==============

Caressing his cheek, you looked at Taemin who looked back at you with nothing but adoration in his eyes.  ‘I come here so often; I should bring a spare toothbrush.’ You grinned while looking at his soft features, illuminated by the moonlight; ‘You should.’ He mumbled in a hum. The yellow Celine shirt kept you comfy in bed. You’d slipped it on right after showering which was right after…the piano. Now, even your skin smelled of Taemin’s body wash. ‘You could stay here, always.’ He suggested lightly. You hummed, continuing to his cheek instead. Taemin sighed into a toothy smile; ‘I have something for you.’ He said with building excitement. Before you could react, he fumbled by his bedside draw, pulling something out immediately and handing it over without pause. 

Instantly, you recognised the small velvet-lined box.

‘I guessed.’ He said, pecking just under your ear. ‘Guessed what?’ You blurted out, feeling your heart begin to whirl. Taemin simply grinned, watching you open the box-

-A silver band looked right back at you; ‘Let’s make it official.’ Taemin grinned. Your lips parted in shock, and it was hard to form the words; ‘Do-do I say yes, or do I just put it on?’

 ‘Whichever you’d like.’ He murmured while taking the ring out of the box and lifting your hand-

-He hesitated…

Looking down, you did too; Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s rings occupied two fingers. Not your ring finger, but-

-‘I can take them off.’ You said quickly, trying to stifle the panic in your voice. Taemin glanced at you; ‘Are you sure?’ Nodding and gulping harshly, you moved, aiming to remove Bakehyun’s ring first. It was snug and delicate…nothing like Baekhyun at all…but it most certainly mimicked the same sentiment the day he’d bought it. You gripped the band tightly, held your breath, and pulled-

-Taemin stopped you. His hand held yours; ‘Don’t.’ He whispered. ‘No no, it’s ok, I can do it.’ You said, nodding your head egregiously. ‘I can see it hurts you.’ Taemin murmured calmly. ‘But…’ Your brows pulled together, trying hard to form the words and failing…

…But-

-In a sudden wave of determination. With one swoop, you removed both bands and instead and placed them on your right.

‘There.’ You hummed in approval, causing Taemin to grin in a near-mopping way; ‘Yah, I can share you know. I’m not that jealous.’ The happy look in his eyes didn’t match the tone of those words, not one bit. And you could have sworn you’d heard Taemin loose a sigh of relief.

Did he know those words would come back to haunt him?

Did you both?

‘I know.’ Was the response you gave him with a happy shrug as you lifted your hand and offered it to him. Taemin didn’t need further encouragement- sliding the ring onto your finger, he spoke; ‘Consider this the bubble.’ Lifting your hand, both of you watched the moonlight bounce off it; ‘The day you’ve had enough, take it off.’

You wanted to laugh it off, to chuckle over how ludicrous that promise sounded. But…it was hard to ignore the weight of his words.

Nothing ever lasts, does it?

They stung as they sunk in, but Taemin’s small, gentle smile gave you some sort of hope…some reassurance that they were just silly words; a type of disclaimer obligated to be mentioned before signing a contract. Caressing his cheek with the same hand, you simply watched him for a moment before leaning in-

-pressing your lips against his tenderly.

Nothing lasts forever.

You pressed harder.

But…

And harder.

Parting your lips with his and breathing Taemin in-

…I don’t think I’ll ever have enough. Not of this.

You let him grab you, let him position you over his lap. Let him look up at you while you kissed his lips once more-

Touching. Kissing. Feeling the warmth of someone so close to me. No. It’s an addiction-

-A phone, your phone; buzzed erratically on the side table. 

Taemin ignored it, but you turned to it since no one ever called at this time.

‘You don’t have to answer it.’ Taemin murmured against your lips.

‘I have to.’ You muttered and leaned over the bedside table. He fought back a grumble. 

Reading the name on the screen confused you; Why was Chanyeol of all people calling you at this hour?

No. Taemin was right; you didn’t need to take this. It probably wasn’t important. Perhaps Chanyeol didn’t know you were out and just wanted to know if you’d order some chicken. If it was anything more pressing, he could easily call Manager Kim or Park.

You paused, letting the phone ring in your hands.

You don’t need to answer.

But your finger didn’t move of the answer button. You knew Taemin was watching you, giving you the choice in his silence.

You slid your finger over, hovering over the ‘End Call’ button-

-But why would Chanyeol call?

With gritted teeth, you pressed the button, and held the phone to your ear-

-‘What Chanyeol, I’m kind of-‘

‘-______?’ You could immediately from the way he said your name that something was wrong. ‘What is it?’ You asked, more alert now. ‘It’s nothing! Well, it’s not nothing…’ He sighed and spoke more quietly in his low tone; ‘I didn’t want to call Manager Kim-‘

‘-Chanyeol, what is it?’ You asked again, forgetting Taemin’s presence for just a moment. ‘It’s Sehun, we’re at the hospital-‘

‘WHAT?’ You held back your shriek and instead jumped out of bed, scaring Taemin in the process.  ‘-Which hospital, I’m coming NOW.’ You exclaimed, trying to find the clothes you came in.

‘Wait, you said you were busy-‘

-‘Which hospital Chanyeol. Send me the location.’ The authority in your voice had him reciting the address immediately. You didn’t have any more time to spare, hanging up and rushing to the door, you almost forget Taemin existed until his hand fluttered against yours, reaching for you- ‘Who’s injured?’ 

You paused for just a moment, knowing you owed him at least that. Running your hands through your hair, you tried to keep your voice even; ‘I don’t know but Sehun’s in hospital, so I have to go.’ 

‘I’ll come with you-‘

‘-No. You don’t need to do that.’ You responded a little too quickly, causing Taemin to purse his lips dejectedly; ‘I’m not sure who’s there. If Baekhyun is…’ You couldn’t deal with that friction right now; ‘Besides Tae, you’ve got a schedule, I’m sure you’re going to be tired. I don’t know how long I’ll be or how serious it is.’ The guilt immediately ate away at you, immediately. Especially while Taemin’s innocent face couldn’t hide that off-look behind his eyes as he sat overside the bed. ‘Chanyeol wouldn’t call me if there was someone else.’

‘Then let me take you at least-‘

-‘Sleep Tae, rest.’ You cupped his face in your hands, leaning over him tenderly, even if your mind was racing, your body wanted to go; to see Sehun immediately, to figure out what was happening-

-‘But you won’t rest.’ The words caught you off-guard until a small smile appeared on your lips; ‘Tae, it’s my job.’ You pushed his bangs away from his face, staring into his dark eyes that shone. To think that that beautiful face wanted you to stay.

He pursed his lips. Wanting to say more but resisting.

And just like that, you pressed on; finding your clothes and tugging, pulling them on with quick and ungraceful movements. By the time you reached the door, you were fully clothed, tugging on your boots; ‘Will I see you later?’ Taemin asked behind you. Turning around, you replied; ‘I hope so. And thank you-‘

You lifted your hand, showing off the ring while you opened the door behind you; -‘For this.’ Kissing him on the cheek one last time, you left, closing the door behind you. The faint trace of your scent and his body wash still lingered in the air.

======

‘I came as quickly as I could.’ You breathed. Loose strands of hair fluttered over and around your face while you practically bolted down the hospital corridor from the lobby. The VIP entrance of this ward meant that hopefully no one would have seen Exo members check in, or watch Sehun be transferred. Chanyeol waved you down near the end of the corridor, his long arms were open and waiting; ‘I’m sorry I called. I should have called someone else if you were busy-‘

‘-Where is he?’ You interjected, gabbing his arm in haste. Chanyeol blinked; ‘In there.’ He gestured towards the door on his left. ‘No one took photos, right?’ You asked, trying to lessen the anxiety in your voice. Chanyeol shook his head, his long lean body moved towards the door; ‘He’s been asking for you.’ In that moment, the look of disappointment in Taemin’s eyes was just enough to bear.

‘Why is he in here, what did you guys do?’ You asked, walking past Chanyeol as he helf the door open-

-Immediately you locked eyes with him.

Baekhyun sat in the corner opposite the door. It took effort to not leave the room and escape. Holding your ground, you pretended he didn’t exist as if it was the easiest task in the world.

-‘I thought you called Manager Kim?’ Baekhyun protested. He stood up from the small, curved, leather chair he sat in. Chanyeol shrugged; ‘Did you want to get in trouble with the company?’-

-‘What’s that?’

Holding your breath, you recoiled, totally forgetting to hide your hands in the pocket of your jacket.

‘Not your concern.’ You said, swiftly tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear to try and own the fact that you were now dating Lee Taemin. And that was all it took; with a huff, Baekhyun stormed out the room without another backwards glance. ‘Baek-‘ Chanyeol called after him, following Baekhyun out the room.

You stood still for a moment, trying to steady your unsteady heart. The adrenaline needed to subside for a moment while you fought to breath normally-

-‘Noona.’

-You turned to him immediately.

Sehun was lying on the hospital bed, still dressed in attire meant for going out. ‘Sehun!’ You whispered in shock while rushing to his side. He lifted his head slightly. What looked like massive cotton buds were stuck right up his nose. A purple stain smeared over his bridge, close to his eyes. He combed his fingers through his hair with one hand and the other held out for you; ‘Aren’t you going to scold me for calling you Noona?’ He asked sarcastically, but the physical pain in his voice had you holding back.

You took his hand and kneeled over him, fussing with his clothes, your fingers hovered over his injured face; ‘You can have it this once.’ You almost chocked, trying not to, yet wanting to touch his face. Being older by only a few months still meant something to him, or at least to the years-long running joke. Today was not the day to scold him for the nickname you knew he’d affectionately given you. ‘Sehun-ah, what happened to you?’ You mumbled, having to purse your lips together, to try and stay calm while your eyes welled up from seeing him in pain. 

‘We went drinking.’

You almost jumped out of your skin. It wasn’t Sehun who answered, but Jongin, who seemingly popped out of nowhere right by Sehun on his left. He’d been resting by the large window, lying alongside it, and using his jacket as a makeshift blanket.

‘Jongin!? Wait, who’s we?’ You’d clutched your chest in shock, taking a few steps backward. Jongin remained astute; ‘Us, Chanyeol and Baekhyun.’

‘What happened?’ You gasped, trying to find the answer from either Sehun or Jongin, but it was Jongin who obliged; ‘He shoved a Soju bottle up his nose. We were drunk of course; Chanyeol dared him-‘

-‘They bet on me!’ Sehun interjected, sounding nasally from the buds stuff up his nose. With a look of horror, you stared at Jongin who now pointed at Sehun; ‘Yah you bet on yourself too.’

‘Well, you owe me money then, all of you-‘

-‘If someone doesn’t tell me EXACTLY what happened.’ Raising your voice, you fought back the urge to bang their heads together at the audacity; ‘Did you break your nose??’ You pressed on.

‘He thinks he did-‘

-‘I did!’ Sehun interjected before realising yelling was a big mistake; he squeezed his eyes shut and wheezed, wanting to grab at his nose. ‘Someone pushed his head against the table to get it up there-‘

‘-You guys pushed me because you wanted to win!’ Sehun mumbled the words this time through gritted teeth. Your temper was searing while you shot Jongin an angry look. ‘It wasn’t me.’ He defended, pouting the same way Taemin had earlier.

‘We were all drunk, actually…’ Jongin rubbed the back of his head abruptly as Sehun groaned. ‘…I think I’m still a bit drunk-‘

‘-You think?’ You snapped, rubbing your temples exasperatedly. ‘And who’s idea was it to drink after practice, huh?’

‘Baekhyun’s.’ Sehun mumbled. Jongin remained quiet. Your eyes formed slits; ‘Why am I not surprised?’ the icy sentiment in your tone rendered both boys silent. ‘Well, where’s the nurse? Has the doctor come to see you?’ You asked, looking around. ‘They stopped the bleeding. I don’t know if they said anything about stiches-‘

‘-Stiches!?’ Sehun yelled before wincing. The blood leached from your skin, and you tried to ignore the oncoming ringing in your ears- ‘They said it’s not as bad as it looks basically. So don’t worry.’ There was concern and disregard in Jongin’s voice. ‘No thanks to you.’ Sehun retaliated, dropping his head back. ‘It wasn’t me!’ Jongin repeated defensively again while manoeuvring around the bed.  

‘____, don’t tell India.’ Sehun turned to you desperately. ‘I won’t, but good luck explaining this-‘ You gestured towards his face and the dark purple bruise across the bridge of his nose that bloomed around his cheeks; ‘-To her when she calls.’ He dropped his head back onto the pillow, deflated.

-‘Is that why Baekhyun stormed out?’ Jongin asked curiously. ‘What?’ You asked, confusedly meeting his glance downwards. His hand reached yours, lifting it so you both could see the newly endowed ring in your finger. You flushed.

‘So, he finally, did it?’ Jongin’s tone was simply curious while his thumb brushed against the ring until he seemed to realise something and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets once more. Sehun’s head remained back on the pillow in a sober less state.

‘You knew?’ you asked, surprised. ‘He asked me to come ring shopping with him.’ Jongin shrugged nonchalantly. Your mouth formed an ‘Oh’ unable what to say next while you stared down at the ring.

‘He didn’t know the size, so we had to guess.’ A small twitch of a smile appeared on Jongin’s lips. ‘How did you get the size right?’ You said quietly, curiously.

Jongin shrugged but the intended apathy wasn’t there this time; ‘It was a lucky guess.’

For some reason, you didn’t believe him.

-‘Yah is that from Taemin?’ Sehun asked, surprised, and snapping you out of your thoughts. You nodded briskly. ‘Who picked the band?’ You asked Jongin inquisitively while Sehun moved closer to inspect the ring, holding your hand while looking at it. It was a momentary distraction from the pain he’d endured at least.

‘He did.’ Jongin lied.

Well, it was a half-truth. 

He’d picked this one and Taemin picked another, darker silver band. Ultimately, it was Taemin’s choice to choose which one was best.

-‘You think she’ll prefer this band?’ Taemin asked, the stress in his voice was evident while surveying 2 of the hundreds of bands they’d already looked at.

Jongin shrugged; ‘It’s what I’d-‘

He stopped himself abruptly and combed his fingers through his hair, pulling the mask he wore to help conceal his identity even further up his nose. Taemin glanced back at Jongin but remained quiet, observant even in his stressed state. It panicked Jongin further-

-‘I just think she’d like it. I mean, it’s up to you, I’m not sure. Anyway, just pick one so we can go – the Café’s going to close.’ He shoved his hands into his pockets abruptly. Taemin considered one of his closest friend’s words and smiled; ‘I’ll go with this one then.’ He pointed at the silver band that was the exact one you now wore on your finger.

‘Hopefully she’ll like it, since you know her better than me.’ Taemin tried to laugh the joke off, but Jongin stiffened while trying to feign obliviousness; ‘Yah, just because I’ve known her longer, doesn’t mean I know her better.’ He readjusted his cap while they both watched the server clean and package the ring. ‘Mmm.’ He hummed; disbelief subtly aded Taemin’s tone.

‘Hyung, she’ll like the ring because YOU’RE giving it to her.’ Jongin nudged his friend, pouting under his mask. Taemin reciprocated with an appreciative, masked smise.

-‘Oh, well, thanks for helping him- I really like it.’ You smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. The ring mocked Jongin as subtly as it reflected the hospital room lights.

‘I’m glad.’ He tried to smile. ‘And, where’s Junmyeon?’ You asked, clearing your throat while avoiding his gaze; ‘He’s back at the dorms…asleep.’ Jongin replied quickly. ‘We knew he’d freak out if we told him.’ Sehun said a little too truthfully while readjusting himself on the bed. You fought the urge to glare at both of them and instead, held a steady breath. What Sehun said was the truth in fairness. Regardless, you got up steadily and headed to the door; ‘I’m going to go out and sign the paperwork. Let me know if anything happens-‘

-The door opened just as you were right about to pull the handle. And someone you least expected nearly walked right into you-

Kyungsoo.

‘_____.’ He said your name slowly with his large lips while his round eyes stared at you. ‘Kyungsoo.’ Immediately, you felt the urge to stuff your ringed hand deep into your pocket.

‘You came.’ Jongin said with an almost surprised nod. ‘Wait why did you bring Junmyeon?’ Sehun moaned. Junmyeon had nearly crashed into Kyungsoo who had stopped the door before hitting you square in the face. ‘You didn’t tell me not to-’ Kyungsoo shrugged, his eyes surveyed across the room to both Jongin and the Maknae. ‘-And, I couldn’t be bothered to come alone.’ He mumbled apathetically. ‘Yeah but-‘

-‘Why did you call me?’ Kyungsoo asked, shifting his hair under his black cap and removing the black mask he wore. Junmyeon removed his white one; ‘Sehun what happened to you!?’ Immediately the leader’s concerned expression appeared grew more disconcerting while rushing to Sehun’s side.

‘You called me, for this?’ Kyungsoo asked, his gaze loomed over to Sehun. 

‘I thought you wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing this.’- Jongin gestured toward a glum and battered Sehun who was now receiving worried earfuls from the leader; Did anyone see you? How did this even happen? – he whittered on worriedly.

-‘I’d prefer to sleep.’ Kyungsoo mumbled, but regardless, he took out his phone and took a picture of the scene and another up close shot of Sehun. Both Junmyeon and you looked at him, appalled.

-‘Send them to me.’ Chanyeol entered the room and immediately hounded Kyungsoo. ‘And me...’ Jongin mumbled while he tried to ignore Sehun’s look of betrayal…and yours.

‘NO! Delete them. No one gets a whiff of these pictures.’ You jabbed a finger in everyone’s direction. ‘We’re not going to leak it.’ Chanyeol pouted, now flanking your other side.

‘We’ll, don’t’ post it anywhere.’ Junmyeon always had your back, you glanced toward him with appreciation. ‘I can send it to Jong Dae though, right?’ Chanyeol asked eagerly, much to your disapproved look before turning to Sehun; ‘Sehun-ah.’ Moving to him quickly, you reached to his side. Sehun’s head was tilted back; a wad of cotton shoved up his nose. ‘Ow.’ He moaned, tilting his head ever so slightly forward to try and meet your concerned star; ‘Where is the doctor? Or a nurse?’ You snapped, whirling your head round to the others-

-‘The Plastic Surgeon’s aren’t on call so we have to wait. Dr Kim should be here in a few minutes, he’s just parking. They said it doesn’t look too serious, they’ve just got to check his bone.’ A middle-aged nurse appeared out of what seemed like, thin air.

‘BONE!?’ Sehun squeaked at the same time Junmyeon did. ‘It’s fine sir. The doctor’s seen the scans, he’ll have you fully handled soon. The bleeding has stopped so you can take the cotton bud out-‘ She was by Sehun’s side in a matter of moments, practically shooing Jongin out of the way and consequently, Junmyeon. ‘Are they going to take away my nose?’ Sehun asked deliriously while his hand reached for yours and you took it, squeezing tightly while your mind whirled with anxiety-inducing thoughts; It frightened you to see him so worried, regardless of how out of it he was-

‘No idiot.’ Baekhyun­­ muttered in response as Sehun began to whine. ‘They’re still a bit drunk.’ Chanyeol said in apology, gesturing towards both an irritated Baekhyun and an upset Sehun. The nurse looked unamused at worse and apathetic at best; ‘Who’s Mr Oh’s next of kin?’ She asked while you quickly dropped Sehun’s hand, worried she’d get the wrong-

-‘She is.’ Sehun said without blinking. You blinked, hard, and then nodded; watching the Nurse slowly remove a cotton ball from Sehun’s nostril and then replacing it with a fresh one. The blood-stained ball had the colour draining from yours, Sehun’s and most-likely Junmyeon’s who stood close enough to see it, at least.

The nurse hid any sign of curiosity well, masking it in a tone full of apathy while she replaced the ot