As always, I didn't check for mistakes because if I do then I might regret posting it :v

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WHAT?

 

Was the first thing that Yixing thought. Junmyeon liked him? And those two weren’t talking about just a little crush, Junmyeon had liked him for three years. THREE YEARS.

 

Yixing had woken up three minutes before but he stood still listening to his surroundings, trying to decipher who was talking. There were three voices, one of them was Junmyeon, he was sure about that one. The other two were somewhat familiar but he couldn’t place a face for them. There were two of them and they sounded close to Junmyeon, so maybe it was those friends the elder had tell him about. Yeah, those that Junmyeon had talked about the day before, Chanyeol and Jongin. Yixing remember them from some classes they had shared throughout high school. They must be them.

 

“Ok Jongin, you win… Again. Now move, I have to go to the bathroom” Yixing had heard Junmyeon said. And after he heard the bathroom’s door closing he heard it.

 

The little exchange between Jongin and Chanyeol couldn’t have been about someone else. He was the one Junmyeon had a crush on. They had called him Sleeping Beauty while he was the only one sleeping, he was the ONLY Chinese guy that shared English with Junmyeon and most definitely he was pretty sure he was the only ‘Yixing’ that Junmyeon knew.

 

Oh . What was he supposed to do with that information? He definitely couldn’t deal with it right there and then. He decided he would pretend to be sleeping until Junmyeon’s friends left. Yeah, that was a good plan.

 

“Oh, hey Yixing. You’re finally awake” he heard Junmyeon’s voice saying right after the sound of the toilet flushing and the door closing.

 

Well, . How did he know? Did I move? , I moved an arm. .

 

“Uh… yeah... I am” He couldn’t see them but Yixing knew Jongin and Chanyeol were looking at him too.

 

“Dr. Wu came while you were sleeping”

 

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

 

“He insisted. He said he’ll come back later today”

 

Junmyeon walked to Yixing’s bed to check if he needed something and on the other side of the room Chanyeol and Jongin were looking at each other with surprised looks on their faces. Yixing? The other boy was Yixing? The same Yixing Junmyeon had a big fat crush on? The same Yixing they were just talking about? If that much was true they were both in big trouble.

 

“Guys, come here” Both Chanyeol and Jongin rushed to Yixing’s bed where Junmyeon had called them.

 

“Yixing, these are my friends Jongin and Chanyeol. You’ve probably seen them around school. Guys, this is Yixing” Junmyeon introduce them and he was giving them that serious look he used when he wanted them to behave and not say something stupid.

 

“Oh… yeah… Yixing… we remember you” In their minds, Chanyeol and Jongin were praying that Yixing had been asleep the whole time; otherwise they were both really, really screwed.

 

“Yeah, I remember you too”

 

“Uh… Jongin… why don’t we go and look for Dr. Face? He said he needed to see Yixing, right?” Chanyeol said awkwardly.

 

“Yes, he said that”

 

“It’s okay you don’t have to…” Yixing couldn’t finish what he was saying because the other two were already rushing out of the room.

 

“Your friends… they’re nice”

 

“I’m sorry about that, I don’t know what’s with them today”

 

“It’s okay” Yixing was thanking anything that came to his mind that Junmyeon couldn’t see his face. He didn’t want to make things awkward with Junmyeon but he couldn’t get the fact that the other liked him out of his head.

 

Nobody had ever liked him, not that he knew of. He didn’t know what to do or how to act, should he ask Junmyeon about it? Maybe he should wait. He was sure that after Doctor Wu’s consult Junmyeon wasn’t going to be very fond of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the room Chanyeol and Jongin were walking around looking for the way back to the reception desk.

 

“Do you think he heard us?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“I don’t know. Probably. It was hard to tell with all the bandages”

 

“Yeah, what’s with that? Do you think something really bad happened to him?”

 

“Well, he hasn’t been to school in a while and you heard the rumors”

 

“I don’t know. It’s weird; those guys from our calculus class are also missing”

 

“Do you think they’re also here somewhere?”

 

“Probably”

 

They got to the reception desk and they asked for Doctor Wu to check on Yixing.

 

“So are you Yixing friends?” A guy sitting next to the receptionist asked them.

 

“Uhm… we go to the same school… I’m not trying to be rude or anything but, who are you?” Chanyeol asked him.

 

“I’m Minseok. I’m Yixing’s nurse. It’s just that the only friends that usually visit are Luhan and Kyungsoo”

 

“Yeah, we know them. We’re mostly here for Junmyeon”

 

“Well, that explains a lot” Minseok muttered to himself.

 

“Explains what?”

 

“Why they were so comfortable with each other. But now that I know that they knew each other before hand it makes sense”

 

“No it doesn’t” Jongin said while giving Chanyeol ‘the look’. The same one they always gave each other whenever they were up to something.

 

“What do you mean?” Minseok asked and Chanyeol was the one that got close to him over the desk, as if he was sharing something confidential.

 

“They only share one class, actually”

 

“And they don’t really talk to each other” Jongin added while positioning himself over the desk just like Chanyeol had.

 

“So what do you mean they’re comfortable with each other?”

 

“Did you notice something weird about them?”

 

“Was it Junmyeon?”

 

“He tends to be kinda awkward; did he do or say something?”

 

Minseok was taken aback with all the sudden questions those two were bombarding his way. He was trying to process an answer when Doctor Wu approached the desk.

 

“Not only do you pester patients but you also do it to nurses?” Doctor Wu said after recognizing the two kids that were almost hanging themselves from the desk.

 

“In our defense, we were not pestering your little nurse here”

 

“Yeah, we were just in the middle of an important investigation”

 

“I am not little” Minseok interrupted.

 

“You got any work for me, Amber?” Yifan asked before he directed his attention to the teenagers in front of him.

 

“Patient Zhang Yixing is ready for his consult”

 

“Okay, then I’ll go there and don’t worry Minseok, I’ll get Tweedledee and Tweedledum off your back now”

 

“No, wait. We’re in the middle of something important here” Jongin said.

 

Yifan chuckled “I don’t think there’s anything you have to discuss with Nurse Kim, now let’s go. You gotta keep your friend company while I do my consult”

 

“Yes, we do. It’s a life or death matter” Chanyeol said trying to convince Doctor Face.

 

“This is a hospital, kid. Everything is a life or death matter here”

 

“Come on dude, this is about Junxing” Chanyeol said and Jongin rolled his eyes next to him. Why did Chanyeol keep insisting on that name?

 

“Who’s Junxing?” Minseok asked.

 

“Junmyeon and Yixing. It’s the couple name Chanyeol insists in using no matter how many times I tell him it’s lame” Jonging was the one who answered.

 

 “I have no idea what are you talking about and I have no interest in knowing, come on” Yifan said while pushing Chanyeol and Jongin with his open arms in a vain attempt on making them move.

 

“Wait, Yixing and Junmyeon are a couple?” Minseok was shocked. He was sure that if Yixing had mentioned having a boyfriend he would remember.

 

“No, but they’re going to be” Chanyeol said trying to push Yifan out of the way so he could keep talking to Minseok.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Minseok asked. Next to him was a confused Amber that just kept looking left and right from one side of the conversation to the other.

 

“Okay, I give up. I’m gonna go and check on Yixing, you two dorks do whatever you want” Yifan said and he left. He was too old to be dealing with gossiping teenagers and small nurses.

 

Chanyeol and Jongin stayed with Minseok and shared Junmyeon’s little secret with him, trying to coax the nurse into making a plan to make Junxing happen.

 

Yifan went to Yixing’s room and he was glad to find his patient awake.

 

“Good morning, kids” he said to the two patients who were sitting on the same bed holding hands.

Now some of the stuff that Chanyeol and Jongin said made sense, those two were actually very comfortable with each other.

 

“Good morning, Doctor Wu” both Junmyeon and Yixing answered.

 

“I’m sorry Junmyeon but I have to ask you to step out for a while”

 

“Uhm… yeah, sure… I’ll just come back later” Junmyeon said while hoping out of Yixing’s bed.

 

“Your friends were on the reception desk last time that I saw them, if you want to look for them”

 

“Oh… okay. Thanks, I’ll look for them” Junmyeon knew about the hospital’s policy about privacy and confidentiality with their patients but he was kind of disappointed that Yixing didn’t ask him to stay. He trusted Yixing enough to let him stay during his last doctor appointment, maybe Yixing didn’t trust him enough to do the same. But how could he blame him? They barely met officially two days back. Maybe the fact that he liked the Chinese guy was making him see things that weren’t there. Maybe Yixing didn’t even like him but he was just being nice because they shared a room.

 

Junmyeon’s mind kept running when suddenly he heard Chanyeol’s deep voice.

 

“Oh yeah, our Suho is totally in love with Yixing. He had been for like three years or something. It’s always Yixing this, Yixing that. I think he even learned some Chinese…”

 

“Chanyeol!” Junmyeon yelled attracting the attention of everyone in the reception. He made his way to where Chanyeol and Jongin were with crimson cheeks that were the result of attracting too much attention to himself.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“I’m just trying to help, man”

 

“Well, it doesn’t sound like it. It’s more like you’re making fun of me in front of others… again”

 

“First of all, I’d never do that. And second, this is Yixing’s nurse; maybe he can do something to help your poor little heart to finally get some lovin”

 

“Of course I know Minseok… but that’s not the point. The point is, stop trying to get in the middle of this. It’s not your business”

 

“It’s our business because we are the ones who have been hearing the same thing for three years, oh he’s so perfect, his eyes are beautiful and his smile is astonishing. We know, we’ve heard everything so, I’m sorry buddy, but this became our business a long time ago”

 

Junmyeon’s cheeks were red again, with what Chanyeol was letting everybody else around know.

“That doesn’t mean you have to vent it out, you know? It’s embarrassing”

 

“Well, then you’re not gonna be happy when you hear what he did earlier” Jongin interrupted the conversation that was going on in between his two friends. It was getting somewhat serious, so he felt he gotta intervene.

 

“What are you talking about?” Junmyeon asked. Next to them, Minseok and Amber were looking at them overwhelmed with what they were witnessing. “Teenagers are always that dramatic?... I don’t know, maybe” Were the things they were whispering to each other.

 

“Oh… well… about that… it’s actually really funny” Chanyeol answered with a little nervous laugh in between words “And it wasn’t just me, Jongin was the one who gave out all the important information”

 

“What information, Chanyeol?” Junmyeon didn’t sound mad, he just sounded serious. But in Chanyeol and Jongin’s experience that was actually worst.

 

“Ok… uhm… so we… Yixing may or may not know that you’ve had a crush on him for the longest time” Jongin was the one who answered seeing that Chanyeol was a little scared of serious Junmyeon.

 

“What?” Junmyeon answered loudly, attracting attention from others once again.

 

Amber felt like she was watching a drama, and she wanted to know more but she was working and she had certain responsibilities.

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave, you’re being too loud. This is a hospital” she said.

 

“It’s okay, Amber. I’ll take them somewhere else” Minseok offered himself to do it partially to get a break from Amber’s questioning and finally breathe a little into his little world of self-pity.

 

That’s how the trio found themselves in the hospital’s cafeteria accompanied by Minseok. Who was supposedly watching them in case they were to create more ruckus, but in reality he was doing his best to avoid another encounter with Jongdae.

 

“So you mean to tell me that Yixing knows not only that I like him but that I have pathetically been on his case for the last three years like a creep just because you two decided to start gossiping like two little girls?”

 

“Suho, stop panicking. There’s always the possibility that he didn’t hear anything. Besides, we didn’t even know he was there in the room. We just thought it was some random stranger”

 

“Well, these two have a point” Minseok said, since he was acting as mediator.

 

“Fine, I don’t blame you. But what if he heard?”

 

“Then he knows and you finally have a chance to make a move” Jongin said.

 

“Exactly. Come on, Suho. It’s been three years and you finally have a shot. I mean, if he didn’t hear you have a chance to woo him now that you two share a room. And if he heard than he can reject you or return your feelings. Either way, you are finally getting some closure”

 

“Wow, Chanyeol. That was actually wise. But how come you don’t apply that to yourself? I mean, I’m pretty sure Baekhyun is tired of you ogling him like a ert”

 

“Shut up. That’s different, okay?” Chanyeol answered rolling his eyes.

 

“It’s not… But for once in life I actually agree with you. I should get this out of the way as soon as I can”

 

“Why don’t you do it today? Since tomorrow you have your surgery and all” Jongin proposed.

 

Junmyeon stayed quiet for a while jumbling all his options in his head. Jongin was right. What if something actually went wrong during the surgery and he never had a chance to tell Yixing how he felt? Besides, it’s their last year of high school, maybe after graduation their ways would part and he’d never see the Chinese guy again. He had to do something about it before anything else happened; it was always better to say, “I tried” rather than ask yourself “what if”.

 

“Okay. I’ll do it”

 

“Yes! Finally” Both his friends cheered on.

 

“Only if Chanyeol grows a pair and asks Baekhyun out”

 

“Man, I knew you’d do something like this” Chanyeol sighed, “Fine, I’ll do it after you do it yourself”

 

“Deal”

 

The three of them stayed a while in the cafeteria talking and listening to Minseok’s funny stories about some patients he had encountered in his short time as a nurse, until he had to leave to check on his current patients. They didn’t know how long they stayed there, but at some point Minseok came back and told Junmyeon that Yixing’s consult was over but that it was better if he didn’t show up in their room until later. So they stayed there until visiting hours were over, only then Junmyeon had the courage to go back to the room. He promised his friends that he’d tell them how everything went the next day after his surgery. He gave both Chanyeol and Jongin a long hug before they said their goodbyes and left.

And that’s how Junmyeon ended up in front of the door to his room, being this the only thing between him and who he thought was the love of his life—yeah, don’t judge, he’s cheesy like that.

He took a deep breath to ooze his nervousness and he opened the door. It was now or never.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minseok didn’t know what to do.

 

He was standing in front of the door of the place he had called home for the last two years, yet he couldn’t help but feel like a total stranger there. Should he knock on the door? Or should he just use his own key and let himself in? In the end he didn’t have to choose.

 

“Oh… hey… You came” Jongdae said from the end of the corridor, his hair was disheveled and he was panting.

 

“I did” The shorter one didn’t know what to say, he just kept looking at Jongdae while he walked closer and closer to him.

 

“Sorry if I’m a little late, there were complications in my last surgery and I had to run here”

 

“It’s fine. I just got here”

 

It was awkward. And for Minseok that was awful, because they had never been awkward around each other. Not when they met, not when they started dating, not even when Minseok lost his ity to Jongdae. Every single minute he spent with Jongdae he had spent it at ease. And it hurts. Both of them, not just Minseok. Because Jongdae knew he did that, he ruined everything. But after seeing how empty the apartment looked without the other one there, he vowed himself to make things right again.

 

“Let’s go inside”

 

“Oh… yes… right”

 

Once inside Minseok still didn’t know what to do. They were there to talk, and he had so many questions and things he had wanted to say and he just couldn’t bring himself to voice everything out, so he just sat on one end of the couch in silence waiting for Jongdae to give the first step.

 

“Do you… want anything? Water, tea, or something?”

 

“Uhm… no, I’m okay” He wasn’t rude but the tone he used told Jongdae what he really meant: Let’s get this over with. Jongdae took a deep breath and sat on the coffee table right in front of Minseok.

 

“I’m sorry… I know that it doesn’t make up for the fact that I lied to you but you just gotta know that I am sorry, I really am, because I never wanted to hurt you. I love you, I just… didn’t know how to deal with that…” Jongdae took another deep breath. Apparently, he was going to be doing that a lot that night. “I don’t even know where to start”

 

All Minseok did that day was think about what type of conversation they would be having, he even created small scenarios in his head about how everything could have went down. They were all different but in all of them he was generally making a big dramatic scene. He wanted to be mean and to make Jongdae feel as hurt as he felt, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when Jongdae looked that pitiful. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was messy. In his head he had played Jongdae to be a cheater, a deceiver, but to Minseok he just looked like a kicked puppy. All those scenes from dramas that Minseok pictured suddenly disappeared, because real life isn’t like a drama. They were both adults and they had to face the situation. Amber was right, he was too old to be acting like a hopeless teenager and they needed to figure the situation out, even if it turned out to be the end of them.

 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about us?” he asked almost in a whisper. Jongdae didn’t seem like he would be taking the lead anytime soon and Minseok wanted everything to be done with quickly as possible, maybe it could be like ripping off a Band-Aid, so he started.

 

“I don’t know… I… just… I was scared, I guess”

 

“Scared of what?”

 

“I don’t know… I… did you know that Yifan from plastic is gay? Not many people know, but some do. He and Tao, you might know him, he’s a nurse too, they have been together since high school. Maybe you don’t notice it but when I started working in the hospital I saw it. People treat them differently. Nobody invites them to hang out, when they are not together they are always by themselves. If only you heard all the people talk about them, even Yunho. Yifan have submitted requests for budgets for research and Yunho has denied them every single time. Just because they’re together… I didn’t want something like that to happen to us”

 

“Then you could have told me, I would have understood. Your career is as important to you as mine is to me… And what about your mom? She said that you stayed at her place the time she brought your phone, is there where you were all those times you said you were doing the night shifts?”

 

Jongdae nodded his head silently.

 

“Then why lie? If you wanted to see her you could have told me” Minseok said with a crack in his voice. He knew he was just a couple words away from crying again.

 

“She doesn’t know” Jongdae wasn’t looking at Minseok, he was starting at the floor. He was ashamed of himself. Minseok was the love of his life, he had blatantly lied to him, and he was the reason why he was crying.

 

“You never told her you and I were together?” Whatever force was holding Jongdae together broke as soon as Minseok said that. To Minseok they no longer were together and that just broke his heart.

 

“She doesn’t know I’m gay” And then Minseok was crying. It wasn’t hard to figure everything out from there. Jongdae was ashamed, not just of what he was but what he had with Minseok. It wasn’t just what his coworkers were going to think of him but what Jongdae thought about himself.

 

“I need to…” Minseok couldn’t even talk properly. He got up and tried to walk away but Jongdae grabbed his hand.

 

“No, Minnie… please, don’t leave… it’s not what you think… please, let me explain… please… don’t leave”

 

“I’m not… I’m not leaving… I just… I can’t see you right now” he said and he walked to the room he used to share with Jongdae. He got on the bed and just sat there. He grabbed the pillow he knew was Jongdae’s and just buried his face in it, trying to drown his tears in there.

 

Jongdae sat in front of the closed door listening Minseok’s cries and he felt like the biggest bastard in the world.

When he first met Minseok he thought the other one was kind of weird, his hair was orange and he looked like he was fifteen years old. Later that same day he saw him laughing off with his friends and he found out that a smiling Minseok was the cutest thing he had witnessed in his whole life. He laughed wholeheartedly and showing all his teeth, which makes him look an awful lot like a hamster, but Jongdae found it endearing. When they got together, Jongdae promised himself he would do anything to keep that same smile on Minseok’s face forever and he had failed, because now there they were.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fun fact: Baekhyun totally knows that Chanyeol checks him out, not only during gym.
He doesn't mind too much.