It might have been the way he was longingly staring at the glass window, or his awkward, but adorably awestruck expression and those big, brown eyes. Either way it'd made Jongin stop right in his tracks. The boy looked so concentrated on whatever it was he was looking at it made him ultimately curious.

Jongin had always hated hospitals and he wanted nothing more than to go home and rest his pounding head on his soft pillow. Not many people were around at this time of night and most of the lights were off, but something about the other boy was telling him to act on his curiosity and stick around despite the late hour.

It's the nursery, he said to himself, walking over to the boy. Jongin counted 6 babies; some were asleep, some were blindly throwing kicks in the air or making cute gestures with their hands. The boy seemed to notice him, but didn't move to acknowledge him in any way. Jongin watched the babies for a while then rested his eyes on the boy again. He had soft features and fair skin accentuated by big lips and small ears; a stark contrast to his own tan shade and sharp jaw, he noted. Jongin noticed him become a bit nervous and fidgety under his stare, eyeing Jongin through his peripheral.

"Which baby are you looking at," Jongin asked.

The boy jumped.

"U-Um... second one from the right," he pointed with a pudgy finger. "Her name's HwiJung."

She was tiny, sleeping with half-open, her hands in small fists on the sides of her head. She was wearing a pink shirt over her white diaper, and a baby blue knitted hat with matching socks.

"Cute," Jongin replied, putting his hands in his pockets. But he was smirking and looking at the boy instead. "What's your name?"

He hesitated. "I-It's Do Kyungsoo..."

"Kyungsoo. I'm Kim Jongin," he smiled. Kyungsoo looked at him for the first time and their eyes met.

Kyungsoo inhaled sharply when he took a good look at Jongin. He had a bloody bandage around his forehead, along with a black eye and a few other cuts and bruises over his face and arms.

Jongin cringed. "Do I look that bad?"

"N-No it's just... What happened?" Kyungsoo looked genuinely worried.

"Ehh, I got into a fight with this asswipe at the bar a couple of streets away. He was a wuss and brought a bunch of his idiot friends, and they ganged up on me," Jongin was scratching the part of his head that wasn’t bandaged.

"Ah... who treated these," Kyungsoo asked while inspecting an open cut on Jongin's right arm and frowning.

"I did. I just asked for the supplies."

"What!? And they let you off like that? Who was your doctor?"

"Hey, relax..." Jongin pulled his arm away, "I was the one who wouldn't let them touch me. I--" Jongin sighed, "I hate doctors."

Kyungsoo was silent.

"Hey look, it's fine, I'm headed straight home anyway and I'll--"

"No. Come with me." Kyungsoo grabbed Jongin's left hand and pulled him across the hallway.

Normally Jongin wasn't very friendly to people who touched him so familiarly, especially if it was some stranger, but Kyungsoo's hand was warm and he was tired and Kyungsoo seemed trustworthy. So he let himself be led into an empty hospital room, the blinding lights flickering as Kyungsoo hit the switch next to the door. He let go of Jongin's hand and started shuffling through some drawers. “Sit on the bed,” he instructed over his shoulder.

“Yes, mom,” he rolled his eyes, but Kyungsoo couldn’t see him.

The bed was cold underneath Jongin, and he spared a look around the room. It didn’t look like a regular hospital room. There was a white desk with a laptop and on the wall next to it a bulletin board with some personal pictures and pink Post Its with random scribbles and notes on them. On the counter where Kyungsoo was preparing gauze and jars of disinfectant Jongin didn’t recognize, was a teddy bear with a blue ribbon wrapped around its neck.

“Hey… I used to have one just like that as a kid.”

“One what,” Kyungsoo asked while walking over with the medical supplies.

Jongin pointed at the toy with his chin and Kyungsoo followed with his eyes.

“Oh that… Yeah those were popular back then. I got it from my dad when I was little, before he passed away.” He said it as if he were reading text from a book.

Jongin made a face, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s fine,” Kyungsoo smiled at him and he felt funny. “Give me that arm.”

Jongin complied and watched quietly as Kyungsoo padded his wound lightly with wet gauze.

“Do you work here...? You look too young to be a doctor.”

Kyungsoo kept cleaning slowly around the wound. “No, my mother runs this hospital. I like to spend time here and help sometimes.”

“Oh, I get it, I get it. So is this your secret hideaway,” Jongin smirked, gesturing at the room.

Kyungsoo smiled again but didn’t look at Jongin. “Sort of. This will sting, hold still.”

“Don’t worry, I’m--” He hissed as Kyungsoo sprayed a burning liquid on his arm. “Ow,” Jongin glared at him.

Kyungsoo laughed, “I warned you.” He put a clean band-aid on his cut deftly. “There, all done. Now let me see your head.”

“Really, this is too much. I live three blocks away,” Jongin protested.

“Don’t argue. There’s no way I’m making an injured patient walk three blocks at three in the morning. And since you wouldn’t let anyone check you, I don’t want to chance a concussion.” Kyungsoo looked at Jongin with disapproving eyes through the window of the driver’s seat. “C’mon, get in.”

Somehow Jongin found it really hard to refuse. So with a defeated sigh and a mumbled “fine,” he got in the car. Kyungsoo beamed and drove off.

“We’re practically neighbours anyway; I live on the street parallel from yours,” Kyungsoo was talkative while he drove. “I know most people around town so it’s strange I’ve never seen you before.”

“Yeah… I moved in almost two weeks ago,” Jongin added.

“And already you’ve managed to cause a ruckus and get yourself all cut up.”

“Hey! That other guy started it-- Oh, it’s here to the right.”

Kyungsoo stopped the car. There was an awkward silence between them and Kyungsoo played with his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Well, thanks for everything,” said Jongin while moving to open the door.

Kyungsoo looked up at him. “It was nothing,” he smiled. “Be careful next time, okay?”

Jongin laughed and shut the door behind him. He bent down and winked at Kyungsoo through the open window, a sly look on his face. “I promise I’ll be more careful, mommy.” Kyungsoo went red in the face. Jongin’s grin only widened.

“J-Jongin right?”

Jongin nodded while zipping up his hoodie and started walking backwards toward his apartment. “I’ll see you around,” he said softly, and disappeared behind crystal doors.

Kyungsoo didn't doubt that for a second.