A/N PLEASE DONT KILL ME. I LIKE LIVING! oh and if you kill me I can't post o which is the second part of this

When the annual Race for the Cure came around Jinki got an idea. Minho had once told him that before the accident he had run the 5k race twice, and finished fairly well. Of course when the man had brought it up in conversation there was a certain sadness to his voice; like he missed being able to run. Jinki hated hearing that tone in the man’s voice. It had felt like he was getting punched in the stomach.

All he ever really wanted was for Minho to believe that he was more than his chair; that he could do anything he put his mind to and couldn’t allow his condition to change his mind. He had taken the younger man swimming in the ocean, gone horseback riding at his parents place, and played basketball at the gym. He would do anything for the younger man if it meant that he would be happy because of it, so the idea of training to run a 5k race didn’t faze him in the least bit. He may hate exercising and running in general, but if it was for Minho he would do it.

So later that night as Minho laid back against his chest he thought about how to bring it up. The younger man was quietly reading the book that he was using Jinki’s thigh as a table for; he contented himself with playing with the soft hair that was lying on the man’s neck. Minho just softly smiled because he really didn’t it; just being that close with the older man was wonderful and intimate, and Jinki just loved to braid tiny braids into his hair just because he could.

Minho hummed as the older man stopped playing with his hair and wrapped his arms around his middle; pulling him closer and placing his chin on the man’s shoulder to look over at the book he was reading. “That didn’t happen in the movies did it?”

“Huh?” Jinki lifted his hand and pointed at the paragraph he was talking about, “Oh yeah. That was a deleted scene.”

“Well that’s stupid.” Minho just chuckled and turned the page to continue. He wanted to finish the chapter before they put in the movie on the laptop and cuddled.

Once finished Jinki took the book and placed it on the table before handing the man the laptop. “What movie should we watch today?”

“Did we ever finish watching Immortals?” Minho asked softly as he pushed the button on the side of the machine to see if the dvd was still in there.

“I don’t think so.” Maybe now wasn’t the best time, but Jinki was never good with those types of things. “So the Race of the Cure is coming up here soon.”

The younger man froze; his back ridged against him as his eyes flickered up and he slowly asked, “Yeah, and what does that have to do with watching muscular men kill each other?”  

“I was thinking of running in it.”

“You don’t even like running.” Minho mumbled.

“I just thought I would attempt to do it. There’s nothing wrong with attempting is there?”

After a moment Minho said softly. “No. I hope you do well.” 

But Jinki wound his arms around the younger’s stomach and pulled him close to him, “I hope we do well.”

Minho turned his head. “What?”

 Jinki smiled against his neck as he tightened his grip around him and nuzzled his cheek against him. “You didn’t honestly think I would run without you did you?”

“I…”

Jinki chewed on his lip for a moment as he felt the man slump against him. He moved to get out from behind him, the younger man pushing up against the headboard as the older man moved to sit on his heels as he looked at him from between his thin legs. “Look if you don’t want to we don’t have to. I just thought that you’d like to race again.”

“How would that even work? ”

“I’d push you.” Jinki answered slowly as he reached for the younger’s hands. “Minho look at me.” Minho shook his head. “Sunshine come on and look at me.”

He glanced up at the older man. “What?”

“I’m sorry okay? I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He motioned to bring the man into a hug but Minho was shaking his head; causing him to freeze mid motion.

“I want to do it.”

Jinki smiled hesitantly, “Are you sure?”

Minho nodded as he smiled; leaning in to gently to kiss his partner’s cheek. “I honestly don’t know what to say.”

Jinki laughed then. “We’ll see what you have to say when I’m about my legs after we train for a couple hours.”

Minho just smiled and pulled the older man into his chest. “What are hot baths for?”

                                                            -----

For weeks all Jinki wants to do is lay on the couch and not move for years, but he knows that he would go through it all over again to see that smile on Minho’s face every time they go running. His thighs ached, his calf muscles felt like pudding and not the good kind either. If it weren’t for the younger man he would have lay in his bed and refused to get up for weeks.

“Do you want to go take a bath with me Baby?” Jinki groaned as he lifted his head to look over at the younger man.

“Huh?” Jinki asked; one eye closed as he squinted with another.

“Bath. Hot one. With me. Want to?”

The older man just groaned loudly as he pushed off the couch and mumbled. “I’m too old for this.”

Minho giggled as the man curled up on his lap, but he wrapped his arm around him and pushed their way toward the bathroom that had the warm water already drawn. “You’re only 26.”

“That’s almost 30!” Jinki whined as he slowly stood up, groaning as he made his way out of his sweat pants. Even though he ached all over he still helped Minho out of his clothes and lifted him into the bathtub and slowly slid in behind him; hissing as the hot water hit his aching muscles.

“We have 2 weeks till the race. Just rest okay?” Minho said softly as the older man wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

Jinki took a deep breath, taking in the younger man’s sweet scent as he nuzzled his face into his warm skin. “I love you.”

Minho closed his eyes and leaned back against the hold. “I love you too Baby.”

“More than you’d ever know.” Jinki mumbled, and Minho laid his arms over the other man’s and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“But I do know.”

                                                            ------

When the day of the race arrived Minho was more nervous than Jinki was. The older man had given him so much and had gone through a lot just for him to be able to participate in the race again, and he honestly didn’t know how to thank him. Just saying the two simple words weren’t enough, because he knew just how big of a deal it was to get Jinki up off his to run a 5k race while pushing another man.

When the 5 minute warning rung Minho was staring at his hands, chewing on his bottom lip and trying very hard not to just call this whole thing off. The older man was stretching a little ways away, because he learned the hard way what not stretching meant, and he saw how the younger man was acting when he just happened to look up for a moment as he switched stretches. He walked up to his partner, and kneeled in front of him; taking his never stilling hands into his own and forcing the man to look at him.

“Hey. Everything is going to be okay.” He gave a soft smile, but when the nervousness that still lurked in those big brown eyes of his Jinki new that it did nothing to reassure the younger man. He gently brought Minho’s face into his hands and pressed their lips together softly. “Calm down Sunshine. I’m doing this for you, so enjoy yourself.”

Minho took a deep breath; Jinki’s hand not leaving his cheek as he looked down fondly at him until he moved to get the water bottle that Jonghyun had gone to get filled up for him. When he returned the younger man smiled up at him and took a hold of the water. They had practiced before, various times, because there was no point in having Jinki go run without doing it as he pushed Minho, but even if he was a little more calm something told him that something was wrong. He didn’t understand what, maybe it was the twisting feeling in his stomach or how his heart was doing summersaults in his chest it seemed, but he just had a feeling that something would happen today, and it wouldn’t be good.

But the shot was fired before he could tell Jinki that this wasn’t a good idea, and the older man was already pushing him at a steady pace.

                                                                -----

They finished in the middle of the pack, and the anxiety of it all seemed to have flowed out of him during the long distance. Minho was just happy to have done it, to feel the wind rush past his face, and even more for doing it with Jinki. The older man gave a tired smile as he tried to catch his breath. Minho frowned when he noticed the man’s shortness of breath. Jinki may not have been in the best shape of his life, but he had never been short of breath before; even after their first run together in their long training that they did for the race.

“Are you okay?” Minho asked worriedly.

“Yeah.. Fine. I’m just.. gonna go,” After a deep breath he stretched up right, “Get water.” He kissed his partners cheek and slowly went over to the table that had numerous cups of ice water for the finishing racers.

Minho sighed and after one last look to make sure the man was okay, he leaned to his right and reached behind him for the bag of snacks Jonghyun had packed and gave to him at the end of the race.

Jinki returned a moment later, shaking his head at that offered granola bar and lifted the cup to his lips. Minho shrugged and in the process knocked down the bag off his legs. He twisted his chair to lean down and pick the bags up one by one.

As the paper cup of water fell from his shaking fingers his knees gave out under him; falling to the ground as his eyes rolled back into his head. Minho turned his head; about to ask the older man if he would like to sit on his lap as they made their way back to the car because he had to be incredibly tired, he didn’t expect to see the man collapse. “Jinki?” At first he thought that the older man was just playing with him, because that was something he would do, but when he didn’t move, and his previously rushed breathes were lacking he knew that it wasn’t a joke. “Jinki!”

Jonghyun looked over at them after hearing his best friend’s panicked voice, and his eyes widened at the sight of the older man on the ground.