Friday, December 24^th
   4:00 p.m.
   Hongdae Children's Park

   Jinyoung had been searching places for a while now. Every second that ticked by sent a thousand scenarios through his mind about what could of happened to Gongchan or where he could of gone. Did he get kidnapped? Did he fall somewhere and hurt himself? Did his ankle tendons finally give way and he's in pain somewhere in the snow? Jinyoung shook his head, clearing his mind of such things. He couldn't think of this right now, he had a task that required every ounce of brain power. 

   It was surprising to Jinyoung. There was no one outside, due to the near-blizzard conditions, but it was still hard to find someone who wasn't trying to be found. If he remembered correctly, Gongchan was wearing a light-cream sweater under his coat. Although that'd help keep him a little warmer than just a long-sleeved shirt, it'd also make it more difficult to find him. Giving up, Jinyoung was just about to pull out his phone when he turned to his right and spotted a figured slumped over on the children's jungle gym, a small layer of snow on the figure's seemingly limp form. Although most people would have to go up to the person to see who it was, Jinyoung just knew.

   "Gongchan!" Jinyoung yelled, as he sprinted through the snow to the unconscious figure. This was bad. Very bad. Gongchan was very pale, unconscious, and faintly mumbling to himself. Hooking the boy's arm around his shoulders, Jinyoung hoisted Gongchan up and started trudging back to his car as quickly as he could, the horrific scenarios that played in his head resuming, all of them rapidly ending to a grim conclusion as each moment ticked the life away from Gongchan as the cold stole away his life's energy.

   Gently settling Gongchan into the front passenger seat, Jinyoung opened the driver's side door, started up the car and turned the heater on full blast while he got back outside, shut the door, and hastily dialed Suzy's number. He dare not drive while on the phone in this weather. He had already almost let Gongchan's life slip through his hands once, so he'd rather not put it in any more danger than it already was.

   "Hello?" Suzy answered, hoping for a good answer. She never got it.

   "Suzy? I found Gongchan... But—" Jinyoung could hear Suzy in her breath, and then hold it when he said 'but', "he's ice cold, pale, and unconscious. I'm taking him to the hospital now, I just wanted to tell you I found him. I'll meet you there." He hung up before he could receive any confirmation from Suzy, but he was sure she'd be there by the time he got there. Not wasting any more time, he stripped himself of his jacket, got back into his car, draping the jacket over Gongchan to act somewhat as a blanket, and drove off as quick and safe as he could towards the hospital.

•   •   •

   "Well well well," Shindong proclaimed triumphantly, like one would when predicting the return of someone and the prediction coming to pass, "look who's back. What happened? Too much in the snow?"

   Jinyoung blushed at this, evidently dumbfounded. Without waiting for a response, Shindong laughed, waltzing over to the chart on the edge of the bed from the doorway that he came through. Back in the hospital again... Twice in one week. Jinyoung felt horrible. Whatever feelings he had for this boy, love or whatever else it might be, coalesced into a form of black bird on his shoulder, whispering how he had failed to protect Gongchan once again, leading him instead from a minor injury, into one that threatened his life. 

   "Aw, relax now." Shindong chided, sensing Jinyoung's inner emotional turmoil while flipping through the chart, finally placing the papers back on its perch. "He'll be fine. You got him here just in time. We'll be keeping him overnight to monitor him and run tests on his vitals and his ankle. Otherwise, he should be ready for discharge within a day or two." Shindong beamed reassuredly. 

   "Thank you Shindong." Jinyoung managed weakly, the corners of his mouth twitching into some countenance between a smile and a muscle spasm. 

   "Look..." Shindong started, checking his watch, "it's getting late. Maybe you should head on home. You can come and see him in the morning . I'll write a note for the nurses to let you in ahead of visiting hours, but you only get half an hour before visiting hours start, so don't come too early."

   "Okay..." Jinyoung muttered, then he felt something was off. Flicking his right arm a little to center his wristwatch, Jinyoung checked the time. It was only 6 pm. 

   "Hyung, it's only 6. Visiting hours don't end until 8." Jinyoung reminded the doctor, although he was sure that the doctor knew his own hospital's visiting hours. He didn't want to leave Gongchan alone, with Suzy having already left with Minho and Baro about an hour earlier, when the nurses had him stabilized and his core heat returning to a safer range. To Jinyoung, he had failed in what he felt was duty to protect him, to be the tape that holds his heart together after Sandeul tore it asunder. 

   "Oh, I know. You just looked exhausted. Thought you could use the rest." Shindong retorted casually. Although he was to care for the sick, he knew how to shoo off the healthy. "He's fine. Go home and sleep. It'll help de-stress you a little."

   Knowing that Shindong was right and there wasn't really anything he could do at this point, Jinyoung sighed deeply. Raising from his seat, he shook hands with the man whose Gongchan's life was being safeguarded by, and took one last look at Gongchan's unconscious form. 

   It's your fault, the poisonous voice of the bird hissed in his ear. You're the reason he's like this. 

   Brushing this off as best he could, Jinyoung showed himself out of the hospital, half-acknowledging the desk clerk who stood up from her uncomfortable-looking chair and hastily attempted to flirt with the man as he left. Jinyoung could never feel the way the clerk felt for him as long as the boy laying in that same hospital was in his life. 

•   •   •

   "Shirt... What am I mi— pants. I'm missing pants." Jinyoung muttered to himself. Not being a fan of being in Gongchan's apartment without the owner there, Jinyoung was making a conscious effort to be as quick as possible, yet his efficiency was still being hampered just by the thought and smell of Gongchan. How such an emotional, boisterous boy could smell of something as sweet as strawberries, mint, and honey? He thought that all men who loved to run around would just smell of sweat, but live and learn. 

   As he was turning, in all of his superior grace and coordination, Jinyoung tripped over a box wrapped in colorfully-wrapped paper that was sticking out of the underside of Gongchan's bed. Silently cursing his lack of spatial awareness, Jinyoung peers back at the now-paperless box, and sighs. Not only did he possibly damage whatever was inside, but he also tore off the paper. Lovely.

   Rationalizing with the fact that he'll just tell Gongchan later that he had to peek at whatever was in the box, Jinyoung took it upon himself to check to see whatever was inside was still intact. Opening the box, he immediately wished he hadn't. 

   Inside the box was a framed picture of Gongchan and himself that Jinyoung had taken, along with a stuffed dog and stuffed fox plushies sitting under it. Collecting the wrapping paper that had been torn from the box, Jinyoung read the name carefully written on the decorative nametag. 

   To: Jinny
   From: Channy

   Realizing that he had stumbled across his Christmas gift, Jinyoung hastily hid the wrapping paper and slid the box back under Gongchan's bed. Fleeing Gongchan's apartment, Jinyoung hopped in his car, his foot colliding into the accelerator with the force comparable to the force it takes to turn coal to diamond. Making only one stop at a local florist to buy a bouquet to thank his pup for the wonderful gift he had stumbled across, Jinyoung finally pulled into his destination.

   Faintly humming to himself while bouncing on his heels, Jinyoung took the opportunity of an empty elevator to reflect on what's been happening to him. He had recently-ish met a boy around his age whom he's been spending every available second that his mind isn't already occupied, thinking about him in one way or another. Ever since he first saw him, he knew that he had to get to know the person behind the face. With the opening of the doors pulling him out of his reverie, Jinyoung sauntered out of the elevator, smelling the bouquet he got Gongchan; an arrangement composed mainly of purple and white water lilies; and hopes that his pup adores them.

   Walking into the room, Jinyoung had no time to react as the next few seconds happened quicker than he could process. Standing in Gongchan's room was a tall, wispy woman, dressed in a black business jacket and skirt. Her grey-streaked ebony hair was pulled tightly away from her face, which wore an expression of extreme vehemence and loathing. What was most striking was not her appearance, nor the fact that she seemed to resemble Gongchan. What was most unsettling was that she tightly held Gongchan's wrist in her bony, slender hand, unpolished fingernails digging into his skin. Upon seeing Jinyoung enter the room, bearing flowers, the woman released Gongchan's wrist, heels clicking against the tiled floor as she closed the space between Jinyoung and herself, drawing her hand back and then letting it sing through the air, across Jinyoung's cheek.

A/N: I told you it'd get worse. Thank you all for your words of encouragement, it helped to motivate me to finish writing this chapter. Thank you for commenting, subscribing, and voting. c: