I woke up to find myself on the loveseat in my room, with Junho, Nick and Woo leaning over me like three very good looking  sunflowers at bay. I sat up quickly, “Whoa~hey guys!!” before wincing in sudden pain. Junho left immediately as Woo pulled off my shoes, and Nick held my face in his. “How are you feeling now? What do you need? Can you feel all of your extremities?” I nodded my head- the room spun a little- and patted Nick’s cheek as Junho returned, holding a glass of water and a jar of something- when he opened it and dumped colorful pills into my hand, I looked at his trembling form, and then I understood.

I pulled Junho into my arms as his trembling continued. “I’m so glad that you’re okay, I-I-I can’t tell you the things I imagined when I heard what was going on,” the vocalist whispered into my neck as we rocked for a while. Woo and Nick just joined in, and the four of us sat there for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of being there for one another, until- “Um, guys, sorry to kill the mood, but I really need to shower…” Woo jumped up like a gunshot, causing me to chuckle, and the others followed right away, with Nick saying, “We’ll give you time to wash up,” but the tone of his voice said, And we’ll be sitting in the hallway until you return from the bathroom-breathe differently, and no matter what-I’m kicking your door in to get you.

I swallowed the pills quickly, and showered in the hottest water my body would allow me to tolerate- after the ert’s words, I just feel dirty- and I reinforced my pad this time when I put on my pajamas. I opened the door to find Nick, Junho, Woo, Chan and Taec standing out in the hallway, talking amongst themselves quickly in some fast Korean I couldn’t follow. Taec noticed me and gently brushed Woo out of the way to embrace me, burying his face in my hair and inhaling deeply. Chan did the same, and I was effectively cuddled between two warm, 6 foot muscled men-heaven to my groin, basically.

Nick pulled them apart to hand me something wrapped in a bundle. Opening the bundle, I found an electric blanket and one of Nick’s pajama shirts. “…I know that heat helps during your….time, and the shirt makes it easier to move around in when you sleep on it,” the Thai Prince led me to a pile of beanbags and cushions to sit on in the living room, and as soon as my hit the topmost pile Taec arranged the other softies so that I was off the ground and in a nest of pure terry cloth warmth. “Taec, you don’t-“ but he wouldn’t have it, covering my mouth delicately with one finger as he draped Nick’s shirt around me, putting my arms through the sleeves. “I have to- I want to, Taren- I told you that nothing would happen to you, and tonight I failed….”

Taec’s eyes were full of sorrow as he whispered, “I don’t know how you can look at me now,” and I pulled him into my arms as my tears fell. “I love you, Taecyeon-because you still came, and you can’t control everything around you, you know that. Besides, you still came and whooped , so you made up for the minutes that passed…”

I looked up to meet Chan’s eyes, whose bottom lip was quivering, and I opened the arm that wasn’t holding a whimpering rapper to him-immediately, Chan came in and settled, careful of my side. Junho must’ve remembered, for after a moment then he grabbed the two 6 footers and pulled them back suddenly, “The bruise-we haven’t wrapped it yet!!” I blushed as they all stared at me, and Nick said patiently and softly, “You have to raise your shirt so that we can see it, my love.”

Underneath Nick’s fluffy, open shirt, I was wearing a camisole and baggy pajama pants- but the feeling of exposing myself to that degree still sent a blush up my face as I gingerly raised the corner of my hem and lowered the pants-line to reveal a bruise the size of a handprint on my groin, complete in black and blue colors and beginning to swell a little. There was a collective gasp, and Nick crawled to my side and gently ran two trembling fingers over the bruise while Woo’s tears came streaming down his face quietly. Chan immediately pulled a shivering Junho to his feet, and shook him slightly, saying, “There’s gotta be some medicine in a cabinet that can fix this-help me find it!!” The two dashed out of the room to find their treasure.

I tried to fight off the growing wave of emotion in the room, as well as to hold back mine. I’m too sensitive right now-I can control some of this, I thought as Nick alternated between touching my lips gently and the area around the bruise with his fingers lightly. “Guys, I’m really not in that much pain- in fact, those pills that Ho-ni gave me are starting to kick in as we speak- I’ll be tasting colors soon,” I chuckled through the haze, trying to lighten up the mood, but to no avail. Taec didn’t say a word, didn’t move, didn’t breathe, didn’t do anything but stare at me, and I grew nervous, “Taec? Are you okay-what’s-EH?!”

Taec moved faster than my eyes could follow- in the time it took me to inhale the smallest breath, Taec had pushed Nick and Woo out of the way, pushed me back against the pile of cushions, and was staring at my bruised body-with his face 2 inches away from my groin. Immediately my face grew hot, and I wriggled slightly as Taec held me in place with a hand on either side of my stomach, nuzzling and rubbing one of his hot cheeks against my side. “Taec-what are you-oh..” I the next moment, my mind went blank. Completely blank.

Taec, the 6 foot rapper of 2PM, a lover of the arts and sciences, culture explorer, and loyal friend to all, was now gently my bruise. His tongue ran up and down the area and the vicinity of the bruise, and I felt the rough texture of his tongue fill the concavity, demographic, and sensitivity of my skin, and he kept up a steady rhythm. What…..the hell?! What is he doing?! Why am I nervous?! Why does it feel kinda…nice?  Nick moved closer to me as Taec leaned back, and as the Thai Rapper looked into my eyes, and I shivered as something passed in his own as he waved at me, “I think that medicine really is taking effect, Taren-you’re getting sleepy right now, right?” I shook my head, “No I’m not-and Taecyeon, what are you doing? Are you feeling okay?”

Nick touched my forehead gently, “No, you are getting sleepy-it’s all over your face…” What is he talking about…..? As soon as he pulled his hand away, I felt lightheaded and woozy. Where in the hell did this come from?! I felt fine just a second ago, and now… Indeed, my eyelids felt as though they were a hundred pounds each, and I felt myself falling backwards into the cushions. The last thing I remember before passing out completely was reaching out and grabbing for someone, and then I knew nothing but peace,  blissful warmth……and the vision of the wings of an angel, dancing in the rays of the Moon…