Saviors

29

"Jihoon? Minghao? " Someone asked. Minghao let go of him and turned around.

"Jun Hyung! Look! Jihoon Hyung!" Minghao steered Jihoon by his shoulders to face Jun. Jihoon smiled at Minghao's cute behavior and looked up at Jun.

"Hey Hyung." He said quietly. Jun wrapped him up in a hug.

"It's been three weeks and all you have to say is 'hey hyung'?" His voice was shaky as he scolded Jihoon, so he knew that Jun wasn't actually mad. Jihoon smiled into his shoulder and loosely wrapped one arm around Jun's waist.

"I missed you guys." Jun let go and ruffled Jihoon's hair.

"Have you eaten?"

"I'm surprised that wasn't your first question." Jihoon chuckled but ended up coughing.

"I'll take that as a no. Come on, you need to eat a lot since you got so skinny. Mingyu and I will make you something. What do you want?" He rubbed Jihoon's back, a worried expression on his face. 

"I'm not really hungry." Jihoon said sheepishly between coughs. Jun glared at him and opened his mouth in order to scold Jihoon, for the second time this morning. "Okay, okay," he held up his hands defensively. "Anything's fine." Jun nodded. Jihoon cleared his throat, still not used to talking so much. It was starting to hurt.

"And I'll make some tea." Jun decided. Jihoon smiled gratefully. "Mingyu!" Jun yelled. Jihoon heard some grumbles coming from some of the rooms from being woken up so early. "You know what, everybody should wake up." Jun muttered to himself. "Everyone get up now, don't even bother getting dressed!" He yelled. Jihoon looked at him in surprise, it was the first time he had seen Jun act like that. Jun noticed his shocked look. "They would want to see you." He said to Jihoon, rubbing his back again. Jihoon shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to physical contact and Jun noticed, quickly removing his hand.

Seungkwan ran into the kitchen sleepily, expecting something to be wrong. Half of his hair was sticking straight up and Jihoon smiled, his eyes drooping from exhaustion.

"What! What is it Hyung!" His voice was scared and Minghao laughed. Seungkwan looked around and finally noticed Jihoon staring at him. His mouth dropped and Jihoon smiled weakly at him. "Hyung!" He practically pounced on Jihoon, leaving him winded.

   "Morning guys." Soonyoung mumbled sleepily, whilst rubbing his eyes.

   "Jihoon..." Minghao said.

   "I already knew." Soonyoung sat down next to Jihoon at the kitchen table and ran a hand through the younger boy's hair, making him blush a little. This did not go unnoticed by Jun, who raised his eyebrow knowingly.

   "What?! How?!" Seungkwan exclaimed.

   "Well..." Soonyoung glanced at Jihoon, who shrugged. "I was there. Last night. When he um... woke up. I guess."

   "How?"

   "My plan." He said smugly.

   "So it worked?"

   "What was it?" Soonyoung glanced at Jihoon again, who blushed and looked away.

   "Secret!"

   "Does that mean that Seungcheol Hyung and Jeonghan Hyung already know?" Jun asked. Soonyoung nodded. "Geez, where is Mingyu?! Oh well, Minghao, will you help?" Minghao nodded and Jun gave him some instructions.

   As they began cooking, Jun and Minghao kept on looking at Jihoon, just to make sure he was alright. "You know, Jihoon, Minghao never told us anything. About what happened I mean." Jihoon looked at his hands.

   "Really?" He asked after a while. His voice was small.

   "Hyung," Minghao started, "is the plan still on?" He asked quietly. Jihoon hesitated, then nodded. "Tonight then?"

   "Maybe... it might take a while for everyone to get used to this."

   "I understand Hyung." He went back to cutting some vegetables. The rest of the present members furrowed their brows in confusion.

   Five quiet minutes passed, they were only quiet because Seungkwan was sleeping on the table, until Mingyu, Wonwoo, and Vernon came into the kitchen sleepily.

   "Geez, took you guys long enough." Jun scolded. It took them a bit, but they noticed Jihoon.

   "Hyung!" Vernon and Mingyu chorused.

   "Jihoon!" Wonwoo said at almost exactly the same time. Jihoon gave a weak smile as he was hugged by all three members. How many more times today will he have to do this? Hugging so many people was actually wearing on his nerves.

   The rest of the members came soon after, and all hugged Jihoon. Seungcheol and Jeonghan weren't as bad as they already knew that Jihoon had gotten better. Chan even started crying like Minghao, he was so relieved. The members of Seventeen could not stop smiling all throughout breakfast. They also could not stop asking Jihoon and Soonyoung what Soonyoung's 'plan' was.

After breakfast, Jihoon pulled Minghao aside. "Have they held her funeral? I know it's been three weeks but..." he trailed off.

"Don't worry Hyung, I informed them of your unique... 'situation' and they said they would put it off until you got better. Though no one knew when that would happen. Oh yeah, and your sister got cremated so there isn't just some body that's been laying around for three weeks." Minghao grinned at him.

"Thanks Minghao. I really don't know when I should tell them everything though."

"Well, don't keep them waiting too long Hyung, they're pretty curious." Jihoon smiled halfheartedly at the floor.

"I do owe them an explanation." He murmured.

Seventeen went out for lunch to celebrate Jihoon's recovery. Jihoon watched them talk and laugh with each other, a small smile on his face. He wasn't used to people yet, so he didn't participate. Well, he didn't participate much in the laughing and playing before either, but now he didn't even have enough energy to talk. So he just watched.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Jihoon learned that they actually had not practiced once over the last three weeks. He was shocked, but also touched. Music was their lives, but they put practicing to become the best behind them in order to take care of Jihoon when he needed them. Jihoon knew that he would do the same for them in a heartbeat.

Speaking of heartbeats, Jihoon's seems to pound every time a certain someone comes too close. Every time Soonyoung helped him with something, or they make accidental physical contact, Jihoon gets flustered and blushes. A couple more members other than Jun began to notice this odd behavior and hid their smiles. Soonyoung had sat next to him at the table, and Jihoon was mentally cursing him for that. Every time their legs would touch, the pounding in Jihoon's chest would get louder. Louder to the point that he was afraid someone was going to hear it and ask some pesky questions.

Suddenly, Jihoon got a strange thought. Was Jihyo afraid that the man would hear her heartbeat while she was hiding? Were her last couple of minutes spent trying to calm her heart, in fear of being heard? Is that how he found her? Or did he check under the bed for no reason? Jihoon put down his chopsticks, losing his appetite. Why must he think of her now? He suddenly felt guilty; why is he having a good time with his members when his sister's last moments were spent in absolute terror? His heart pounds because of his muddled feelings, hers pounded because she was scared for her life. Did he have the right to be happy?

On the way back from lunch, all of the members tried their hand at cheering up Jihoon, and just to not worry them, he smiled faintly, but inside, he was already crying.

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I might have too raise the limit of reads on the last chapter before I update again because I'm getting 20 in the day that I upload😂 thank you to everyone that reads! Maybe I'll raise it to 25... who knows. Thanks!