The emergencies came and took care of Taemin. Minho was still too shaken up by the accident to explain everything properly to the emergency doctors, it's the man who had called them who gave them every detail they needed to know. It's only once the younger boy was safely carried inside the emergency van that Minho snapped out of his anxious thoughts. When he asked he could come with them, they agreed and helped him up the van. he sat down in the cramped space, his eyes fixated on the boy he had been unable to help.

Lying on the bed, Taemin was slowly coming back to his senses. His face was proof he was in pain, his eyebrows were furrowed, his lips tight. He opened his eyes but the whitish light on the van ceiling seemed too harsh for him and he closed them again. In the darkness, the throbbing pain at the back of his head felt a bit more bearable. A cool hand grabbed his, in a cautious delicate manner, as a quiet way to say that he wasn't alone.

- It's gonna be fine. You're gonna be okay, Taemin, a warm voice whispered close to him. 

The young man was dizzy and didn't really understand what was happening to him but the voice he didn't even recognize still gave him some slight peace of mind. Everything would be fine. Someone who cared for him had said it. 

The van arrived soon after at the hospital. Minho was sent to the waiting room while a doctor and a nurse took care of Taemin.

-Are you a relative? a nurse asked him as he was waiting for an update.

He simply shook his head. The nurse asked if he knew of a phone number that could be used to call his family but Minho could only reply with a shake of the head. 

Minho had no other choice but to wait again so he slumped on an uncomfortable plastic bench. His foot tapped the tile of the bleak corridor at a rapid pace, a nervous tic he unconsciously had when he was particularly nervous. He tried busying his mind with his phone but his eyes refused to focus on the Instagram pictures he checked and his brain refused to process any piece of news he read online.

When a nurse came toward him, he abruptly stood up.

-Are you with Mr Lee Taemin?

-Yes, how he is?

-Fine, she said with a smile.

-Thanks God.

She asked if he wanted to see him, which he immediately accepted. She led him through depressing white and mint green corridors before stopping in front of a door.

-He is still asleep, we just had to stitch the wound but we put him under anesthetic.

She left him with the sleeping boy. Minho took an armchair and brought it next to the bed to watch over Taemin.

-I'm sorry, it's my fault if you're there, he said though there was no one to hear his apology.

Minho Taemin's hair and looked at his face. He was sleeping peacefully, no trace of pain was left on his delicate face. Minho decided to let him sleep and left the room with a last look at the young man.

Sitting on the bus bringing him back home, he couldn't help but feel miserable. His stupid idea had injured his new friend. Would the said friend resent him for being unable to help him? He doubted so. Taemin didn't seem to be the kind of guy to hold stupid grudges. He clung to this reassuring thought and let his imagination roam free to replace that disastrous afternoon with much more satisfying ones: the both of them singing their heart out at a karaoke or drinking coffee in a comfy place, or biking along the river by a sunny day, or... the bus stopped and he realized it was his stop so he jumped off his seat and left the bus before the doors closed again.

At home, he wished to keep on daydreaming about perfect dates with Taemin so he carefully avoided meeting his brother who seemed to be back home and playing some video games. In the silence of his room, he was once again able to picture him clearly in his mind. Soft skin, a shy look in his dark eyes, plump lips curved into an awkward smile... 

- Minho! Dinner!

The young man groaned softly, unhappy to be disturbed once again in his thoughts. He went down the stairs to meet the rest of his family in the dining room. If his parents and his big brother all ate with evident appetite, Minho only nibbled at his food. Such unusual behaviour caught the attention of his mother.

-Minho, aren't you hungry? she asked.

-No, not really. I'm worried about my friend Taemin.

His mother ruffled his hair and smiled.

-What happened to him? his father asked.

He had to detail his afternoon and Taemin's accident to make the situation clear to his parents. Though it was useless and far from reality, he blamed himself for everything. He regretted that he hadn't been attentive enough, that he had been too far to catch Taemin, that he had been too emotional and unable to call the emergencies and explain the situation. 

Fortunately, his parents soothed his agitation with reasonable arguments. His mother suggested he could go and see him at the hospital the next day, which he had planned on doing anyway. When dinner was over, he went to his room and lay down on his bed. He thought about Taemin. Again.

Minho couldn't help but think he was favoured by the gods. Though the wind was sharp and the streets were slippery, he had thought the day would be great when on his way to the convenience store that morning, he had seen a young man leaving a shop with a present under his arm. 

It was not the first time he met the said young man, indeed, he had seen him a couple of times in the neighborhood, and every time, Minho's breath would hitch and his heart would beat faster and he had trouble understanding why. He didn't know that guy but he was so attracted to this stranger that simply seeing him made him feel jittery and torn between his desire to make his acquaintance and his fear of looking creepy in doing so. 

So when Taemin slipped and fell in his arms, Minho thought it was a sign of destiny. If only the rest of the day had been as nice...

--------

The next morning he was woken up by his mother and as he opened his eyes cautiously, trying not to get blinded by the morning light, he realized something.

-Huh! I have to go to the hospital! He exclaimed, fully awake.

-Hey, hey... don't be in a hurry. It's still early. Breakfast is ready, if you're hungrier than yesterday.

He nodded with a groggy look and left his warm bed.

His brother and father were already eating breakfast so he greeted them and did the same. He ate quickly, without paying attention to what he ate, dropped his bowl and chopsticks in the sink and ran up the stairs to get dressed. Once he was ready he ran down the stairs to put on his shoes and left home while saying he was off. Like the previous day, the sky was grey and a cold wind was blowing. Minho waited for the bus impatiently, eager to be shielded from the cold temperature. He arrived at the hospital and directly went to a counter where a receptionist was working. The lady gave him the room number he was looking for with a gentle smile. With the elevators going up and down so slowly, he decided he'd climb the stairs to reach Taemin's room faster. As he was doing so, he could feel his heart beating against his ribcage and wondered if he was that out of shape or if it was simply the prospect of seeing Taemin that messed up his bodily functions. after reaching the floor he was looking for, he took a minute to calm down his erratic heartbeats. Once he was ready he knocked on the door, on the other side, a gentle voice allowed him to come in.

The young man in the bed greeted him with a light smile and invited him to sit down. As he walked to the chair by the bed, he noticed a bouquet of Christmas roses in a vase on his night table and he realized he had come empty-handed. Taemin shook his bandaged head and assured him it was no big deal.

- How are you today? Minho asked

- I'm fine, I have painkillers when the pain gets a bit out of control. 

A surge of guilt clenched Minho's heart painfully again. 

-Sorry, it's my fault, it was my idea to go ice skating...

Taemin shyly patted Minho's hand and took their conversation in another direction, to save the older one from feeling bad about himself. They took the time to chat about random little things they hadn't taken the time to share with the other: their studies, their friends, their hobbies...

Minho and Taemin had little in common. Taemin enjoyed music and dancing, Minho preferred sports. Taemin studied business, Minho studied law. Taemin was a quiet timid young man, Minho was more outgoing.

However, their differences were not a problem, they enjoyed talking about what they loved and were curious to know more about each other's life. They enjoyed each other's company, no matter how different they were, they completed each other. Taemin felt more and more comfortable with the older and he was glad he had accepted giving him his phone number.

From one topic to another, the conversation went on, going from the new k-pop releases to the grades they got on their latest papers when, somehow, the conversation strayed to a more personal matter.

- Say Minho, have you got a girlfriend? 

Caught off guard, Minho was at a loss for words for some seconds. From his last year in high school to his recent years in university, he had had girlfriends. And boyfriends. If they could be called that way as none of his previous relationships held on for long before they fell apart. All his exes had been very different from each other. Some were cute, some were confident, some were popular, some were not, but no matter how they were, it never worked. So, for some reason, the problem must lie with him.

He had come to terms with his ual orientation but still had trouble getting steady with someone. What was wrong with him? Whenever he'd start hanging out with someone, he'd lose interest or had difficulties getting involved in the relationship, he'd become avoidant and reluctant. A painful pang tugged at his heart when he thought that if he ever got together with the sweet young man in front of him, he may end up disappointing him like he had done with all the others.

- I... I don't. 

- You don't? I can't believe it! You're super handsome and easy to talk to, how can you not?

Minho's heart warmed with Taemin's compliments but he kept cool and answered

- I had relationships but they never lasted. Don't know why. You?

- Hm, I do! Her name's Eun Ji, we're in class together. She's supposed to come by today!

A stone had lodged itself in Minho's stomach. His mouth felt dry as if he had swallowed sawdust. Disappointment wrenched his heart.

- Awesome! Minho replied with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

His thoughts were all muddled together and he had trouble finding something to say. Fortunately, someone knocked, giving him an excuse to stay quiet. He expected Taemin's parents to come in but he was wrong. Instead, it's a girl who stepped in the room. 

Eun Ji for sure. Taemin's loving expression was proof enough. Her eyes went from Taemin and stopped on Minho, her smile faded a bit, replaced by a puzzled look. She clearly wondered who was the young man in the seat by her boyfriend's bed.

As for Minho, he couldn't help but think that the idiom "birds of a feather flock together" wasn't always true. Taemin was delicate, a bit awkward and secretive. Eun Ji, just by stepping in a room, attracted people's eyes and radiated confidence. 

She brushed her mid-length hair off her shoulder and introduced herself. Minho did the same, slightly entranced by her deep gaze and bright smile. Once the courtesies were over, she came closer to the bed and kissed Taemin's temple. Though he had probably told her what had him landing in a hospital through text, she still asked for a detailed account of the events.

Taemin's focus was solely on Eun Ji and Minho could only listen and nod when his opinion on the precision of such or such detail was asked for. Somehow, Minho didn't mind being left to contemplate the couple as both of them looked gorgeous. Eun Ji's thin face glowed when listening to Taemin's story, she had lively eyes and her pink lips, stretched in a smile, looked delightful. 

He could understand why they had fallen for each other. Look-wise and personality-wise, Eun Ji and Taemin were fantastic. He barely realized he had stood up but when the boy in the bed turned his gaze on him, he found himself on his feet.

-I...Taemin I have to go, I'm sorry I can't stay longer.

-don't worry, see you later!

-Goodbye Taemin, bye Eun Ji.

-Bye!

He left the room and went back home, his mind full of Taemin, and a little bit of Eun Ji as well.

-Minho? Are you back? his mother asked from the kitchen.

-Yes Mom!

-Is Taemin feeling better?

-Yes, he can leave the hospital tomorrow.

He went to his room and let out a loud sigh. He wanted the week-end to end, it had been too full, too overwhelming. He wanted his mind to stop thinking of Taemin only. He hadn't studied one bit during the week-end so opening his laptop to work on some case study was almost a relief. 

His peace of mind came back the following days. Aside from casual texts between him and Taemin to enquire about his health, nothing disrupted his daily life. His friends even for being such a hard-working student. He did work hard during class but also took time to unwind in the evening, going for drinks with his friends. 

Papers and essays were starting to stack up and by Thursday, he was exhausted, having put aside rest to either work or have fun. On Friday, as he woke up, he knew something was off. He was cold on the surface, he felt thrills running on his skin but inside, his flesh was hot.

He grabbed his blanket and went to the bathroom to pick a thermometer. When it beeped, it only confirmed what Minho suspected, he was running a fever. He went down the stairs still wrapped in his blanket. No one was home, the rest of his family was already at work but he wished someone was there to take care of him.

Instead, he had to make his own tea and rummage in the pharmacy drawer to find some medicine. He sat on the sofa in the living room, a cup of tea in one hand, his phone in the other. After a quick text to tell his friends he wouldn't attend class that day, he sipped his tea while watching the morning news.