Sweetness and Light ✓ || Hueningkai X Reader

Chapter 9

The dorms for TXT are laid out more like an apartment. There is a living room and a small kitchen, complete with a couch and a few seats. Two doors lead to bedrooms. "Lead him to the left," Soobin says, and he practically carries Kai into the bedroom on the left.

You give him just a moment, and then you follow in when you know it's safe to do so. There are two beds in here, and Soobin makes Kai lay down on the left one. He removes Kai's shoes, and you notice he does so with a softness that you didn't think possible for a man his size. "Shoes off, Hueningie. We gotta make sure you're okay."

"It's not..." Kai tries to object, but you stand by him.

"Kai, you got sick at my restaurant and nearly passed out. We need to make sure you're okay. Does anybody have a thermometer?"

"I can get one from the first aid station on the eighth floor," Trius says. He leaves to take care of that. Kai is sharing this room with Taehyun, the boy with the huge eyes, and Taehyun agrees to stay out of your way for now. You're not quite sure why everybody trusts you alone with Kai, but you decide it's an okay move or now. Kai is still burning up; you can feel his forehead and you notice how hot it is.

"Why did you go outside when you were feeling like this?"

"I..." Kai takes a deep breath. "I got all the way through practice today. And then we had the rest of the day off, and while the others were here, I wanted to come see you."

You know there has to be a blush on your face. "You didn't have to do that. Especially since you're not feeling well. Do you need a glass of water? I want to make sure you're hydrated."

"You're always getting me water, sweet pea." Kai laughs, and you're glad you can hear his laugh again. "But sure, if you think that will help."

You wander into the kitchen and grab a glass of water. There is a filter in the refrigerator door, so the water comes out clean. "He doing okay?" you hear a voice, and you turn to see it's Yeonjun.

"Yeah, I think so. He just shouldn't have been outside is all."

Trius gets back before you can get Kai his water. Kai's temperature is read as higher than normal, but still not high enough to be a proper fever. "That's good," you say as you hand him the glass of water. "You're going to rest here for the rest of the day, got it? I'm sure you've got some video games or something that you can catch up on."

Kai drinks, slowly, from the later as he sits up. He already seems to be looking a little better, now that he's out of the heat. Perhaps he's just got a summertime cold. "I do, but..."

"I'm gonna leave you two alone," Yeonjun says, and before Trius can object, he shuts the door, leaving you and Kai alone again. You almost object, but then it clicks for you. Kai wanted to see you. Kai left the dorm, when he wasn't feeling well, to see you.

"Kai," you ask, "are we friends?"

"I think so," Kai says with a smile.

"Is it fair for us to be friends when we're both leaving at the end of the summer? I mean, we basically have three weeks left, if that. I have to return where I came from, and you --"

Kai puts his hand on your shoulder. "Sweet pea, stop talking like that. I know what you're thinking, but it's not your fault that I came out to see you. First off, I really was hungry for cold udon noodles."

"Yeah, they're kind of a bestseller right now." You both laugh that off.

"But I'm so busy here that I don't get a chance to make friends outside of my band. Going to the restaurant gives me something to do without trying too hard or making my company upset. If they know I'm at Michi's, if they know I'm around you, then I'm safe. The others do stuff like that, too. Like Taehyun, he actually goes to a boxing studio not far from here, and they know he's there too."

"Oh, okay." So you're nothing special. Just an employee at a noodle shop.

"But Taehyun doesn't have friends there. He just goes there to work out, because boxing is familiar to him. It feels like home. I don't have that too much here, so I found it at Michi's. It's become a new normal for me to be there." Kai giggles. "It is like home!"

The giggle makes you wonder as you remember Kai's birthday is approaching quickly. "You'll be here for your birthday. Do you want to stop by Michi's that day?"

"I was planning on it." Kai reaches over and grabs a stuffed animal that had been on the floor. He hugs it, suddenly, and you swear Kai changes from a fifteen year old to a five year old. It's adorable.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this? This is Molang? Molang is a bunny. Molang travels everywhere with me."

For a moment, you consider why Kai would be into something like stuffed animals. Then, you decide it's just because Kai is Kai. There's nothing special about it. That's just how Kai is. And now you definitely know what to get him for his birthday.

You think to yourself on your way back home, riding your bike along the Ocean Front Walk. What are some things that are just how you are? You know you like to help people, but what are your own favorite things? Do you like stuffed animals like Kai does? What about boxing, like Taehyun? Do you prefer cold noodles, or hot? And how do you like your iced coffee? Every person is just a little bit unique, different from every other person in the world.

It still doesn't solve the question that has been on your mind all summer. What are you going to do with your life? But as you pedal along the Ocean Front Walk, you consider that maybe you don't need an answer right now. Maybe you'll get back home and your dad will just decide for you, and that will be that. Maybe you can come up with the answer later. You do know that working at Michi's has been fun, and you wish that you could continue your work there. But it won't be the same when you return to your hometown. You know that.

You stop your bike for a minute, looking out over the dark ocean. The beaches are closed at this time of night, but you can hear the waves, coming in and out, crashing against the shore. The storefronts are all behind you. The boardwalk is no longer busy. And you stop for a second, close your eyes, and listen. And you consider that you've been so busy with your work that you haven't realized that the answer is right in front of you. It's been a part of you this whole time.

What are you going to do with your life?

You smile. You know.