jongho's eyes slowly opened to the bright sunlight that peered through the windows. his feverish haze had dispersed for the time being, leaving him with a head splitting headache.
yunho was curled on the edge of the bed, his body had never once touched jongho in fear of causing the younger to startle out of his well deserved slumber.
jongho nervously gazed at his hyung, shakily trying to maneuver himself in a manner that would keep him from both touching and waking him.
he didn't want anybody to touch him, it didn't feel right anymore.
when his feet finally hit the floor and his oversized sweatpants and hoodie were untwisted from his body, he quietly made his way down the hall to the kitchen. making tiny steps, as if he was afraid of whatever was lurking around the corner.
just as he stepped into the kitchen, and voice startled him and made him cower into the corner between the stove and the oven.
"woah, jong...it's okay." jongho's gaze that was instantly blurred with tears cleared up to reveal mingi staring down at him with a concerned look on his face.
jongho only gave a shaky whimper in response, not liking how close mingi was to his personal bubble. the taller seemed to catch on as he instantly backed off, giving jongho room to breathe.
the youngest only stared at mingi with an unsure look, playing with his hands nervously. his hyung seemed to catch on to his invisible question and gave a soft smile, "hongjoong had a little situation at school yesterday...we're staying here to help yunho care for you."
jongho simply nodded, looking at the floor as he opened his mouth, "can...can you make me some cereal please...i'll make a mess and they don't like when i make a mess."
mingi gave a soft smile, reaching his hand out. jongho inspected the hand, seeing if he could trust the touch or not before he slid himself under it. mingi ruffled his already messy hair with kind eyes.
it coaxed jongho out of the corner and into his arms for a hug. mingi pressed his face into the boy's hair, "alright, kid. but remember that you're not with them anymore. we won't get mad if you make a mess, sweets." he spoke softly, letting jongho cling to him as he began to make breakfast.
jongho seemed to cling to him for support, burying his face into mingi's back, occasionally peeking out from his not so good hiding space to see what he was doing.
it was a big step for the smaller, having contact with anyone this long. mingi guessed that it was because of a certain urge to hide away and feel safe.
he never did it with san, however. his own half sibling...but that's probably because san doesn't really speak. he can't give jongho the comforting words he needs because he gets overwhelmed easily. that doesn't stop them from loving each other though.
however, san seems to know something that nobody else knows. whenever jongho gets too overwhelmed, san goes into protective older brother mode...not letting anyone near him or touch him.
it normally takes seonghwa to pull him off of jongho and let the boy breathe.
something else is going on between them and it's making everyone a little suspicious. just a little.
"jong, i've made pancakes for everyone else...do you think you could try eating some pancakes instead of some cereal?" mingi asked, turning around in the other's strong grasp.
jongho shook his head gaining a response from mingi, "oh come on, kid...you can do it. we'll even eat way before the others since they're sleeping and you can be as comfortable as possible. how's that sound?"
the younger looked up at him with big doe eyes, blinking a few times before mumbling, " okay..."
mingi gave a sweet smile, chuckling, "that's my boy, let's go get the plates."
