It took a while for the two to get home (thanks to having had to stop so TaeMin could regain his energy and throw up). When they did reach his house, TaeMin’s mom was ready to receive them since MinHo had called to warn her.

            “You should have told MinHo you weren’t feeling well!” she scorned. In seconds she had TaeMin set up in the guest room on the first floor. A bucket was set up by the bed and TaeMin had his body hovered over top it as soon as he came in.

            “I’m so sorry! I should have noticed it sooner!” MinHo apologized, freaking out from where he was at the door.

            “It’s not your fault sweetie! Really, it isn’t, so don’t blame yourself, okay? This happens a lot during the summer since it’s harder to tell when it’s hot. Be a dear and grab me those pills,” TaeMin’s mother said.

            MinHo grabbed the bottle of pills passing them to her. She dumped two in her hand before waiting patiently for TaeMin to finish gagging. It was painful to watch his skinny body convulsing like it was. When he finished this round of dry gagging MinHo felt somewhat relieved.

            “Honey, you need to swallow this,” TaeMin’s mom said.

            TaeMin nodded and took the pills with a trembling hand. His mom unscrewed the water bottle before passing it to him. It took forever before he was actually able to take the pills, but his mother assured MinHo that it would get better once he did. Which was true as twenty minutes later TaeMin was no longer gagging.

            He lay in his bed looking a ghastly white. He looked so pitiful… His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted so he could breathe. Even though he looked like he was sleeping MinHo knew better.

            Fear still clung to MinHo’s heart. Now that he’d witnessed one of these fits he was slightly traumatized. And to think this wasn’t even a serious episode…

            TaeMin’s mom approached MinHo, the tiniest of smiles on her face.

            “We should let him rest for now. You can stay if you want; JongHyun does that. When I go in to change his cold cloth you can come in and see how he’s doing, okay?” she asked.

            MinHo gave a dip of his head and let himself be herded out of the guest room. That kernel of fear was still lodged in his chest, but there was nothing he could do to help his new found boyfriend.

            Was this a sign? He wondered, dropping onto the couch. Were the forces of nature conspiring together on a plan that would make his dark secret spill out?

            This was getting ridiculous… Something was bound to happen…

            With his mind a jumbled mess, MinHo didn’t even realize his eyes drooping. The edges of his vision blurred until everything disappeared.

            Gently shoving shook MinHo out of the light nap he’d been taking. TaeMin’s mother’s face greeted him, a soft smile brushing lightly across her pale coloured lips as if it had been painted on with water colours.

            “I’m going to check up on TaeMin if you want to come along,” she said.

            MinHo nodded, not willing to give up a chance to check on his beloved.

            They walked silently to the guest room down the hall. It was dark in here (someone had pulled the curtains; he assumed TaeMin’s mother) and TaeMin lay in the same position as before. He’d regained some colour back in his cheeks and had his eyes opened which MinHo took as a sign of improvement.

            “How you doing, baby?” his mother asked, changing the wet cloth on his forehead.

            “Better,” TaeMin answered weakly. “Can you get me more water?” he asked.

            “Of course, I’ll be right back…”

            MinHo and TaeMin were left along together. It was getting quite awkward despite MinHo’s best efforts. Staring at how fragile TaeMin was just made him worry that if he so much as breathed too hard it would hurt him.

            “It’s okay if you want to go…” TaeMin whispered. “I’d understand if you were totally freaked out by this.”

            “I’m not freaked out,” MinHo contradicted.

            “Yes you are… Everyone freaks out when they see this,” TaeMin choked out.

            There was a pang of sympathy that hit MinHo hard in the chest. He closed the gap between him and his pitiful boyfriend lying on the bed and kneeled beside him.

            “I’m not freaked out,” he repeated.

            It only took one look at MinHo’s intense stare to reassure TaeMin. There was something in the way his eyes burned with a strange charismatic intensity that told him everything he needed to know.

            “Sorry…” TaeMin apologized.

            “It’s fine…” MinHo assured. He took his boyfriend’s clammy hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. He gave them a quick kiss before TaeMin’s mother came back with water and ice cubes wrapped up in a dish towel. Her eyes lingered on the clasped hands of the two boys, but she made no comments.

            With the help of Minho, she managed to get TaeMin into a sitting position so he could sip at his water. Once everything had been freshened up and TaeMin had begun to drop with drowsiness, they left, deciding to prepare supper in order to distract themselves.