Acrophilia

VIII: return the favour

      "Hyung," a voice calls, it sounds distant and muffled, as if Jaebeom were under water and someone is calling him from outside. His body feels heavy and alien to him, his eyelids made of lead and even if he tries he can't open them, plus after one try he gives up, not having the energy to try again. "Hyung, if you sleep here more your cold will only get worse. I have no problem being your pillow, but I don't think we are that close yet to be doing this."

"Hmmm," Jaebeom groans, understanding the words but not processing the meaning of them.

"Hyung, it might even rain. Wake up," the voice insists and this time Jaebeom feels a hand on his shoulder, shaking him.

Honestly, he feels terrible but he tries opening his eyes just for his surroundings to spin, so he closes them again. It feels like his body suddenly becomes so thin and small and the world is too big on him, like an infinitely larger jumper. But a second later it feels like his body is too big, swelling to the point he thinks he'll explode.

"Hyung, are you okay? Why are you making zombie noises?"

Jaebeom is a bit more conscious now, even if he continues going from too thin to too swollen, the world around him never fitting; yet he can recognise Jinyoung's voice and he realises he must've fallen asleep while talking to him, the medicine and his cold dragging him into unconsciousness. Now it's such a Herculean task to come back from such place.

"I don't... don't feel well," Jaebeom manages to stutter, shivering but not because he's cold, per se, it's just his body fighting everything he's feeling.

"Oh boy..." Jinyoung mutters, his tone carrying a bit of panic this time. "Okay, I don't think I can carry you, I'm not a man of muscle and you look heavy."

"Rude," Jaebeom scoffs, not missing the way Jinyoung chuckles even in such situation.

"So let me help you sit straight, and lets try taking deep breaths to calm down," the younger boy suggests and Jaebeom feels his hands on both shoulders, pushing him to a different position. He wonders if he was lying his head on Jinyoung's lap or something, because it seems the other young man is helping him to sit straight. "Okay, now breathe in... and out," he instructs, sonorously taking a breath himself to guide Jaebeom.

The older does as told, breathe in and out, in and out, until he stops feeling like the world is spinning around him out of control, until his body feels like his body again. An eternity later (or what seems like that) Jaebeom dares to open his eyes and the world isn't spinning anymore, so that's a relief. Slowly, he turns his head and finds Jinyoung by his side, holding him with an arm around his shoulders and a tentative smile.

"Better?" The younger asks and Jaebeom nods. He still feels more than sixty percent about to die, but it's better than before. "That's good. I was afraid I would have to drag your dead body down all those stairs."

"You could've used the lift though," Jaebeom comments and watches Jinyoung's face losing all emotion, just staring back at that.

"I was panicking, I didn't think through," he excuses himself and Jaebeom grins. "Still, I'm glad you are doing better."

"Thank you... you didn't need to stay or even help me. Why are you still here?" Jaebeom asks, his throat hurts, his voice is hoarse and he gets tired for uttering more than one sentence, but he pushes through.

"You've 'saved' me three times," Jinyoung points out. "I might be mildly suicidal, but I'm not ungrateful. When you started dozing off, your head on my shoulder and no more answers, I figured you needed some sleep to get better. Now I realise sleeping on the rooftop was probably a bad idea and I shouldn't have allowed it."