The sound of soft breaths reached Minho's ears as he slowly regained consciousness. He cracked his eyes open the tiniest bit and felt all around warm. A calm serenity he hadn’t felt in a long time, maybe even ever, filled the bright morning air, sunlight filtering through his curtains. A small sigh left him and he shifted closer to the source of the warmth around him, his face buried in soft wool. He hugged closer to the body beside him. It smelled nice. Clean laundry mixed with another, entirely unique scent he couldn’t quite name. There were also the faint notes of rain in the fabric.

It took him a moment to remember yesterday’s events, but even when he did he didn’t move away. Jonghyun was too comfortable and safe, and he couldn’t muster up the will power to let go just yet. It was soft and warm and he felt protected in his arms, a feeling he had never really felt before since no one had thought he actually needed to be protected in a long time. He’d always been the strong, responsible, and independent one.

A small stab made itself known in his chest as he thought about the times he had held Taemin like Jonghyun was now holding him and he hated to admit it was a very different feeling. It had never been as soft and peaceful as this was. He had always had a thousand and one thoughts going through his head during those times while hugging Taemin closer to him in an attempt to comfort him.

He also hated to admit he actually quite liked the feeling of being protected by the warmth that was Jonghyun.

His pocket buzzed and he carefully removed the arm he had around Jonghyun's waist to bring his phone out and check it. He glanced up at Jonghyun to see if he was still asleep. He looked lost to the world, deep breaths leaving through parted lips, face relaxed and flushed with warmth, hair a mess, which was a feat since Minho didn’t think any of them had moved throughout the night.

He smiled faintly and looked down at his phone to discover thirty missed calls and fifteen messages, most from his parents but some from Jinki too.

Sighing, he gently extracted himself from Jonghyun's arms and silently made his way to the kitchen, closing the bedroom door behind him. He paused, watching the two half drunk cups of hot chocolate thoughtfully before he picked them up to bring them over to the sink.

Keys rattled in the door and Minho put the cups on the counter before he poked his head around the corner to see Jinki step inside, face tired and clothes rumpled.

“Hey,” he greeted, voice rough with sleep.

Jinki jumped a little and looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Oh, you’re up,” he said and glanced at his wristwatch. “At half past six. On a Sunday.”

Minho shrugged.

“What happened to you?” he asked as Jinki toed off his shoes. “You didn’t come home yesterday?”

Jinki shook his head.

“It rained too much and they said the tracks had become dangerously slippery, so the train stopped halfway and we were stuck inside it the entire night,” he rubbed his face tiredly. “Have you put on any coffee or tea yet?”

“No, but I can if you want to,” Minho said.

Jinki gave him a grateful smile and followed him to the kitchen, throwing himself onto the closest chair and sinking down so his limbs were sprawled everywhere.

“So, Jonghyun did come over yesterday,” Jinki stated. Minho looked at him questioningly and he motioned at the two cups on the counter. “I messaged him that I would be late, but that he could come anyway since you were here. He never replied, though, so I thought he didn’t come.”

“Oh…” Minho gave the cups a sideways look of contemplation. “He’s here.”

Jinki's eyebrows rose.

“Right now?” he asked. Minho nodded. “How come?”

Minho scratched the back of his neck and stared down at his feet.

“Yesterday… um…” He cleared his throat. “Well, the doctor spoke to me yesterday. A-about Taemin's… recovery… uh…”

The lump of tears was back in his throat and it choked up his voice, forcing him to stop for a moment. He looked up at Jinki and met his terrified eyes, which didn’t make things any easier. He suddenly just wanted to crawl back into Jonghyun's arms and forget about everything.

“Minho?” came a groggy voice from the doorway and both Minho and Jinki jumped.

As if his thoughts had been some sort of summoning spell, there Jonghyun was, clothes rumpled, hair messy and eyes bleary. There must have been something in Minho's expression, because Jonghyun stepped right up to him and gave him a tight hug. Jinki's eyes grew wide and had gone from scared to astonished. Minho didn’t know how to react, so he just stood where he was, staring down at the top of Jonghyun's blond head before looking back up at Jinki.

Jinki blinked a few times. Then he cleared his throat loudly and Jonghyun ripped himself from Minho to swivel around. The blush on his face spread faster than anything Minho had ever seen, and if he hadn’t been so near tears at the moment he would have laughed.

“Hello, Jonghyun,” Jinki greeted calmly, sitting up a little straighter. His eyes shifted between him and Minho a few times. “Did you spend the night?”

“Uuh…” Jonghyun mumbled, glancing over his shoulder at Minho. “I-I-I just… you see, I know this nurse, and she told me, and I think I dropped my umbrella, which is not the point, but I had to see, and I couldn’t leave and then I fell asleep, only now he was sad again so I… just…” his voice died out and he was wearing a sheepish expression.

Both Minho and Jinki stared at him blankly.

“Okay,” Jinki said slowly. “So, from what I could gather of that jumbled mess, is that a nurse told you something about Taemin?” At Jonghyun's nod Jinki continued. “And Minho was sad and you wanted to see if he was all right?”

Jonghyun nodded again and Jinki looked back at Minho.

“What happened yesterday?”

Minho swallowed and sighed. Jonghyun turned back to him, fingers twitching as if he wanted to reach out but didn’t dare to. A small part of him wanted Jonghyun to hug him again, just to feel safe and grounded. Simply knowing he was there, though, made it easier.

He closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

“The doctor told me the chances for Taemin's full recovery are diminishing after the one week mark,” he said quietly, voice raspy.

There was a sharp intake of air and Minho opened his eyes again to see Jinki stare at him in dread.

“Have… do your parents know?” he asked breathlessly.

Minho bit his lip, shrugging.

“They were supposed to come to the hospital yesterday, but… I kinda lost myself for a moment so I don’t know…” More like, he lost himself for a few hours, but Jinki didn’t need to know that. He looked down at the phone still in his hand. “I should go call them.”

“Yeah,” Jinki agreed, swallowing harshly. “I’ll make some breakfast.”

“Oh, I can do that,” Jonghyun piped up. “You look like you need a shower.”

Jinki gave him a tired smile.

“You wouldn’t mind?” he asked.

Jonghyun smiled back and shook his head.

“Thank you,” Jinki said and heaved himself out of the chair, trudging out of the kitchen to the bathroom.

Once he was gone Jonghyun turned back to Minho and approached hesitantly.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned frown denting his forehead. “I’m sorry I did that, I… it’s just, you looked like you were falling apart again and I couldn’t stand it.”

Minho stared at him with wonder and something settled inside him. Not for the first time did he wonder if Jonghyun was an angel – his personal guardian angel. He was just so aware of Minho. It was insane. Was he like this with all the people he cared about?

“I–,” he cleared his throat, “I’m fine… thank you…”

Jonghyun let out a breath.

“Good.” He looked down at the phone and smiled wistfully. “Go call your parents. I’ll find my way around the kitchen.”

Minho nodded, but couldn’t move for a moment, still staring at him in wonder. He remembered himself when Jonghyun gave him a weird look. Mumbling something unintelligble, he hurried out of the kitchen and threw himself onto the couch in the living room.

He stayed in the living room once he’d finished talking to his crying mother. They all decided they would continue waiting for Taemin to wake up and not think about other possibilities at the moment. It still felt too early to make any big decisions.

Minho took a shaky breath and settled deeper into the cushions, turning his head to look at Jonghyun, who was moving around the kitchen, humming to himself while he looked through cabinets and pantries, bringing out what he needed.

Was it okay to let Jonghyun in? He wondered. Was it fair, knowing Jonghyun was in love with him, but not doing anything about it because he loved Taemin and just needed the safety and comfort? He knew he would end up hurting Jonghyun (if he wasn’t doing so already) but Jonghyun had claimed he didn’t want anything from him. Could Minho be allowed to have someone like him for comfort? Just for a little while?

~*~

Oh god, Jonghyun was so screwed.

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

He dropped his forehead to the desk in front of his work computer with a loud ‘thud’, thankful there were no guests he needed to help at the moment as his actions plagued him with their more than likely unhappy outcome.

He felt more than saw Kibum open his mouth to speak and held up a finger at him without even raising his head.

“Do not say a word,” he growled.

Kibum huffed; the wheels of his desk chair squeaking as he rolled away from him to do whatever. Jonghyun didn’t care.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he thought about the past two days.

Of course he hadn’t been able to leave Minho when he had been so heartbroken. Not even Kibum could fault him for that. But he had no excuse for spending the entire next day with him, keeping close and just… well, talking while Minho listened. It somehow always seemed to end up that way. Jonghyun didn’t mind it, though, and it looked like Minho didn’t either.

He was kind of glad Jinki had slept through most of the day, because he was sure he had seen right through him yesterday. Jonghyun hadn’t even been thinking. He had woken up, noticed Minho wasn’t in the bed and gotten worried. His worry had increased once he found him in the kitchen with a haunted and pained look on his face and his mind had just gone blank. His body had reacted on its own and stalked right up to Minho to hug him, passing Jinki without even noticing him.

A quiet groan left him and he pressed his forehead harder into the desk.

Jinki hadn’t mentioned anything before he left for bed, though, and all three of them had eaten dinner like they had planned to do when he woke up again. Minho had looked a little better, Jinki had been friendly and smiling, and Jonghyun had felt welcomed into their little bubble of friendship. He couldn’t help wondering how it would have been if Taemin had been there as well, and as he had looked at Minho he knew he had been thinking the same.

It hurt, of course, but it was all right. This was a decision he would have to live with. Being friends with Minho and Jinki didn’t seem so bad, and he was sure that if he liked them he would like Taemin too. He seemed like a fun person by the stories Minho and Jinki told him. He was sure he could handle it. He would just have to keep looking at the bright side of things, like his grandmother so often told him.

Sadness and dread settled over him as he thought of his grandmother.

She was getting worse. He had stayed with her the entire night since he had felt extremely guilty for ditching her to go to Minho, even though she had assured him it was okay. The nurses told him she hadn’t been out of bed since his last visit and that she slept most of the days. Her vitals were still pretty good, but they were keeping a watchful eye on her now.

An eraser smacked into his temple before it fell to the desk beside his face and he whipped his head up to glare at Kibum. He pointed at a group of people who had just entered and Jonghyun sighed, pulling out the sheet with names of companies that would hold their conferences and meetings in the hotel that day.

He stood up as they approached the desk, greeting a man with grey specks in his hair and smile wrinkles around his eyes. After finding the company name and reservation, he made a call to the break room for someone free enough to show the group to their assigned room and they stepped aside as they waited for their guide.

All except one.

Jonghyun had already turned away to shoot another glare at Kibum, but caught a movement in his peripheral vision. His fake, polite smile faltered as he turned back and saw Minho standing in front of him, looking as surprised as he was. He could feel Kibum's inquisitive eyes boring into the side of his head, but ignored him as he gave a genuine smile.

“Minho,” he said, trying not to feel self-conscious as he straightened his shirt by pulling at the hem of it. It wasn’t working very well, and Kibum's small intake of breath didn’t help either. “Hi.”

Minho's eyes flickered to Kibum before he gave a small smile in return.

“Hi,” he replied. “I didn’t know you work at a hotel desk.”

Jonghyun shrugged.

“It’s not exciting enough to talk about.” He tilted his head. “And I didn’t know you work for,” he glanced down at his papers before looking back up at Minho who raised his eyebrows, “an engineering company.”

“It’s not very exciting either,” he answered, his smile growing a little and turning crooked.

Jonghyun laughed and Minho opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted as the grey speckled man called his name. He gave Jonghyun a nod goodbye and turned to leave, shooting a small nod at Kibum as well before retreating.

Jonghyun watched him go with mixed feelings. At least Minho was talking to him again after the past two days, even though he had confessed, which honestly should have sent him running in the other direction. He wasn’t going to complain, although he wondered what Minho was thinking.

“I thought he was treating you badly,” Kibum suddenly said beside him and he jumped.

“Yeah, well,” Jonghyun muttered. “Things change.”

Kibum gave him an unimpressed look.

“Do tell,” he snarked.

Jonghyun heaved a suffering sigh and sat down, and Kibum leaned against the desk beside him, waiting.

“I found out that the condition of the person he likes worsened and I was worried,” he started slowly. Kibum crossed his arms, tilting his head as he listened. “So, I went to check on him and I couldn’t just leave him when he was so beside himself. I ended up staying with him throughout the night and we kinda became friends again the next day, and uh… I accidentally confessed to him as well.”

Kibum was frowning now, staring at his shoes as he thought.

“I’m not sure what to think about this,” he mumbled and looked up at Jonghyun. “I already told you I don’t like it. He’s in love with this person in the hospital, right?”

Jonghyun nodded.

“And you are in love with him?”

Another nod, although it was hesitant.

“God,” Kibum sighed, rubbing his face. “I don’t know Jonghyun. It just seems like a really bad idea.”

“I know that,” Jonghyun grumbled. “But I told him I didn’t expect anything and–”

“But that’s the thing!” Kibum exclaimed. “He looks interested! The way he looked at you wasn’t entirely platonic!”

Jonghyun gaped at him.

“What?” he asked, barely audible. “Kibum, you can’t be serious! Do you know how much he cares for Taemin?”

“No.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, because there’s interest there on his part, which could end up with you being used and then thrown away, and I’m not looking forward to seeing any of it.”

“You’re wrong!” Jonghyun protested loudly, turning a few heads in the lobby. “He’s not like that!”

Kibum gave him a disbelieving look.

“How would you know?” he asked. “You haven’t known him for very long. He could–”

Jonghyun slammed his hands onto his desk and stood up, angry because Kibum was wrong. He had to be. And no, Jonghyun would not listen to that little voice of doubt that suddenly nagged in the back of his mind.

“Yeah?” he growled. “And how would you know? You just saw him today! At least I’ve had full conversations with him and his friend!”

Kibum glanced at the guests in the lobby who were now staring at them and held up his hands in a placating gesture.

“Jonghyun, calm down,” he mumbled.

Jonghyun was too furious to care at the moment, because damn Kibum! He just had to go and plant a little seed of doubt in his head, didn’t he?!

“ you, Kibum!” he spat and pushed past his shocked friend to go to the break room for some space.

It took him half an hour to calm down, the cup of cocoa for once not helping anything at all. It took him another three seconds to feel guilty and like the worst friend ever. Kibum was just trying to look out for him. And he was sure that if Minho wanted to use him, he would have already done it.

He leaned his head against the window he was sitting by, staring out at the back alley behind the hotel as he twirled the cup in his hands, watching the cooks on break leaning against the wall, talk and smoke, each holding a cup of what he assumed was coffee.

Five minutes after the cooks had left he saw Kibum's reflection enter the break room, pausing before approaching his table and sitting down in the empty chair beside him.

They sat in silence for a while, Jonghyun still staring out the window and Kibum fiddling with his phone, which chimed every now and then.

“I’m sorry,” Jonghyun mumbled after what seemed like an eternity, still looking at the empty alley.

Kibum's reflection looked up at him, waiting for more.

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” he continued. “I’m a ty friend.”

Kibum snorted.

“No, your emotions are just too close to the surface,” he answered and put his phone down, taking a deep breath. “Jonghyun, do you ever talk to anyone? About things that happen? Feelings?”

Jonghyun turned to look at him, not understanding what he was talking about.

“Of course,” he said. “I talk to you!”

Kibum rolled his eyes.

“I have to make you talk to me,” he said. “I mean, voluntarily. You can’t just carry everything by yourself.”

Jonghyun frowned.

“I don’t–,” He faltered at Kibum's sharp glare. “Okay… okay… well…”

Kibum sighed when he couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“You don’t have to talk right this second,” he said. “When there is something, tell me. Or someone else. Just don’t bottle it up, okay?”

“Okay,” Jonghyun mumbled.

Kibum smiled. Then he ruffled his hair with a mischievous glint to his eyes, knowing Jonghyun hated it. Jonghyun gave him a scowl, before smiling and pulling his friend into a hug.

“Thanks, Kibum,” he mumbled into his shoulder.

“Sure,” Kibum murmured back.

They smiled at each other as they pulled apart and as they retreated to the front desk, Jonghyun wondered if he shouldn’t introduce his friend to Minho and Jinki so he wouldn’t have to worry so much.

A/N: Hey! So, another chapter! :D Just because I was feeling inspired and creative today, haha!

It's not entirely proofread, but none of my chapters are and if you've read other stories of mine you should know I'm lazy by now xP

I hope you enjoyed this! I felt kinda good about this chapter! Dunno why, though...

Love to you all <3

Bye~