“Hyung, your phone,” Changmin said when Yunho’s phone was buzzing on the table without taking his eyes off of the newspaper.

He was accompanying Jaejoong cooking and Yunho was there too but then he left without his phone to the bathroom.

“Who is it?” Jaejoong asked while he started washing the dishes. He liked doing everything in the kitchen by himself so the maid in the condo only worked outside the kitchen.

Changmin shrugged.

“Well, do you mind looking?” Jaejoong rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly.

Changmin glanced at the bright screen and was frozen when “Auntie Shim” showed up. Jaejoong turned around because the buzzes didn’t stop for a while but Changmin kept quiet.

“What’s wrong?” Jaejoong asked with worry.

Changmin looked up. There was confusion and he looked terrified for a while. “My mother.” Changmin stood up and paced around. “What do I do? Hyung, I’m not ready facing them. No. I can’t lie.”

“You don’t have to lie, Changmin,” Jaejoong said and when Changmin didn’t stop, he dried his hands and walked to him. “Hey, hey. Look at me. Why are you so afraid of? You didn’t do anything bad,” Jaejoong continued again as he held Changmin’s arms to stop him from pacing around.

Changmin shook his head. “I turned my phone off and I didn’t call and suddenly I show up with a news that I’m dying?”

Jaejoong wanted to cry and screamed at the word “dying”. Why was there such a cruel word like that? Why did his little brother have to be the subject of that word? Changmin is dying.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Changmin said and when Jaejoong got back from his thoughts, he saw a sympathy in Changmin’s eyes.

“No! I should be the one to say sorry,” he said and hugged Changmin. He hid the waver in his voice. He had to be strong. No more crying. It’s not his place to lean on the others when Changmin needed it the most. “You gotta talk to them, alright? They deserve to know.”

Changmin played with the back of Jaejoong’s shirt and he gave a long deep sigh before saying “okay”. Jaejoong let him go and reached for Yunho’s phone. There was three missed calls and when Jaejoong wanted to push the button, “Auntie Shim” showed up on the screen again.

He pushed the phone to Changmin’s direction. “Yunho wouldn’t mind.”

Changmin nodded and took the phone. He went to the backyard to answer the phone.

“Umma?”

“Oh God! Changmin-ah! I was worried. Where have you been? Why is your phone off? Your father and I are in Seoul right now. I just landed. Your father landed earlier this morning. We want to see you,” she chattered and Changmin didn’t know how to respond.

“I…am in London with hyungs,” Changmin said softly. He sat on the bench at the backyard. The morning breeze blew right to his face and he didn’t mind a little sunlight on his skin. He needed it to hide the paleness of his skin.

“What?! Why are you in London? Don’t you kids have works to do here?”

“Yeah. We just decided to take a week off, mom. Everything’s okay.”

“Are you sure? Why are you so quiet?”

“I need to tell you something, mom.”

“Is this about the incident in your exhibition, honey? Your sister called and said that she didn’t get the chance to talk to you. When she tried to check you up at the hospital, you’re gone already. And, I called Yunho, but he said you were just tired. What’s going on?”

Changmin sighed. He couldn’t deliver the news like this. He had to face them. They didn’t deserve this. But, he knew, it would be a lot harder to tell his family directly. “I’m sick, mom.”

There was a moment of silence, before his mother chuckles darkly. “Yunho’s right. You’re just tired.”

“They told me it could be liver cancer. I took the test three days ago. The next day, they took me to London. I always love London.”

There was a moment of silence again, but this time a sob was escaped from the phone.

“Mom, I-“

“You can’t tell me this way!”

“I know and I am sorry. But, I am too scared to face you and dad and noona. I’ll make you worry!”

“Well, don’t you think I’m not worried for you now when I read the news that you passed out at your own exhibition then none of us could reach you for a week and suddenly now you’re in London telling me that it could be liver cancer?!”

“I’m sorry, mom. I really am.”

“Oh, my son,” sobs escaped her lips non-stop for a while and Changmin just listened to his mother’s misery. “Please come home, my dear.”

“I will but not right now, mom. I need to clear my head. I need to get away from the reality.”

“Changmin, please. I need to see you. I need to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m okay. I promise, mom. No more secret. I won’t hide anything from you guys. I just…I need my time. Can I have that?”

His mother was quiet for a while. “Promise me you’ll take good care of yourself and contact me every single day?”

“I promise, mom. I promise.”

She sighed. “I’ll call Jaejoong or Yunho too,” she said. She sniffed a little before sighing again and sobs were heard again. “My Changmin. Oh, my Changmin.”

Changmin sat there and listened and talked sometimes to his mother. He was sad. Not for himself. He was sad for Jaejoong, Yunho, Junsu, Yoochun, his parents, his sister. He was sad for the people who love him. And, for once after a while, after the incident, he felt grateful and happy that he wouldn’t have to be left by those people and also sad that he would have to see them grieving for him when the time came.

“What are we doing here?!!” Junsu asked panickly and hit Yoochun’s arm on his right while Changmin was practically crying and laughing at the same time on his left.

Jaejoong took the seatbelt off and turned to the back of the car. He smiled sweetly, evilly. “We just wanted to know,” he shrugged, “how brave you are.”

“Come on, Junsu, be brave for once,” Yunho said as he spared a glance from the rear-view mirror of the car.

“What? Did you put a bet on it?!” Junsu asked angrily.

Yunho looked away and Yoochun muttered a quiet loud whisper “kind of”.

“Hyung!!” Junsu was finally yelling, “I can’t believe you! I thought you are the sane one!”

“I am sane,” Yunho said as he turned around, “I’m not putting a bet that you’ll freak out like Yoochun and Jaejoong here. Make me proud!”

“Still! This is not right! You guys are all lying to me!” he turned to Jaejoong, “You said we were going to have a picnic!”

“Well, we are,” Jaejoong said calmly, “but, Changmin asked for a stop on our way here and I couldn’t say no to this little boy of mine.” Jaejoong looked at Changmin who was still laughing lovingly.

“You are disgusting,” Yoochun said before he got off the car. He held the door open for Junsu.

Junsu shook his head. “No! I’m not going out!”

“Please, Junsu-yah,” Yunho begged, “Yoochun and Jaejoong are going to take £10 each.

“Especially only for that much of money!” he insisted.

“Then, do it for me, hyung,” Changmin said after laughing for a while.

“No! Not for you and not for anyone!”

“You’re a vice president of a multinational company! Come on! Be a man, Junsu!” Yoochun said hard.

“No is a no!” Junsu yelled.

“See, this isn’t hard, right?” Yoochun said when they were waiting for Yunho and their tickets to get inside one of the most exciting theme park in London, The London Dungeon.

“I hate you all. Oh God, I hate you so very much!” Junsu kept muttering the words since they got inside the building fifteen minutes ago.

When Yunho walked to where they were standing, Junsu shook violently. “I’m not going in.”

“Yes, you are,” Changmin said. He took Junsu’s right arm while Yoochun took the other arm and they dragged him inside the place.

“I’m going to die. No. I don’t wanna die! Guys! I’m going to have a heart attack! No! Please! I’ll pay you! I’m going to buy you guys lunch for the rest of my life! No! Please, don’t make me go!”

Junsu kept…talking and shaking and screaming and almost crying.

Yunho supported Junsu when they came out of the building. Junsu was pale and still shaking. Yoochun, Changmin, and Jaejoong kept laughing about the experience, or more like about Junsu when they were still inside.

“Okay, where do we go from here, big guy?” Yunho asked as he turned to Junsu who sat in the middle again.

Junsu shook his head. “Hospital? Asylum? Cemetery? I don’t care.”

Yunho nodded his head and put his seatbelt on. “Alright, let’s have our postponed picnic then.” Then, he started the car.

“Why couldn’t we just have the picnic earlier again? Oh right, because you guys are an ,” Junsu said weakly.

Changmin and Yoochun couldn’t stop laughing as they drove away.

They went to Royal Botanic Garden for a picnic.

Yunho spread the blankets on the grass while Jaejoong was preparing for their late lunch and afternoon tea. Yoochun and Changmin was playing catch right after they got there. Junsu was still in shock so he just sat on the grass and prayed that the nightmare wouldn’t come that night.

“Okay, kids, lunchtime!” Yunho announced.

“Why do I feel like we’re parents to them?” Jaejoong asked Yunho and Yunho just laughed.

“Aren’t we for a long time ago?” Yunho smirked.

“Waah, hyung! This is the best!” Yoochun said with mouth full with food.

Yunho slapped the back of his head. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

Yoochun pouted.

“You want some more, Changmin-ah?” Jaejoong offered him more tteokbokki but Changmin shook his head. “What? You hate my cooking? Is it to spicy? Too salty?”

“It’s fine, hyung,” Changmin smiled, “I’m just full.”

“You didn’t finish your breakfast this morning and you only ate half of Junsu’s portion when usually it the other way,” Jaejoong said as he put another tteokbokki on Changmin’s plate.

“I’m really full, hyung,” Changmin whined then he smiled softly.

“Please? For me?” Jaejoong asked again and Changmin didn’t have the heart to say no.

“Okay,” Changmin answered.

They spent the entire afternoon at the garden, talking and laughing most of the time, spending quality time with each other. Hours passed, Changmin was half asleep.

“Hey, aren’t you cold?” Junsu asked Changmin. He held and extra blanket for Changmin.

“I’m fine,” Changmin said. Junsu still put the blanket on top of him and Changmin didn’t fight it.

Yunho looked at the tired maknae and decided it was time to go back before Changmin tired himself even more. “Let’s go back home.”

“Okay.”

Changmin was asleep deeply on their way back to the condo.  He didn’t know why but he was so tired. Ever since the incident happened, he slept more and got tired easily. Maybe it was part of the medication so he could rest a lot more than he would let himself to.

When they arrived, Junsu woke Changmin up and took him to his room to change. Junsu made sure Changmin was comfortable on his bed before he went to his own room to change. He met Yunho on the hallway.

“He’s asleep?” Yunho asked.

“Yeah.”

“Can you wake him up in an hour for dinner? Jaejoong’s going to cook.”

“Okay,” Junsu replied and went into his room for a shower.

Junsu checked Changmin up seventy minutes later. He was going to go downstairs to have dinner and he had to bring Changmin with him too.

“Changmin-ah,” Junsu called from the door as he opened it a little.

Changmin’s room was dark, only the lamp next to the bed was on. Junsu remembered that he wasn’t turning any lamp off when he left him. Jaejoong or Yoochun probably came to check him up and turned off the lamp for him.

“Hey, Min, wake up,” Junsu said again and walked to his bed, “we have to eat dinner or Jaejoong hyung will kill us.” He watched as Changmin’s fingers were clenched slightly and he shivered visibly. Junsu knew something was wrong. “Changmin-ah?”

Junsu got closer and he could see the thin layer of sweat on Changmin’s forehead. Changmin shivered again with his eyes still closed.

“Changmin, are you okay?” Junsu sat next to Changmin on the edge of the bed and could feel Changmin’s fever through the wet shirt of Changmin. “Oh God, you’re having a fever,” he said while putting his hand on Changmin’s forehead.

Junsu ran to the closet and took out a towel. He wet the towel and put it on Changmin’s forehead.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Junsu said although he was sure Changmin would not, could not, go anywhere from his bed.

Junsu ran downstairs and went to the kitchen. Jaejoong and Yunho were talking. They both turned around hearing the hurry footsteps coming from Junsu. Jaejoong frowned and got worried when he looked at the terrified expression of Junsu.

“Changmin’s having a fever,” Junsu informed them.

Jaejoong ran upstairs and went to check him up. When he got there, Changmin was half awake.

“Hyung,” he said weakly.

Jaejoong shooed him. Yunho came with thermometer and Yoochun following him.

“I’m going to check your temperature, okay, Changmin-ah?” Jaejoong asked softly as he put the thermometer in Changmin’s mouth. “Yunho, please turn off the air conditioner. Yoochun, can you get me another shirt? He sweat this one.”

“I swear the last time I checked him up, his temperature was fine!” Junsu said panickly. He was scared that Changmin was having a fever because of something he did or Changmin was already having a fever when he helped him change but he didn’t realize that.

“It’s okay, Junsu,” Yunho calmed him down, “I was checking him when you were in your room and he was perfectly fine too.”

“Here,” Yoochun said as he gave Jaejoong the shirt.

Jaejoong changed Changmin’s shirt. Changmin was to lethargic to fight back. By the time Jaejoong was done with him, he looked at the temperature.

“38.8^oC. If it gets higher than 39.5^oC, we’re taking him to the hospital,” Jaejoong announced.

Yunho nodded his head.

They took care of him. Changmin was deeply asleep from the fever and the tiredness. That night, the five of them slept in the same room.

Because you guys are the sweetest readers and I have (OMG!!!!!!!!) 55 subscribers so far and I have a lot of free time these days, I give you guys my second update in like five days (I'm so proud of myself kekeke). This rarely happens guys, so just enjoy it while I can :D:D I also changed from present tense to past tense if you notice because I found it more common in stories, isn't it? Sorry, english is not my first language so I was kinda confused... I tried to change my other chapters to use the past tense but it took a while so I'm going to change it chapter by chapter while writing you guys another good chapter.

i HOPE THIS ISN'T BAD BECAUSE I WROTE IT SO QUICK AND I WASN'T REALLY SURE WITH THE STORYLINE IN THIS CHAPTER. BUT...ENJOY MY UPDATE <3