Despite his protests, Taemin’s brother had made arrangements for him to stay alone at the university dorms.

“They don’t know about you Taeminnie, you’ll be safe here. I won’t let them let a hand on you. Never” he spoke with such softness, seemingly assuring himself more than Taemin, and Taemin wish he didn’t notice the tears in his eyes. His brother had been his only support and he had never seen him in such a delirious state.

“And what about you,hyung? Will you be safe?” Taemin almost couldn’t bring himself to ask and his words almost whispered the last of it unsure of what he would receive in his response.

“Yes, Taeminnie. Hyung will take care of himself”.

When Taemin was younger and he would be scared of ghosts, his brother would tell him that he’d go and check the house if there were any ghosts. “will you be safe,hyung?” Taemin would ask from under his covers,almost in a whisper.” Yes, Taeminnie. Hyung will take care of himself” and those few words would be enough to reassure him for everytime his brother would return safely and they would sleep peacefully. It had been a thing since then. He would always reassure Taemin with those words and they seemed to work everytime.

But just for this once Taemin didn’t feel reassured,in fact he could almost sense the slight uncertainty in his voice even as if tried to keep his calm.

.

[present]

“They killed him,hyung...now they are after me. They accused him. Those drug dealers, they – they framed it – My brother had to work for them to look after us. It was scary, frightening and so full of uncertainty but he risked his own life to keep me safe and look after me...I couldn’t” he pauses to find his breath,”I couldn’t do anything hyung.I couldn’t save him”.

Taemin was speaking distantly, whispering and it was all too frightening to see the terror in his eyes, like he has to go through it once again.

Jinki doesn’t remember when he started crying, when he had wrapped himself around Taemin hoping he would secure him in whichever way possible.

Jinki had managed to bring Taemin’s fever under control...for the past 24 hours Taemin had been burning with fever,slipping in and out of his consciousness. His eyes were puffy and sore but his Jinki couldn’t help but notice the distant look in his eyes. He wanted to hold him tight and take away his pain but he was scared of shattering the already broken boy. Something in him told him to hold on to Taemin, maybe to convey that he would be there for him and he could feel the boy reciprocate by intertwining their fingers as if to express something he felt too weak to say.

Jinki didn’t know how to react. He was angry and sad;

How could things have been so tough for him? He didn’t deserve any of this. He was too innocent and pure to have had to face the evils of the world alone . He wanted to protect him, to hold him tighter in his embrace, to return him his smile that had long since faded.

He looked at Taemin who had been engulfed by sweet slumber, the pale shimmering moonlight creeping upto the soft delicate features of his face, and for once Jinki felt something blossoming in his chest, he didn’t know what to name it yet. He looked so peaceful and he wished he could keep him that way forever.

All he wanted to do was to protect Taemin and keep him safe and sound.

.

.

.

Taemin woke up to the warm sunlight entering through the blinds. Adjusting his eyes to the sudden brightness, he slowly recovered till he was conscious of his entire being and also someone else’s...

Taemin had never felt so touched in his life. He had barely known Jinki and had shared with him the dark crevices of his past and yet...Jinki didn’t leave him...he was still there,sleeping next to him and a small smile forming on his lips as he looked at their entangled fingers.

He didn’t know how the words had escaped his lips even before he could think of them...

“hyung...”

It was soft, almost like a whisper, barely perceptible but like the familiarity of it had Jinki stir in his sleep, slowly opening his eyes ,taking in the morning light,propping himself on his elbows to notice Taemin already awake and well...smiling. A faint ,almost shy smile but nevertheless there. Jinki had never felt so warm from within.

“I’m here Taeminnie, are you fine?”

“Does it always feel this good to have someone to look out for you?” Taemin wonders,”to have someone stay beside you and care for you unconditionally?”Taemin doesn’t remember the last time he had someone ask after him,genuinely care for him. It had been too long ...

He feels like he’s learning something, the feeling is all so new to him.

Jinki remembers as a child he would be more sensitive than the other boys of his age.

Once while returning home from school , he noticed his father removing the weeds from the garden and joined him. But something caught his eyes, a small bright yellow flower that he was almost about to pick along with the weeds. He stared at it for a long time, encaptivated by the little thing that seemed so weak and fragile, yet survived along the tall weeds. His mother had simply smiled and told him it was a “fighter”. It was struggling alone but it hadn’t given up yet. It was wonderful how the little thing had so much strength and will.

Jinki suddenly remembers this as he looks at Taemin.