“Did the doctor say when you'd be able to come home?” Jongin asked as he sat by Sehun's bedside; it had been just three weeks after the incident, and the black haired male didn't need an oxygen mask or anything anymore. In fact, the blonde couldn't understand why he was still here if he didn't complain about the pain and didn't need to take pain medication either.
“Sometime this week,” Sehun answered as he opened the small container of apple jelly and then passed it to Jongin with a spoon. He was fond of jelly, just not the hospital's one, so Jongin got to eat it most of the time.
“At least I won't be around to hurt you,” He said, and Sehun frowned as he ate the unsalted scrambled eggs - it was as disgusting as the first time he had it, but he had gotten better at forcing it down.
“You say it like you know it's going to happen again. Has it happened already?” He questioned as he looked at the blonde who toyed with his spoon.
“Not that I can remember. But your mom gave me a journal to write in every hour or so to keep track; if I don't write for a few hours then she's sure Kai came around,” Jongin explained and took the dry toast that was offered to him by his boyfriend. Sometimes he wondered just how much Sehun ate instead of just giving him what the black haired man didn't want.
“How do you remember to write? You forget basic things sometimes,” Sehun said, but he meant it in the most gentlest way possible. Jongin knew this, so he didn't take offense.
“I put a reminder on my phone. Sometimes I just write a couple of sentences to fill the blanks, other times I just write one or two. As long as I write something, she's okay,” He answered and Sehun sat up a little more, pushing the remaining pieces of the toast in Jongin's hand into the blonde's mouth quickly when Sehun noticed his mother was on her way.
“Swallow,” He knew she would kill them both if she found out Sehun was giving his food to Jongin. But what was he supposed to do? He didn't like it, and he refused to eat it. Jongin ate everything at home anyway, so what was the big deal? If anything, Sehun was being a good boyfriend by making sure Jongin ate in the mornings.
“Just swallow. I swear you won't choke,” Sehun urged Jongin who was still very busy chewing the rather large piece of toast that was pushed into his mouth so quickly. He frowned at the other one, and Sehun almost wanted to slap him on the head for not listening. By now, Jongin had gotten the hint that Sehun's mother was on her way - they had almost been caught a few times like this, but somehow managed to save themselves.
“Goddamnit Jongin, you swallow my like it's water but you can't swallow toast?” Sehun asked, the sound of his mother's high heels clacking on the floor of the hospital making him more and more nervous.
“Don't laugh! Now isn't the time to laugh!” Sehun hissed when he saw Jongin's face light up at his previous statement, and the blonde swallowed just in time to start laughing.

“What's the joke? I'd like to laugh too,” Sehun's mother said as she rested her handbag on her son's bedside cabinet. The room fell into silence; Sehun could tell things between his mother and boyfriend were tense, but for what reason, he didn't know. Jongin never complained about anything, but Sehun knew something was up for sure.
“I just spoke to the doctor. He said you'll be able to leave on Wednesday. To be safe, I booked Jongin in by the hospital on Tuesday, so you two won't be alone,” His mother carried on before either of them could speak anyway, and Sehun felt himself frown.
“But we have been alone together. Here, remember? Jongin stays for the whole day. I don't think he needs to be admitted, really. Nothing bad has happened in the three weeks he's visited me,” He said with a small shrug as he looked at the other piece of dry toast on the plate he hadn't gotten to give to Jongin.
“Nonsense!” His mother said so loudly they both glanced at her questioningly.
“We don't know what we're dealing with here, son,” She said in a softer voice after composing herself a little, and Jongin stood up from his chair.
“I'll go...get something to drink,” He smiled at them both, sensing they needed some time alone to talk, and then disappeared after Sehun's mother indicated she didn't want anything.

She sat down on Jongin's spot, and then held her son's hand.
“You know I only want you to be safe. Yes, you've been alone with Jongin...but there's always been someone else near. I fear that's what's been stopping Kai from coming,” She admitted, and he kept silent for a little bit. He was still against the idea to put Jongin through something like this, but he knew it was for the best. He was just used to being in an environment with Jongin that he could control - not that he wanted to control the blonde in any way (Jongin did whatever he pleased regardless of whether Sehun complained or not) - and with Jongin in the mental asylum, Sehun had very limited things he could do with his boyfriend. And what made it worse, was that Sehun wouldn't be able to sleep very well knowing Jongin was all alone somewhere. He was just too used to being around the loud, talkative blonde at this point.
“I still don't think he needs it,” He said, almost sullenly, as he forced himself to take a bite of the dry toast. His mother would be here for a while, he was sure.
“You will let this happen. Do you understand me, Sehun? This ℎ𝑎𝑠 to happen. We don't have a choice,” It wasn't unusual for her to take the demanding tone with her son, but it still pissed him off. He wasn't a kid she could talk down to anymore, he was an adult, capable of making his own decisions.
“And I think this will also help put an end to the obsession he has with you,” She muttered before he could get a word in, and he felt his eyebrows dip once again. For the amount he frowned a day, he was surprised he hadn't gotten wrinkles already.
“He isn't obsessed with me!” He said in annoyance, “how would you even know if that's the case or not? You're never around!”
“I know I always have work, but that shouldn't be an excuse. A mother knows these things. I see it all the time,” She stated, and Sehun leaned against his pillow as he set his jaw.
“I'm telling you, he isn't obsessed with me. If that's the case, then he's obsessed with everything else in the world! I'm just one of the things that make him happy. I didn't know that was a crime now,” He was growing increasingly frustrated with his mother's way of thinking. She always had something bad to say about everything, and although Sehun himself was pessimistic, he tried to see the good in things. Maybe that was what had rubbed off on him from Jongin.
“There's a difference between making someone happy, and fueling their needs for validation,” She said. Jongin was just about to come into the room to tell them both what lovely coffee the hospital had today, but he was forced to stop by the door and duck out of sight when he noticed how serious the atmosphere was. He had hoped they would talk about whatever they needed to before he got back, but that didn't seem to be what was going on.
“Validation? He doesn't need validation. Why would you think that?” Sehun asked, and it didn't take the blonde long to realize they were talking about him.
“I know his past. And I'm sure you do too. A person like that doesn't just live happily, Sehun! They always need validation and to be told what they want to hear. I'm simply saying there's a chance he's only around you because you tell him whatever he needs to hear for him to feel good about himself,” She took a breath, then continued, “and I wonder often if he really loves you or...if he's just with you because you give him what he wants,”
“You sound like the crazy one now. Do you hear yourself? Jongin isn't obsessed with me because I tell him what I think he'd like to hear. And he doesn't need me to tell him I'm proud, he's proud of himself. You think he's some lost cause but that's only because you don't know him,” Sehun snapped angrily - it was one thing to make assumptions, but it was another thing entirely to base thoughts just on cases his mother had seen before.
“You don't see it the way I see it,” She said in an almost sympathetic tone, and Sehun slammed his fist down on the bed.
“Because I'm not like you! I love him! Is that what you wanted me to tell you? I love him, and I want to marry him eventually! I'm not blinded like a lovesick teenager, I'm 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑡 for God's sake! I've had more relationships than I can count on one hand. I know what it's like to have a crush and what it's like to be in love, and you wouldn't know either because you're so hung up over a man that doesn't even want you!” It was then that Sehun finally exploded and said all the things he wanted to say to his mother. She always tried to pull Jongin down, paint him in a different way than Sehun knew him to be. It was as if she knew the blonde better than he did, and he was the one who took care of Jongin when he was sad or drunk.
“I thought we agreed not to bring up your father,” Sehun's mother said quietly, and he brushed a hand through his hair angrily.
“Yeah? Well it's not my fault you want me to end up as miserable as you are right now. It's not my fault he went and screwed around. And it sure as hell isn't my fault he divorced you because you tried to control him so much!” He almost yelled, “and now that he isn't around for that, you think you can control me like you did with him!”
It was the first time he had ever said these things to his mother, and he did feel a little bad for them. What he was saying now was cruel, but her trying to turn him again Jongin was even crueler.

The blonde didn't know what to do. His back was against the wall just beside the door, and he didn't know if now was the time to go in or not. It would be a little awkward if he did, so he decided against it.

“All I'm saying is that Jongin isn't necessarily good for you. He's a danger to you. He almost killed you,” She said, “I don't like him, Sehun,”
It hurt Jongin to hear these things, especially that she didn't like him. He had tried so hard to set a good first impression, but it seemed as if she had already made her mind up about him no matter what he did. Whether he did one hundred good things and one bad thing, she would always see the negative before she saw the positives.
They were silent then, and Jongin listened to Sehun's heart monitor start growing quieter and into a normal pace again. At least he was calm now.

The blonde entered the room, slapped on the best fake smile he could manage, and then left the cup of coffee beside Sehun's bed near his mother. He got it for her anyway, even though she had said she didn't want any. He thought she would change her mind when she tasted how nice it was today, but he was sure now she wouldn't even touch it.
“I have to go. A student needs help,” He said to Sehun, and then kissed his forehead.
“At this time of the morning? It's only nine. And a Sunday,” The black haired male said, and the blonde shrugged lightly. Something was off with Jongin, Sehun could tell, but the other one was already saying his goodbyes before Sehun could question him on it.
“I'll see you,” Jongin said to them both, and then took out his wallet to slide the photo of him and Sehun together out.
“Keep this. I have another one at home I want to put in,” The blonde stated as he put the small Polaroid photo into Sehun's hand, and the black haired male smiled softly as he looked at it.
“This was when we went to that Chinese restaurant and it started raining, right?” He asked as he ran his thumb over the smooth front, smiling to himself as he took note of how happy they were together.
“Yeah. When you decided you wanted to choreograph something in the rain out of the blue,” Jongin smiled a little, then brushed his hand through his boyfriend's hair softly. He studied Sehun's face for a little while - it would be the last time in a long time he'd get to see it, so he wanted to have it in his memory for as long as he could.
“I'll see you tomorrow?” Sehun asked softly, knowing Jongin would be too tired after helping the student to come see him again that day.
“Yeah. Yeah, tomorrow,” Jongin whispered, then left a small kiss on his boyfriend's lips before he greeted Sehun's mother as politely as he could. It didn't matter whether he cussed her out or used all the honorifics required, she still wouldn't like him. It stung, but he would prove to her that he didn't need Sehun's validation. He could do things by himself too.

He went home, and then packed his things in a bag. He picked up the photo he had said he wanted to put into his wallet - a picture from a photo booth him and Sehun had stopped by once. The blonde was so eager to take pictures together, but it took him at least ten minutes to convince Sehun to do it. In the end, the black haired man liked it, and said they could do it again sometime. It was special to Jongin in a way.
He kissed it fondly, then slid it into his wallet to take the place of his previous photo. It would take some time to get used to, but it still looked pretty nonetheless.

Jongin glanced around the apartment for one last time - who knew when he would be able to come back? But before he left, he wrote a little letter to Sehun for him to find when he got home. Jongin wouldn't be able to speak for him for some time, so this was the only time the blonde could leave a message.
He put the cap back on the pen when he was done, and he took a breath as he picked up his bag; this made him more nervous and scared than he had been since he called the ambulance for Sehun that one day, but Jongin knew this had to be done. The sooner, the better.

Then he left for the mental asylum, requesting no visitors until his stay was over. He would prove to Sehun's mother he could do this on his own - he wasn't obsessed like she tried to make him out to be. This would be hard, but as soon as it was over, Jongin would get all the cuddles in the world...that was all he could think about as he got taken to his room.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑒ℎ𝑢𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟, He kept repeating to himself in his head, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡.