By the end of the day Key had managed to deal with customers while getting the store back in shape. He didn't know who was at fault for the condition it had ended up in but he knew that it was a serious fault on Jonghyun for letting it get this way. Maybe Onew was right and he had been oblivious to the stress Jonghyun had been in... He kind of ended up self-absorbed at times.  

Like when he had been preparing his brand launch after their honeymoon... Jonghyun had spent countless nights awake planning the business side of it with Key, getting up early in the morning to make sure the space was perfect, dealing with the caterers and florists and table people when Key had broken down crying from the stress. He hadn't slept the entire night trying to make it perfect for Key and all Key could do was yell at him for getting the wrong napkins.  

He always came around to apologizing, and Jonghyun would forgive him, but Key considered it his biggest flaw in himself.  

But Jonghyun still hadn't come back, though, and Key was seriously beating himself up. Where was he? He had found his phone in the bag he'd left in the store. Onew had even come home with a passed out Taemin, holding him over his shoulder. Hyunjae came home before Jonghyun, and then Daniel had gone home, and when they flipped the closed sign on the store window that's when Key began to panic. He grabbed his phone, calling anyone and everyone who might have had news from Jonghyun.  

"Where could he be?" Key asked, upstairs in the condo with Onew as they cooked him dinner.  

He wasn't hungry, though. Dark thoughts kept beating him up. Had Jonghyun finally had enough of him? Had the fight they'd had the night before pushed him to the edge? What if he had jumped off a bridge? What if he had gotten into an accident?  

"What if he's dead, hyung? How would I know? What if he's in the hospital right now, and I can't even be there to help him? I will never forgive myself if he's hurt somewhere and dies without me... I'll bring him back to life and kill him myself for pulling a stunt like that!" They were strong words but everyone knew that it was merely a cover up for how worried Key was. And he wasn't the only one.  

The other two were worried, too. And with no means to contact him there was no way they could quiet Key's fears.  

"I'm sure he just got caught up in the other store's business," Hyunjae tried to reassure, sitting on the couch next to Key. "They were short staffed there today, right?"  

"Yeah, but he could have used the phone there to call me!"  

"Key, relax," Onew called, bringing Taemin over to his high chair. "Jonghyun will call."  

And as if right on cue, Key's phone rang. He jumped on it like a lioness jumped on her prey, not even looking at the caller ID before pressing accept call and putting the receiver up to his ear. "Hello?"  

"Key?"  

He exhaled a huge sigh of relief when he heard Jonghyun's voice, grateful that his suspicions of his husband being dead could finally be put to rest. That relief was instantly replaced with anger, though, and the catty man shot to his feet, pacing as he ripped into Jonghyun.  

"Where the hell are you? No, where the hell have you been?! I've been running the store all day waiting for you to show up. No call, no text, not a single ing peep. I've been worrying my  off here thinking you were dead or worse!" Key shrieked down into the microphone of his cellphone. He could practically see Jonghyun cringing away from the phone. He was preparing for a heated conversation, one they were used to having with a quick back and forth that ended up with apologies and saying 'I love you'. Instead, Key was shocked to hear Jonghyun sigh, sounding totally deflated.  

"Can you come pick me up please?" His husband asked feebly.  

"Yah, Jjongie," Key answered, losing the bite in his voice when he realized something was wrong. "What's wrong? Where are you?"  

The sudden change in his tone caught the attention of Onew and his sister-in-law, both looking up from what they were doing. There was only Taemin who stayed innocently aloof, kicking his feet in his high chair as he waited for the mushed peas and cheerios he loved so much.  

"I'm at the hospital," Jonghyun replied quietly and Key inhaled sharply. "Before you freak out, I'm not hurt. Not really. I just don't feel like taking the bus back to our place. Can you please come pick me up?"  

Key was already grabbing his keys, pulling his things towards him at a lightning pace as he made for the door that would lead down to the shop and out of the building to his car.  

"Which hospital?" he asked, and Hyunjae stood up, a hand on . He waited for Jonghyun's answer before taking the stairs down two at a time, rushing past the postcard stand and out the store, the rush of wind knocking over the display for the zillionth time.  

---- 

Key burst into the hospital waiting lounge where Jonghyun had said to meet him. They hadn't really had a long time to talk about the details on the phone, apparently Jonghyun didn't have enough money to keep the payphone going but being at the hospital alone had all of Key's red flags raised.  

He looked around, past the heads of the nurses, attendants, doctors, strangers all in the hospital going about their own separate lives. He was on the lookout for the one life that meant more to him than his own. Through sickness and health, for better or for worse is what he had promised Jonghyun. How disappointing had he been so far... Not even a year into their marriage and he was already breaking his vows. Not today, though. Things were going to change.  

"Key," Jonghyun's sweet voice called out and the young man whipped around, feeling his heart beat out of his chest when he saw his husband hobbling towards him on crutches.  

"Oh my god," he exhaled, feeling like he was going to cry. From relief at him being alive but also from shock at the whole situation. "What happened?" he asked, racing over to Jonghyun. He held on to his shoulders so he could look at his partner, noting the scrapes on his face and arms, the bright blue cast on his foot, the tousled hair, the eyebags under his eyes and... "Where are your glasses?"  

Jonghyun offered him a sheepish smile. "Lost them on the street I'm guessing."  

"How? Are you going to tell me what happened? Yah! I've been so worried and -"  

Jonghyun awkwardly reached out to hold Key's hand, trying to reassure him. "I'm fine, really. We both are. A school kid was trying to cross the road and some guy's tire popped on a glass bottle. With the rain he swerved out of control. I was close enough to the boy to pull him out of the way. We're both lucky to have escaped with just a few scrapes," he explained, hoping that would ease Key's concerns.  

But he should have known his husband better. Key's eyes bugged out of his skull and he whacked Jonghyun across the chest. "Y-yah! You jumped in front of an out of control vehicle to save someone? Are you crazy? Why are you – how could you – why are you so perfect?" Key was at a loss of what to say, baffled by his husband's kind actions and too relieved to hear he had come out of that story alive to be mad at him. He grabbed Jonghyun's face gently so as to not agitate the stitches on his forehead and kissed him, trying to force his tears back but they fell anyway. When he pulled away he wiped at his eyes furiously, turning away from Jonghyun. "You had me so worried," he cried and Jonghyun nudged him in the back of the leg with his crutch.  

"Hey baby, don't worry. I'm okay, I'm fine," he reassured him.  

But Key turned around, shaking his head. "No. I'm going to be a better husband from now on. I'm sorry for not helping you more. You've worked hard. You've worked hard." They made eye contact and Key could see how deeply exhausted Jonghyun was. His cheeks were more hollow than usual, his eyebags dark, his eyelids drooping, and yet he still found the energy to smile. Key stepped forward, leaning their foreheads together so they could enjoy a true moment together like they hadn't been able to in the past months. "You've worked hard, now let me help you."