Kai comes down with coughs. He thinks it's the sudden switch in the weather, the air turning crisp and cold. He checks his temperature and deems it not high enough to miss his classes.

He gets up, coughing a few times before dragging his body for an early morning shower, with the water cold enough to hopefully lower his growing fever.

Kai dressed warmly before he left the house for his morning lecture, Beomgyu wrapped his brother with a scarf as soon as he saw the heat flaring from Kai's rosy cheeks, he reminded him that there were pills in the medicine cabinet if he needed them and he too leaves for his music theory class.

Kai has a little more time, so he sits down and gulps hot jasmine tea down his scratchy throat. He gathers his things soon after finishing the last drop and washing the mug in the kitchen sink.

Beomgyu opted for walking so that Kai would have the car if he was too tired to walk to college, but Kai thought he might fall asleep at the wheel, so he chose walking as well, hoping that by forcing the moving of his achy body will wake him up before his lecture starts.

After about 15 minutes, the usual arrival time, he shows his student ID to the guard standing in front of the gate and proceeds towards the psychology building where his class takes place on the second floor, 8 th room to the left.

He finds that his steps are sluggish and heavy, sweat gathers under the scarf around his neck and he itches at his wet, irritated skin. He sucks in a breath and focuses on walking, the ground feels weird under his feet, as if it's swaying his body left and right.

His fever can't possibly be that high. But the thermometer might have been broken.

"Hey."

He keeps walking.

"Hey!" Someone pulls his back with the collar of his black coat. "I'm talking to you." But Kai hasn't heard anything. He turns around, not at all curious about who is bothering him. He raises his eyebrow. "Yes?" he says sharply to the group of guys standing behind him, well, not in front of him.

"I asked you something, freak." one of them spits, maybe it is the one who was pulling him back. "Don't you think your presence makes everyone a little too uncomfortable?"

The heat spreads to Kai's neck and it itches, it itches so much. He clears his throat and winces while doing it. "Is that a serious question?" he asks.

The guy appears to be offended. Kai has half a mind to just turn around and presume his walking, his class will start in no less than 5 minutes, and he has zero intentions of spending that precious time talking to illiterate people. But as he turns around, he realizes he's surrounded, by the most hectic, trafficked area on campus, just between the psychology buildings and the sports field. It's also right near the library entrance where students from all departments go to study and/or hang out, or both.

"Do I seem like I'm joking? None of us are, this is supposed to be a safe campus." his friends nod. "With you here, not so safe." his eyebrow lay sharp over his eyes, and he stepped closer to Kai. "Just stay at home if you're going to cause trouble for others."

"What kind of trouble have I created?"

"Listen, Huening." he rolls the word as if it's dirty. As if. "I can be a lot less nice about this, but I'm giving you a chance to silently leave. We don't have to make a scene; tell the dean you will drop out."

So itchy. His brain feels like It's beating along with his heart, pumping against his skull, pressure sucks his ears in, and it feels like someone shoved Q-Tips deep down his earholes.

"I don't see why I should do that."

A crowd slowly forms around them, curious students and others gather around the sight, keeping their distance yet eavesdropping on the confrontation, eager to see what will come next. Some stare in fear, worrying that the notorious Kai will finally display his violent nature. Others look and giggle, and the rest gossip excitedly, hating Kai just like the next guy.

Some, the minority around the crowd look with pity in their eyes.

The guy grits his teeth at Kai's unbothered demeanor. "There is no place for you on this campus."

"I am a paying student like any other student," Kai replies, it itches in his throat, the need to cough. The corners of his view blur. He blinks, looking down at the guy with ice in his eyes. "Anything pointless else to say? Or are you through?"

The guy huffs, the side of his lip twitching up in disbelief as he glances at his friends, he quickly looks back. "You know I've-" he messages his knuckles, pushing and drawing obnoxious cracks out of his fist. "I've tried talking civilly with you, I really did. But it seems you could use physical enticement."

"In here, are you certain?" Kai looks around. "Too many witnesses," he notes.

"Maybe, but no one's on your side here." the guy smiles, and something ugly twists in Kai's stomach.

No one's on your side.

His ears buzz, his head thumps, fever worsens steadily. The guy swings, only Kai feels nothing. "Hey! What's the matter with you."

Kai looks down. Taehyun pushes against the black-haired guy, he recognizes the red hair even if Taehyun's back faces him. "Tae! Let me through, come on!" someone breaks through the circle of the crowd, entering the invisible ring. He pries Taehyun off the guy and stands in the middle of it all. He studies the situation, quickly understanding what they entered into.

"Break off." he tells the group of freshmen "I know your head of department and I'm not scared to report this incident back to him if you do not wish to come back here in the fall."

The guy balls his fists. "You wouldn't."

"You're right, I don't need to," Soobin responds calmly. "My friend is already on his way to his office, so if you don't want to make it harder for you, leave now."

Kai watches as the thing unfolds, his mind has no room for confusion or gratitude. His vision swims and he swallows thickly, coughing around the lump in his throat.

"Show's over!" Soobin yells. "Break apart please, thank you." He looks at the group. "Now, leave," he orders, and Taehyun does not think he's ever seen Soobin use his Sunbae card right until now, his neck red hinting that he's angry.

Soobin is hardly ever angry.

The group of 6 or 7 guys leaves, and the mouthy one glares at Kai before reluctantly going back in his footsteps, along with the crowd. The students resumed their walk, only sending a few more nosy looks before disappearing completely.

"Are you okay?" Taehyun looks up at Kai, his eyes flooding with pure concern. Kai only hears a few distorted sounds from Taehyun's lips, those pink, soft lips. He wishes he could hear what Taehyun asked because it seemed important to miss. "You don't look good." He takes Kai's gloved hand in his, studying his face.

Soobin does the same. "You're red," he comments. "Fever?"

Kai nods to the only word he gets, he coughs again, this time doubling over. A long, throaty cough drags from his lips, and he groans.

"Why would you show up if you're sick?" Soobin's tone is snappy, unlike Taehyun's soft one. "Go home."

He blinks slowly, taking control of his breathing.

"I'll take him home," Taehyun says. "My class is not in 30 minutes, I'll make it."

Soobin squints. "Maybe it's better if he goes on his own."

"He's sick." Taehyun reasons. "Kai." he crouches down, lifting Kai's face by his chin, even it feels scorching hot to the touch. He places a motherly palm over Kai's sweaty forehead. Taehyun sighs. "Can you stand?"

Kai nods, getting up slowly. He sways a bit to the side, but Taehyun supports his weight, and, in the background, he can see the stunned faces of passers. He ignores the stares and whispers.

"I have a lecture," Kai whispers, trying to get Taehyun's attention.

"I'll take you to your class," Soobin suggests, just to get rid of him faster. Just because he helped him not to take a beating doesn't mean he's comfortable letting Taehyun be alone with the guy. He's still Kai Huening.

Taehyun breathes sharply. "Go, Hyung. I'm taking him home. "He already begins walking by Kai protests. "My lecture-"

"You can barely walk let alone concentrate."

Kai misses the last part of Taehyun's sentence because another long cough takes over him and his head hammers furiously. "Hey, you're okay." Taehyun stabilizes him. "Give me your car keys, Soobin-Hyung."

"What, no!" Soobin looks scandalized. "Taehyun-"

"Your. Car. Keys." Taehyun makes a grabbing motion with his hand, looking expectedly. "Stay with me, Kai."

Soobin sighs when he looks at Huening Kai clearly struggling admittedly his best option is to go home, but he might pass out if he goes alone. He fishes for the keys to his sweet Kia Picanto and hands them over. "You better be here in 30 minutes."

"Yeah, thank you."

................

"W-what's your address?" It's much harder to think when he realizes Kai is sitting next to him in the passenger's seat, almost wiped out. He looks vulnerable, Taehyun is not sure if he likes it or not. This new side of Kai.

Kai's harsh, violent coughing fills the small car and Taehyun cringes at the painful sound. He throws his head back; his forehead covered in small beads of sweat.

"I need an answer, Kai." He needs a lot of them, but for now just for this one question.

"Meldom-" It sounds like it's hard for him to talk, his voice is rough like he had been screaming for hours and his throat gave out. "Meldom Street."

"Number?" Taehyun writes down the address in the GPS. He turns the heat in the car. Kai's shivering dimmers down.

"5th."

"Rest now, Kai."

With those words, Kai closes his eyes, and he drifts into a foggy sleep.

.....................

Taehyun puts the car to a stop and turns off the engine. He looks beside him, Kai sleeps yet he looks troubled. His eyebrows are scrunched and his lips are in a stiff line. Taehyun wants to smooth the creases in Kai's forehead with his thumb, iron the trouble away from the black-haired boy's face.

His nose twitched and his head coaxed the other way, still sleeping soundly. It feels almost cruel to wake him up but the position in which he sleeps will give him back and neck pains if he stays like this for too long.

His clothes appear to be stuffy too, despite his shivering he's sweating through his coat and possibly soaking the shirt underneath too. "Kai... "Taehyun can't help himself but run his hands through the other's locks, he wants to feel, to touch, to comfort.

As if Kai calls for Taehyun's touch, the feel of his hair around Taehyun's fingers is electrifying. "Kai, we're here."

The other shifts in the seat, blinking softly, his eyes are glassy and dazed. He hums.

Taehyun sees this as a sign of understanding and he gets up, closing the car door behind him. He helps Kai inside his own house, having to search Kai's bag for the keys.

The house is bigger than it looks on the outside which is crazy since it looks massive even before walking into it. The first thought that goes through Taehyun's mind is that Kai's parents must be rich, but then he stops himself and remembers who Kai is.

Perhaps he has other family members, but it's unlikely. Family heritage, maybe? No reason to dwell on it. He supports Kai all the way up the stairs into what looks like a master bedroom, it's mostly black and white, crisp and clean as if it was never lived in.

"I'll leave you to undress," Taehyun says, but it doesn't seem like Kai's listening. He checks his forehead again and it's hotter than before, spiking. He sees Kai slipping down, unable to hold himself up. "Okay, it's okay." He doesn't know whether he's comforting Kai or himself.

He peels the scarf from Kai's red neck, the piece of clothing is practically dripping sweat. It seems to ease Kai already, his bare skin finally breathing. Taehyun lays him on the bed and takes off his boots, coat, and shirt. He leaves the pants on.

Then, he glances at the gloves, they can't be comfortable as well. He reaches for them, to drag them down and off Kai's hands. But the other snatches his hands immediately.

The sudden move makes Taehyun flinch, his eyes drawn to the black gloves. He clears his throat and gets up.

He finds a towel and runs it under the sink close to the bedroom, dabbing the cool fabric all over Kai's heat-radiating body. He does that for a while, dabbing, and soaking the towel again, dabbing and soaking. Until it no longer feels like Kai is a human radiator. In that time, all that fills the room is Kai's labored breathing and Taehyun can only imagine what would have happened if he went to his lecture today.

How stupid of him. Taehyun's almost mad almost flabbergasted at Kai's poor self-preservation skills. He wonders if being sick is the only reason he didn't fight off those guys. Perhaps he couldn't.

It ticks him that maybe it's not the only reason. Kai doesn't seem like one to solve things with violence. At least not with so many already biased eyes on him.

He brings the towel to Kai's pale lips, saturating them and giving them moisture. He sets the towel aside and pulls the covers from under Kai, draping them over his shivering body.

Kai opens his eyes weakly. "Taehyun... "he calls. His eyes are so pretty, so... so pretty.

"D-Do you need something?"

He blinks. "You're truly here aren't you?" he asks quietly, not above a breathy whisper.

Taehyun smiles warmly, pushing Kai's hair back. He nods.

"Thank you." Kai croaks. Closing his eyes once again.

His smile turns sad, bitter. "Of course... "He pats Kai's hair. But they both know, the 'of courses' and 'no problems', the 'anytimes' and 'obviouslys' they don't exist in Kai's life. Taehyun's just beginning to realize that.