The rain splashed tirelessly against the windows, lightning twitched across the sky and the world outside seemed somehow desolate and gray.

For a moment, Felix watched as the raindrops ran down the window in long lanes.

It was officially autumn and Felix became wistful at the thought that summer was finally over now. At least, in here, the candlelight softened everything, turning the rainy day into something nearly cozy. Sighing, he pulled the cuddly blanket a little tighter around him and turned his attention back to Minho.

"We should concentrate. You should. I thought you wanted to pass your English exam...?" Felix asked, trying to stay serious, even though Minho looked so soft and cute in his fluffy, white sweater.

"You maybe want to concentrate. I really just wanna cuddle," Minho protested gently and lit another candle. About a dozen scattered soft light in the bedroom and Felix looked even more unreal than usual.

His blond hair fell to his forehead as he bent over his vocabulary book, the cuddly blanket over his legs, and tried to initiate Minho to the arts of the English language.

"Miiin... I really want to help you... in only two weeks you will have to repeat the exam," Felix tried to convince his boyfriend to finally concentrate again.

But Minho had other plans. He carefully placed the candle on the dresser, smiled seductively, and walked towards the bed. "You look so incredibly cute, baby."

"Yah...", Lix muttered softly, trying to hide that he blushed. "Stop that..."

"Or..." Minho muttered, pulling the vocabulary book out of Felix's fingers and kissing him softly. "Or we'll do something else...", he carefully buried his fingers in Felix's blue hair and kissed him more passionately.

As on their own, his fingers found their way under Felix's shirt and he couldn't help but gently rub the warm, soft skin of the younger.

With a soft moan, Felix slipped closer and snuggled up to Minho.

They hadn't gone much further than that, because although they felt safe with each other, they both had to struggle with their own insecurities and agreed to take it slow.

But right now it felt to both of them as if they wanted to go further. Just as if now was the right time for it.

"May I take off your shirt?" Minho asked quietly and gently plucked at the hem of Felix's shirt.

He just nodded and willingly lifted his arms, then immediately snuggled back into Minho.

A soft giggle escaped him before he carefully bit Minho's lower lip. "Do you want... may I...?"

He knew very well that Minho was damn unsure about the scar on his tummy. And if he would rather keep his shirt on, he would definitely not push him to take it off.

But to his surprise, Minho nodded. "Take it off...", and although his voice sounded uncertain, his gaze was strong and steady.

"Are you sure...?"

The grin on Minho's lips didn't seem as practiced as usual, but he nodded. "With you, yes..."

"Oh Min..." Felix whispered, kissed Minho infinitely gently and finally pulled the shirt over his head. Slowly, in case Minho would change his mind, but finally the shirt was next to his own on the bed. "You are so beautiful!"

Now it was Minho who blushed and tried to hide his face on Felix's neck.

Which only caused Felix to giggle. "Min, that tickles...-"

The shrill ringing of Felix's phone pulled them out of the moment, and although Felix wanted to prevent it, he couldn't help but look at it.

𐐂 Jinnie 𐐚

"Call him back later," Minho muttered, letting his lips wander over Felix's skin. He wanted this. Now. It had cost him so much to overcome his fears to get here.

"I-I can't... something feels off," Felix whispered. He was so torn back and forth, but finally he reached for his phone and accepted the conversation. At the same time, he grabbed Minho's hand and pulled him closer so that the older would understand that this had nothing to do with him.

"He... WHAT?! Jeongin, stop...! WHAT, wait a minute, I don't understand anything...-", Felix froze, panic rushing through his body and he tried to understand what had happened in the hospital.

But Jeongin wasn't really able to give him any understandable, helpful information and the despair and panic in his voice instantly transferred to Felix.

Minho didn't quite understand what was going on, but the panic in Felix's eyes said more than a thousand words. Without hesitation he reached for his shirt, put it on again and helped Felix in his.

"Come. We're going there!"

Suddenly Minho was calm again. All the uncertainty in him had disappeared again and he took the lead because he realized how much Felix needed that right now.

They ran through the pouring rain to the car, with jackets hastily thrown over. Only then did Felix realize that he had put on some of Minho's shoes.

"Drive carefully," it escaped him, although Minho drove slowly and concentrated only on the road.

"Don't worry, jagiya! I'll protect us."

Felix could only nod and stared through the windshield at the rain-soaked street. It was midday, yet the dense clouds and rain made it like night.

The light of the car reflected on the wet street and Felix tried to hold on to it. That nothing really bad could happen as long as the light was there.

Only when Minho grabbed his hand and gently held it, he could concentrate on something other than the wet road.

"Everything will be fine, jagiya. Everything will be fine," Minho muttered calming, but concentrated on finding a parking space as close as possible to the hospital entrance.

As fast as they could, they ran to the entrance. The sky had opened its floodgates and within the few meters to the hospital they were already insanely wet.

Minho's shoes were a little too big and he slipped back and forth because of the wetness.

Soaked like stray kittens, they stumbled into the insanely tidy, sterile-looking hospital hall and immediately felt out of place.

But as soon as they had taken the first steps in, Felix stopped frozen.

As if the smell of disinfectant and the neon lights had flipped a switch inside him.

Nurses were busy walking around, patients were sitting in the waiting area and talking, way too loudly and Felix felt like he had to scream.

His hands trembled and his eyes darted back and forth aimlessly.

"Let's go to Jeongin. Maybe he can tell us what's going on now," Minho said softly, grabbed Felix's hand and pulled him away from all the noise and hectic.

Fortunately, Minho remembered the way to Hyunjin's and Jeongin's room, because Felix was absolutely no help right now. He clung to Minho's arm like a little koala and just let the older one pull along the corridors. His fingers dug deep into the older's arm without him being able to stop it.

The fear that something bad had happened to Hyunjin just wouldn't let go and caused pure chaos in his head.

The corridors dragged on endlessly and with every step his heart was beating up to his neck a little more.

Only when they stood in front of the door of Hyunjin's and Jeongin's, he was able to take a deep breath again, but the tension remained far too present in him.

After Minho knocked softly, Felix tore open the door and almost ran into Jeongin.

"What's wrong, where is Hyunjin!?" Felix yelled in panic, who immediately noticed that Hyunjin wasn't in his bed.

Sobbing, the younger threw himself into Felix's arms and clung to him.

"I-In the OR... u-and C-Chan... Chan too...", Jeongin sobbed, but much more was still not to get out of him.

For a moment, Minho just looked at the two irritated.

He hadn't known that the two were so close by now, but somehow it made sense. Felix was the dearest, most empathetic person he knew and Jeongin obviously needed exactly that. Someone who took care of him, gave him love.

Thoughtfully, he shook his head and focused on the here and now again.

Jeongin and Felix both didn't see able to get the necessary information, let alone let go of each other.

"I'll take care of it."

For seconds, Felix stared at Minho until he realized that Minho wanted to get someone who might be able to tell them more than Jeongin.

Almost at the same time he realized that he couldn't let himself be overwhelmed by his panic right now, but had to take care of Jeongin.

"It's okay... everything will be fine, we're here now," he muttered and gently caressed Jeongin's back. He tried not only to calm the younger one, but also himself.

Which actually seemed to work, because Jeongin took a deep breath and leaned a little more against him. "I'm sorry... I can't..."

"I know... I can't lose him either," Felix whispered and had a terribly thick lump in his throat.

Jeongin wanted to reply, but the door opened and Minho came back into the room.

"A doctor will come here and tell us what's going on with Hyunjin as soon as he has time. I didn't ask about Chan. After all, we have no connection to him, they won't give us any information." He was very eager to pull Felix into his arms, but he could see exactly how much Jeongin needed it right now.

Sighing, he sat down on the visitor's chair, while Felix gently pushed Jeongin to his bed.

"They don't know who he is..." Jeongin muttered before Felix could push him gently onto the bed.

It took a moment for Felix to understand what Jeongin meant. "We don't know him either..." he whispered and felt terrible. He knew how important Chan was to Hyunjin, even if he didn't quite understand it. "Actually, if only Jinnie knows him..."

"Maybe we shouldn't say anything about him," Minho said quietly, "we don't know exactly what happened so that he ended up here. Maybe we'll just mess everything up even more if we say something wrong."

The thought of what a wrong word might cause for Chan weighed so heavily.

Waiting for the doctor and news about Hyunjin was by no means easier.

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