Chapter Eight

Yoochun was in the land of feathery ashes again.  This time he wasn’t in the silly clothes or perched on a rock.  He was standing, or rather floating as it appeared since he could neither see the ground nor his feet amongst the thick smoke that swirled below.

In the distance a shadow approached.  Above the figure a bird circled.  It was too hazy for Yoochun to make out any detail.  Anticipation was growing inside him.  Could this be Bodaway?  Did he have another message to bring?

The bird flew over Yoochun’s head with a terrifying screech, causing him to startle.

Yoochun opened his eyes to JaeJoong standing over him.

“Let’s go to bed,” Jae said softly.

“Is the movie over?”  Yoochun looked around to see who else had fallen asleep.

Four haunted sets of eyes stared back.

“Yes, it’s over.  We all kind of feel asleep,” Yunho yawned.

“But you woke us up,” Changmin mirrored his leader’s actions.

“You were having a nightmare,” Junsu explained.  “Your scream woke us all up.”

Yoochun wiped the sleep from his eyes.  It was as if he was still dreaming and they were only an illusion.  He watched as the two youngest members gathered up the blankets and pillows before disappearing down the hallway.  I screamed?

“Gwenchana?”  Yunho faced him, looking deeply into his eyes.

“Neh, gwenchana.  Just a weird dream.”

JaeJoong led Chunnie toward their bedroom, as unspoken words flashed between his and the leader’s eyes.  They were both worried that something disturbing had happened to Yoochun to cause him to be withdrawn.  What was bothering their dongsaeng to cause him to have nightmares which made him cry out?

It wasn’t until the three were secured behind closed doors that any of them said a word.  They proceeded to changing into their bed clothes when JaeJoong saw the bandage on Yoochun’s chest.  With just an undershirt covering his upper torso, Chun’s tattoos were as prominent on his milky white skin as Jae’s were.  The obstruction was like a glaring beacon screaming ‘look here!’

From the night stand Yoochun picked up the yellow piece of paper he was given upon discharge from the hospital.  It outlined how he was to care for his biopsy sites.  He read if over before grabbing the tube of antibiotic ointment.  He sat on the bed and gingerly pulled off his undershirt before removing the upper half of the bandage. He was fully aware that JaeJoong and Junsu had stopped what they were doing—mid move and were now staring slack jawed at him.

Yoochun squeezed out a small amount of the goo onto the tip of his finger and dabbed at one of the reddish welts on his chest.  He followed this procedure two more times before smoothing the flapping bandage upward and securing the tape that held it in place.

“Eotteohke…” JaeJoong felt the area where his ‘Always Keep The Faith’ was.

“Wae?”  Junsu looked as if he was about to cry.

“They thought I might have skin cancer.”  His voice sounded dead in his own ears.

Junsu no longer looked like he would cry, he actually started bawling as he fell onto Yoochun’s bed, hugging the man like he’d never let him go.

JaeJoong was stunned into silence.  His pretty little mouth formed an ‘o’ and his eyes were as wide as saucers.  “But you don’t, right?”  His voice was barely above a whisper.

“Ani,” Yoochun lay down with Junsu and snuggled under the part of the blanket he could get to.

Junsu hugged him even tighter.  “You’re not going to die, are you,” he whispered only so Yoochun could hear.

“Everything dies, Junsu; but I’m not planning on going any time soon.”

“Saranghae, Chunnie,” Junsu kissed his cheek and removed himself from the bed.

“Na do saranghae…. Now turn off the lights and go to sleep.”

“Hyung,” Changmin rolled over to face Yunho’s bed in the darkness.

“Hmm, Minnie,” he answered sleepily.

“Do you think Yoochun hyung is going to be okay?”

“Neh, Minnie…I think it will take a little time, but he will go back to being his old self.”

“Hyung?” Changmin wouldn’t be able to sleep until he settled his mind.

“Wha, Minnie?”  Yunho knew the maknae would be keeping him up all night if he didn’t get his questions answered.

“What do you think his nightmare was about?”  Changmin was haunted by the shout that woke them all.

“Moreugesseumnida,” Yunho mumbled. He was on the verge of falling asleep and Changmin’s questions were becoming an annoyance.

“Yunho, hyung?”

“I don’t have the answers, Minnie.”

“Nan duryeoun,” Changmin whispered.

Yunho shuffled over on the bed, placing Bambi between his head and the wall before patting the mattress to signal it was okay for the young man to join him.  The mattress sagged as Changmin settled in.  Before Yunho knew it, the maknae was holding onto him like he was a big stuffed animal.

Yunho picked up Bambi, kissed ‘her’ and held her protectively in his arms.