SHINee Sickfics

Jinki : Too Little Air

warning: blood

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It must've been the third time that it happened that alarm bells went off in Taemin's head. Jinki was always going on and on about his horrible stamina, but Taemin would argue that it wasn't even that bad. Sometimes, when Jinki would start on his "I'm so bad at dancing, God help me" speeches, Taemin just wanted to slap him upside on the head.

But now, something was going on. It wasn't dance related. But it was stamina related.

And it was the little things too. Jinki was struggling making it up to the third floor when going up the stairs. The stairs were a bitch - Taemin knew that - but Jinki never needed to take a rest break in between. He could've sworn that Jinki had never wheezed before.

Taemin could look into Jinki's eyes and tell that he struggled the most in dance class. The relentless movement tired him out quickly. He didn't complain or say anything, but Taemin could tell that something was wrong. This didn't happen before. Jinki's endurance was good. He didn't need to sit down after every dance routine. He used to be stronger than that.

He used to be... healthy.

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He even seemed distant. Taemin tried to distract him during lunchtime. It was the one time they could sit down together and just talk. After a disaster of a morning marked by failed workouts and exhausting dance practices, Taemin wanted to just get to the bottom of things.

"Hyung, did you... know how many times Minho failed-"

"Why is it always me?" Minho asked. "Bully somebody else."

"You're literally the biggest bully," Kibum said.

"I am not! How can you say that when you exist?"

Jonghyun exchanged a look with Taemin. Taemin sighed. Jinki played on his phone, trying so hard to pretend that nothing was going wrong. Gosh, this wasn't working.

"Jinki hyung," Taemin said.

Jinki shot up. He relaxed into a smile, but Taemin could see the faint lines of pain encircling his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering, what's on your mind these days? I feel like we haven't gotten to talk a lot recently."

Jinki shrugged. "Nothing much," he said. Two words and Jinki already seemed to be struggling with breathing. Taemin could feel him wheezing. He winced.

"Nothing?" Kibum asked.

"Something goes on in that head of yours, I know that," Jonghyun said.

"Sure."

Taemin wondered if the others realized what he'd realized about Jinki. They probably had. If he had, they all had. Maybe that was why they started peppering him with questions.

"Hyung, what do you think of the new manager?" Kibum asked. "He's a bit of-"

"No, stop with the gossip," Minho said.

"No! I was just about to say that he's a bit of a goof. In what world is that a bad thing to say?"

Jinki was shrinking back into himself again.
Kibum snapped out of his argument with Minho quickly.

"Hyung, what do you think?" he asked.

Jinki shrugged. "He seems nice."

"I agree."

"He is nice," Jonghyun said. "He helped me yesterday."

"With?" Minho asked.

"Oh, I couldn't find some piece of paper and he helped me look for it."