The first three days flew by in a blur. Mino had been alternately tired or exhausted or sleepy or knocked out. He travelled from one bed to the next.

First ambulance bed, then hospital bed, then Palace bed, then Hwangja House bed, the bed within the house where he lived in while dwelling on the Palace’ grounds.

Taehyun had been a constant through all of it, his glowing, worried features gazing at him through fog and sleepiness.

He really did not remember much. Mostly it was his mother or father or brother coming to visit him but whenever he was hoisted into an ambulance or moved into another bed, he felt Taehyun hold his hand, saw the younger guy looking down at him. He whispered words he did not understand but the words comforted him, he was always there.

Mino felt him cuddle up next to him whenever he had the opportunity to. During the second day, he was more aware of Taehyun, softly breathing against his hand, when he had fallen asleep on his Palace bed, his upper body bending over him, while he still sat on a chair. However most of the time, he was just falling in and out of consciousness and exhaustion.

The fourth day, he found himself conscious enough to eat. Once being fed by his mother, followed by his brother and then by Taehyun. For him, even the motion of swallowing was tough. So, he just ate and slept and ate and slept.

Day five went better because Mino left the bed, even if it was just to fall out of it in a heap of pillows and blankets. Taehyun helped him to get up and back into the bed. Mino was so tired that he was already fast asleep when Taehyun tried to make him sit up. His weight pressed against his body and simply buried the younger guy.

When they both fell over, he refused to let go of Taehyun, so Mino hugged him as if he was his teddy bear. Despite the younger guy protesting, he just would not let go.

Day six saw him regain his consciousness fully. Taehyun resumed and attended his group schedule again. However, all the members came to visit him once they were done. Every single one of them were worried and fussed over him.

The members had to be dragged out because otherwise they would have just camped inside his room, laughing and talking and eating and keeping him company. Mino wanted them to stay. Taehyun loved them in his own little unique way and Mino himself liked the idea of falling asleep to the sound of his friends’ voices.

However, he was still too weak to struggle.

Day seven was much better for he could sit up but he still felt the pain unfortunately and the brightness of the world. He could talk but barely, softly, and it still was extremely exhausting to whisper words into Taehyun’s ear when he bent down towards him.

He still could not move properly, could not move his arms and legs and could not pry his eyes open. Taehyun sat on his bed and moved him like a small child, until he leaned against him, breathing against the younger’s clavicle, his arms around Mino and the younger’s cheek on the side of his head.

The next day, he could hold a glass. It was already a week later. It was the first day he felt good.

Strong...

Healthy...

He lay on the small couch in front of the window, clothed in sweaters and sweat pants and looked outside. The sun was streaming inside and it was the first time in days he did not perceive the light as something that hurt and blinded his eyes.

Mino felt as though to be able to move out of the bed, to walk around and to stretch was for him the greatest gift this day had brought him. It was as if too much energy had accumulated within him and he had to get rid of it somehow.

He felt much better even though the doctors had told him that his body would have weakened after such a long period of resting, but Mino felt stronger than before. Somewhere, downstairs, he heard Taehyun talk to his brother, their words were muffled by the walls and corridors separating Mino’s room but Mino still smiled, while listening to their echoing voices.

Both of them had laughs with such a quality to them, sounded bright like bells even though he did not understand what they were talking about, he just enjoyed the sounds of their voices.

Apparently, Jiyong left because the main door opened and closed. Later on, he heard Taehyun’s steps on the staircase, coming upstairs presumably to look after him.

Making himself more comfortable, Mino closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, when his partner entered the room to see how he was doing.

He had observed something about Taehyun during the last five days. The more he regained his senses, the more he became aware of him, the more he retreated.

During his third night of just general exhaustion, Taehyun had held him for the better part of the night, almost desperately clinging to him, holding him to his chest, as if afraid he would slip away.

Later on, when Mino was more aware of him, Taehyun still had touched him - his hand, his forehead, and once hugged him. However, the moment he would look at him, the younger guy would slip away.

So he wondered if he pretended to be asleep, would he come to him and feel his temperature again? Or hold his hand? Or hug him?

He heard Taehyun came closer and touched his nose gently. He had to force himself to keep his breaths even, as he listened to him, stepping around the couch to busy with the curtains.

Apparently, the younger guy was not here because of him.

“Don’t close them,” Mino said, opening his eyes.

“You are awake?”

Mino barely heard him because the sight of the younger guy standing in front of that bright window, the light making him glow, made Mino gape.

Taehyun was flawless and obviously totally and cutely oblivious of it. He was standing in his room in his house on the Palace’ grounds, here to look after him.

It was one thing to sleep next to Taehyun, feeling more dead than alive. However, it was another thing altogether to be healthy and proud owner of all his senses and look at him and notice that he was … that he was …

That he is mine…

The situation still somehow overwhelmed him, especially after spending two weeks in a bed, barely aware of the world.

Taehyun stepped around the couch to sit down next to him, halfway sitting on his outstretched legs.

“You look better.” He said, his fingertips gracing his forehead to see if something was abnormal with his temperature. The younger guy did not flinch away, even when he looked at him.

Mino smiled teasingly. “So do you. Worry doesn’t suit you, Nam Taehyun.”

Taehyun almost rolled his eyes but managed to swat him playfully, while moving to bring his legs onto the couch and fold them beneath his body.

“I was worried for you, Mino.”

Mino sighed and reached out to hug Taehyun against his chest, while burying his face against the side of his neck. It was strange since the younger was sitting upright next to him, while Mino bent towards him.

“I know you were. I was worried for me, too,”

When Taehyun reached out to swat him again, he just hugged the younger guy tighter.

“I’m just glad I’m able to sit here with you and talk to you. For a moment, when I fled with you out of that building, I thought that it would be the last time I would ever see you.” Mino caught his gaze and noticed the younger was thinking the same too.

“When you lifted me and jumped out of that window, well, that was the moment I thought I would see you the last time…” Taehyun said.

“Of all the stupid things …” Taehyun shook his head as he trailed off.

“We had various escape routes,” Mino noted. “And when I realized that I had been poisoned, I knew this was the last chance I had.”

“Still...”

“I know. Forgive me, I was stupid…”

Taehyun sighed and looked at him. While Mino half lay, half sat on that couch, a big heap of relaxation, Taehyun almost knelt between his legs, one hand on his forehead, the other on his shoulder.

“Still, I would have wished for you to stay in bed for some time longer. You still aren’t completely recovered.”

“I would have wished for you to stay in bed too.” Mino smiled, wriggling his eyebrows at the younger guy.

Taehyun groaned and slapped him again, shaking his head.

“You are impossible…” He said and Mino laughed.

“I’m trying.”

“Speaking of beds, however,” Taehyun said, sitting back onto the opposite side of the couch.

Mino pouted, unhappy about the sudden distance he had created between them, but finally sat back when he noticed the it’s-important-we-talk-about-it-gaze that Taehyun had on his face.

“There is something that needs to be done that hasn’t been done yet.” He said carefully to him.

Mino’s eyebrows rose. “Ah, really?”

Taehyun bit his lip when he looked at him, both unsure and obviously groping for the right words.

Taehyun was good with words. He usually never did any groping, unless he was flustered or …  really embarrassed about something.

Suddenly something in Mino’s mind clicked. Oh...

“Yes.” Taehyun nodded.

Mino nodded, too.

They looked at each other.

“We have not talked about it, yet,” Taehyun said.

Mino continued looking at him then obviously lost patience. He stretched and groaned. “I’m hungry,” he said, getting up. “Maybe we can continue this sort of conversation in front of the fridge?”

Taehyun stopped him before he could leave the room.

“You want to talk about this in front of the fridge?” He asked, incredulously.

“Is there anything that cannot be discussed in front of the fridge?”

“Well, I guess not, but maybe … the topic is a bit inappropriate,” Taehyun suggested, a bit panic rising in his voice.

Mino’s eyes got round with wonder as he pretended to think. “What kind of subject is out there that is too inappropriate to be discussed in front of a common household cooling apparatus?”

Taehyun stared at him, unable believe it and did not notice the small shoulder jerks of barely contained laughter. Slapping him again, he emitted his trademark “Oh seriously!” but Mino caught his hand in midair.

“Do you want to talk about sharing a room together?” he asked, suddenly very close and his voice low.

Taehyun flushed in slow motion and his embarrassment shot through the roof. Still, he forced himself to hold Mino’s glance, because yes, he did want to talk about that exact topic … and it was bound to happen since Mino wants them to live together.

Jiyong and s had made several comments about the topic, which made Taehyun alternately panic or worry or both. He was aware of … the situation, but yet, it made him nervous. They had never talked about it, he had never experienced it, yet there had been a situation where they had been so close …

But Mino continued talking. “I already made preparations.”

If Taehyun’s ears had not been red until now, now they were. They almost felt as if they were bursting.

“You made … what?”

“Preparations,” he said, his face completely serious, as he walked over to the wardrobe next to the bed.

“Father and mother will probably lock us up in a room for the night so … I made preparations.”

Mino took a box out of the wardrobe, placed it onto the nightstand next to his bed and opened it. Taehyun expected anything - weird movies, strange clothing, electric appliances, God knows what else, but nothing like that came out of it.

Mino actually produced colorful yet bright, woolly socks “Couple socks”, a Monopoly board game, some music CDs and two cups for tea “Couple cups”.

Taehyun stared at the objects, then at Mino and he just noticed a gentle smile on his lips.

“To pass the night,” Mino said and now, bits of his own embarrassment showed, as he looked down the contents of the box. He scratched the back of his head, then looked up again.

“Hmmm, yeah. Take your time.”

Taehyun stared down at the objects, disbelief clearly written on his face. There had been a battle plan about how to talk to him about this and he came up with something like this.

Mino again had demonstrated his thoughtfulness and he was flabbergasted about the entire thing.

Taehyun looked up, his eyes suddenly bright and shiny. He shook his head, once, twice, still not able to believe it, then leaned forward and pecked his lips once quickly.

“Choding,” He whispered, smiling.

“Were you afraid?” Mino asked, pulling him closer.

“A bit,” Taehyun admitted shyly. He paused and then asked. “Were you afraid?”

Mino looked at him, an arms length away. “I’m afraid to hurt you, Taehyun-ah,” he said truthfully.

“You are?”

“Of course I am. I love you.”

Taehyun, who had always guarded himself, who had the body of a fragile boy but the heart of a soldier, suddenly changed. Something immediate shifted in his eyes and the expression on his face suddenly was open and vulnerable.

Much to Mino’s surprise, determined...

~~~~~~~~~~

Hihi back with an update... this series is ending soon in 2 more chapters... i am sad again... i enjoyed writing this so much... haha i hope you all are enjoying the visiting, pigging out an all. i know i am but at the same time dreading these visits because i am already at the age where relatives are asking me to get married... *shakes head* anyways... found time to write during those visit to fill up my boredom so here it is... enjoy... no silent readers please... i am a bit hesitant to wrote the next chapter cause i never wrote those before... nvm u will see in the next update if i have not died from embarrassment or awkwardness... *laughs*