|Arranged Marriage| Jake Centric

63

The house was a mess. Leftover traces of the chaotic attempt at cooking lingered everywhere—burnt pans, flour dusted on the counters, and the unmistakable smell of disaster in the air. Heeseung, Sunghoon, Jay and Jake cleaned in silence, occasionally glancing at each other, but none of them spoke.

But it had not even been 15 minutes and they had given up.

Jake stood by the doorway, feeling a little out of place. He’d gotten ready earlier; it was decided the house was getting a thorough cleaning today, and Heeseung had asked him to come along to the office. Not that Heeseung asked him for much.

“You ready?” Heeseung’s voice broke through the silence. He stood by the door, adjusting his coat, his tone calm but distant.

Jake nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder. As they left, there were no words exchanged between the brothers. Just the quiet sound of the door closing behind them.

---

The office building was just as sleek and polished as Jake remembered, but this time, things felt a little different. Heeseung walked a step closer to him, and though he didn’t make a big deal out of it, it felt less awkward than last time. The stares from the workers didn’t linger long, mostly because Heeseung would glance at them briefly, his expression unreadable but somehow… protective?

Heeseung led Jake to his office, dropping his coat on the back of his chair. “You can hang out here,” he said, gesturing to the couch. “There’s a café downstairs if you get bored, or I can send someone to grab something.”

Jake nodded, appreciating the offer but not wanting to impose. “I’ll be fine.”

Heeseung didn’t push further, settling into his desk and focusing on his paperwork. For a while, everything seemed normal—quiet, peaceful even. Jake flipped through a magazine, scrolled on his phone, occasionally glancing out the window, but as time passed, something started to feel off.

His head felt heavier, his throat scratchier, and a faint dizziness crept in. Jake shifted on the couch, trying to shake it off, but the discomfort only grew.

Heeseung glanced up from his papers, his sharp eyes noticing Jake’s discomfort almost immediately. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone more direct than concerned.

Jake rubbed his forehead. “I think… I’m just feeling a bit off.”

Heeseung stood up and walked over, his hand brushing against Jake’s forehead for the briefest moment. “You’re warm,” he muttered, frowning. “Are you getting sick?”

“Probably just tired,” Jake said, trying to downplay it, though his voice came out weaker than he intended.

Heeseung sighed, clearly annoyed at the timing. He checked his watch, then looked back at Jake. “I’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes. I’ll call Jay. He’ll take you home.”

Before Jake could protest, Heeseung was already on the phone, giving Jay quick instructions. “He’s not feeling well. Just get him home and make sure he rests,” Heeseung said, his voice firm but not overly soft. He hung up and turned back to Jake. “Jay will be here soon. Don’t do anything stupid until then...and take care I guess.."

Jake gave a small, tired laugh and nodded

---

Jay showed up at the office not long after, looking slightly frazzled but still ready to help. He quickly scanned Jake, noting his paleness. “You don’t look great,” Jay said, his tone laced with mild concern.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Jake muttered, leaning more heavily against the doorframe than he wanted to admit.

Jay helped him out to the car, not making a big deal of it but still keeping a steady hand on Jake’s arm. “Is this an excuse for not wanting to be near Heeseung, huh?” He joked.

“What does it look like?” Jake replied weakly, trying to hide the fact that he felt worse with each passing minute.

Jay didn’t say much during the drive home, but he kept glancing over at Jake, watching as his eyelids fluttered shut.

When they finally reached the house, Jay helped Jake inside, one arm wrapped around his waist for support. "Careful," Jay murmured when Jake stumbled slightly.

Once they were inside, Jay guided Jake to the couch, helping him settle down with a blanket. “You should rest here for a while,” Jay said, his hand lingering on Jake’s shoulder. “I’ll get you some water.”

Jake’s eyes fluttered open briefly, catching Jay’s gaze. “Thank you...”

Jay just nodded, but there was a subtle warmth in his expression. He brought a glass of water, sitting beside Jake as he took small sips.

Jake leaned back, his breathing soft as sleep began to take over. Before his eyes closed fully, he felt Jay adjust the blanket over him carefully, making sure he was comfortable.

After about an hour, Jay got a call, and his expression changed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered into the phone before hanging up. “I’ve got to go. Work emergency.”

Jake tried to sit up, but Jay waved him off. “Don’t get up. Sunghoon should be back soon. I’ll tell him to keep an eye on you.”
Before Jake could argue, Jay was out the door, leaving him alone for a brief moment. He rested his head against the arm of the couch, trying to will away the sickness.

---

Sunghoon came home not long after, dropping his things near the entrance. He was quiet, as usual, but when he saw Jake lying on the couch, he paused. “What’s wrong with you?”

Jake groaned softly, feeling too tired to answer properly. “I think I’m coming down with something.”

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow, then disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a glass of water and some medicine, setting them down on the coffee table. “Take these.”

Jake eyed him, a little surprised. “You’re actually taking care of me?”

Sunghoon gave him a flat look. “You want to get sicker?”

Jake laughed weakly but took the medicine, sipping the water as Sunghoon watched from the side. It wasn’t the most comforting care, but it was something—Sunghoon wasn’t the type to fuss, and this was about as good as it got.

After Jake had taken the medicine, Sunghoon settled into the chair nearby, flipping through channels on the TV. He didn’t say much, but he stayed in the room, occasionally glancing over to make sure Jake wasn’t getting worse. It was quiet, but not in a bad way.

Jake drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally waking up to see Sunghoon still sitting there, half-watching TV and half-checking on him. When he woke up later, feeling slightly better, Sunghoon glanced over. “Still sick?”

“A little,” Jake mumbled, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

Sunghoon gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. “Good.”

It wasn’t exactly warm or affectionate, but the fact that Sunghoon stayed, even though he didn’t have to, spoke volumes in its own way. Heeseung and Sunghoon weren’t the type to be soft and loving, but their presence and quiet actions were enough for Jake to notice that things were slowly shifting. Maybe they didn’t know how to show it yet, but they were trying.

“You didn’t have to push yourself at the office today,” Jay said quietly, more to himself than to Jake.

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Can y'all believe that there's only one chapter left? 😍