deep breath. He had never been put into this situation before, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to handle it. Biting his lip, the doctor looked down, finger tapping his thigh absently.

“Do you think that Youngjae would be okay with you taking care of his house? It will give you a place to stay that’s nearby, plus you can take care of it. We would also have a way to contact you,” he added, and Daehyun nodded.

“I can do that. But… Jaehwa can’t get there, right?” he asked, and the doctor shook his head. “Then… Okay.” He smiled softly, the doctor smiling back just as softly. “But can I see Youngjae before I leave?”

Daehyun was offered another nod and he smiled, the doctor patting his shoulder lightly. Flinching away, Daehyun apologized a moment later, the doctor shaking his head and excusing himself quietly.

The day came and went, and the night did the same, though Daehyun barely slept through it. It was like he was both anticipating and fearing leaving the hospital. He would be farther away from Youngjae but at the same time he would be doing something for him.

It was bittersweet.

Daehyun was proud of himself when he managed to walk to Youngjae’s room instead of using a wheelchair, most of the pain having dissipated enough for him to move freely. He was still accompanied by a doctor but he was walking on his own, and he opened the door in silence.

Nothing much had changed, just the date on the displays nearby, and Daehyun frowned, walking up and immediately taking Youngjae’s hand. The only thing he could have wished was for Youngjae to wake up at his touch, smile and be better. This wasn’t a fairy tale, though, and he knew that, so when he got no response he simply pushed back tears, smiling and cupping Youngjae’s cheek.

“Please wake up,” he said quietly, almost begging as he gave Youngjae’s hand a little squeeze. For a moment he stood there, only half expecting his hand to be grabbed back. When it wasn’t he just laughed at himself, hand only reluctantly letting go of Youngjae’s before he nodded at the doctor and slipped out. He looked back through the window to the room, frowning and leaving with a quiet sigh.

Luckily for Daehyun, Youngjae’s apartment was close enough to navigate to and he walked there himself, body feeling better from the food and fluids he’d taken in. He glanced at the building, about to walk in before he changed his mind and detoured to the flower shop he worked at. When he walked in he was greeted with a smile, the woman behind the counter almost rushing up to hug him until she saw the cast and stopped, eyes wide.

“Daehyun, are you okay?” she asked, looking him over and noticing all the cuts that had been stitched up and grabbing a marker as she signed the cast on Daehyun’s arm. She hadn’t asked but Daehyun didn’t mind it, though he narrowed his eyes at her playfully.

“I’ll be fine. The doctors said I would be fine,” he replied, though the frown on his face made her stand and rest her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He twitched slightly and she pulled away, slipping the marker into her pocket. She cocked her head when he looked down and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, and Daehyun sighed.

“Youngjae is-”

“Oh! Is he coming in, too? He’s come in every day since you left. He seemed really worried about you – he would come in and look at the flowers, ask about you, and leave. It was sweet. I’ll have to tell him that you came back,” she said happily, but Daehyun just clenched his one free hand into a fist, teeth clamped down on the inside of his lip and brows furrowed. When she saw his expression change she stopped, hand pausing over a few flowers she’d been looking at. “Did I… Say something?” she asked quietly, and Daehyun nodded.

“He was in the same… accident… That I was. He’s not out of the hospital yet,” he said softly, and she just looked down, nodding and letting silence ring through the shop.

“Can I put something together for you?” she asked suddenly, and Daehyun looked at her with a raised brow before he nodded. “Stay here. Don’t move and just give me a minute,” she said, and Daehyun watched as she ran to the back and disappeared through the door. That left Daehyun by himself in the store and he looked at the flowers. Absently he rolled a tiny figurine in his hand, smiling at it.

Youngjae should have been here with him.

Before he knew it he was turned around and presented with an arrangement of flowers. He blinked but took it in his good hand, looking at his coworker with wide eyes. She smiled.

“It’s got Gladiolus for faithfulness and remembrance, Hydrangea for gratitude, and Snapdragon for strength. It’s also very pretty and happy and it’s the only thing I can do to make you feel any better, and I wanted to try.” Daehyun looked down at the arrangement and smiled softly at it before turning to her, patting her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

“How much do I owe you?” he asked, but she just shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a ‘welcome back’ present from me to you.” She smiled, Daehyun chuckling to himself as he nodded.

“Alright. I’ll be back soon. Keep the store safe for me,” Daehyun replied, nudging the door open with his shoulder and stepping out into the brisk day.

When he got to Youngjae’s apartment he unlocked the door, grimacing at the way that the place looked. He hadn’t really grasped how much Jaehwa had messed up but there was broken glass on the floor and bits of blood that had soaked into the carpet. Daehyun wasn’t sure he could get that out by himself with a broken arm but he could at least clean up the glass. So, he set the small arrangement on the kitchen counter and got to cleaning up as much as he could.

Once he was finished cleaning up the glass he straightened up the room, turning on the television for background noise as he moved. When it came time to tend to the flowers he couldn’t help but smile.

Though they had wilted without Youngjae’s attentions for the past few days, every flower and plant that he’d brought to him was still alive. He watered all of them one by one, quietly remembering what had happened on the days when he’d brought them over. They were all such good memories at first, until he got to the Queen Anne’s Lace and the carnations that Youngjae himself had bought.

He had been trying to tell Youngjae how safe he felt when he’d come here, but it wasn’t because it was far away from Jaehwa. It wasn’t this apartment.

He had felt safe here because he had been with Youngjae.

Then the carnations that he’d called roses in a weak attempt to get Youngjae to know something was wrong. He hadn’t even known if it had worked. He didn’t know if any of the meanings of the flowers had gone through. In any case he was glad he’d bought them, even if the message hadn’t gone through.

It made the apartment look a lot cheerier.

For most of the night Daehyun just walked around and cleaned up, making himself food and eating in front of the television. He zoned out, eyes closing as he let himself rest for a little while.

When he woke up his entire body was stiff. Eyes barely open, Daehyun stood and walked toward the bedroom, but when he got there he stopped in the doorway, staring into the room and frowning.

This didn’t feel right. Being in Youngjae’s room without Youngjae there felt wrong and he hesitated before he stepped in, running his hand along the blankets and trying to ignore the slight dent in the wall and the phone that was still knocked off the hook. Daehyun picked that up, setting it on its base and looking at the bed.

He couldn’t do it.

Instead he only took the pillow, walking back to the living room and taking one of the other phones with him. He pulled the throw that was draped over the back of the couch over him, curling up on his side and propping his arm up so it didn’t hurt as much. He nuzzled his head into the pillow, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes.

In a way, he felt a bit more relaxed lying on the pillow. It felt more like Youngjae was there with him.

He kept the phone on the table in front of him within arms reach, nodding out quickly and leaving the television playing to help him fall asleep.

Daehyun awoke the next morning to no missed phone calls and his heart dropped, yawning shakily as he sat up. He had been hoping to get a call in the middle of the night, and when he hadn’t the pure feeling of hopelessness settled on him and he stood, stretching with one arm and moving to simply water the plants.

When the phone rang his ears perked up and he almost lunged for it, nearly dropping it in the process before he answered it.

“H-hello?” he greeted, words shaky.

“Is this Daehyun?” came the almost confused reply, and Daehyun nodded even though the person on the phone couldn’t see him.

“Yes! Yes this is… I’m him. I’m Daehyun, yes,” he said, calming his voice after nearly screaming the initial statement. There was a chuckle on the other end of the line and Daehyun looked down, clearing his throat. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” the man said. “Would you like to come down to the hospital? I’m pretty sure I have someone that wants to see you,” he said, and no sooner had the words left his mouth than Daehyun had let out a choked response and hung up the phone, tossing it onto the couch and grabbing the keys. He locked the door and didn’t even care that he didn’t have a jacket.

All he wanted was to see Youngjae.

When he managed to get to the hospital he recognized that doctor that had spoken to him when he left and he walked over, patting his shoulder to get his attention.

“He’s awake? When did he wake up? Can he talk? Can I see him?” Daehyun firing off questions made the doctor’s eyes widen and he reached forward in an effort to stop him, just nodding in response.

“Follow me. And try to calm down, okay?” he asked, and Daehyun nodded, following behind the doctor as quietly as he could. He passed many people waiting in the halls, some looking joyful, some sad, some in a daze. Daehyun bit his lip, the doctor stopping him when they got to the door. “Go ahead. But he did just wake up recently so try not to get too crazy. I’ll be out here,” he finished, and Daehyun nodded once more, opening the door and sliding in.

When he saw Youngjae’s eyes open he almost burst into tears.

“Hi,” Youngjae croaked out, his voice barely more than a hoarse whisper. Daehyun couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he looked up, trying to will back tears.

“I’m so happy you’re alive,” he said, Youngjae smiling but otherwise not moving much. Swallowing deeply, Daehyun moved to sit next to the bed, resting his hand near Youngjae’s. “How do you feel?”

“Awful.” Youngjae laughed and Daehyun joined in, though his laugh became more of a sob. “I’m happy you’re safe.”

Daehyun didn’t move, but Youngjae slid his hand down slightly, taking Daehyun’s hand in his despite his weak grip. Daehyun looked down at it, blinking a few times and ignoring the bit of warmth on his cheeks as he smiled. He didn’t see Youngjae look down at their hands, and he didn’t see him smile before he looked back up to Daehyun.

“I have to ask you a question,” he said softly, and Daehyun finally looked up, brows furrowed.

“What?” Daehyun responded just as quietly. Youngjae his lips somewhat nervously, swallowing and looking down.

“Why didn’t you leave sooner?” he asked, and Daehyun took in a deep breath. The two held that silence for what seemed like ages before Daehyun finally exhaled.

“Jaehwa said that if I left he would hurt you.”

Youngjae looked up, surprise taking over his expression as his jaw dropped slightly. Daehyun just nodded, opening his mouth to continue when the door opened and they both looked up.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted,” he said softly, noticing their hands but saying nothing. “Daehyun, I’m going to need you to step out – someone is coming in to do some tests,” he said gently, and Daehyun nodded. Looking back to Youngjae as he stood, Daehyun gave Youngjae’s hand a soft squeeze, their fingers linking for no more than a moment before he had to let go.

“You’ll be home soon. Then I’ll buy you as many flowers as I can,” Daehyun said, the doctor smiling but shooting him a confused look as Youngjae grinned as wide as he could manage. Once the door was closed Daehyun turned to the doctor, smile only dropping slightly. “How long do you think it’ll be until he can come home?” he asked, and the doctor shook his head.

“I don’t know. We’ll wait until he can stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. Don’t expect it to be tomorrow, but it should be soon. As of now, he is stable and getting better. So keep your chin up,” he said, Daehyun smiling and hugging the man as well as he could with only one arm usable.

“I can come visit a lot, though… Right?” he asked, and he was offered a nod in response.