For You and Me

Chapter 20: Waves

The walk to Heejun's room is agonizingly slow and terrifyingly quick at the same time.  Jihun grips Seungjun's hand so tightly his own hand aches.  As Seungjun raises his fist to knock on the hospital door that belongs to Heejun he glances at Jihun and smiles gently at the panic in his eyes.  Instead of knocking he caresses Jihun's cheek.

"Jihun, there's nothing to be afraid of.  I'm here.  Heejun's in there.  He won't hurt you, I won't hurt you.  Ok?"  Seungjun waits to see if his words penetrate the fear Jihun feels and after a moment Jihun's chokehold on his fingers loosens to allow the blood to flow normally.  Seungjun chuckles and ruffles Jihun's hair before knocking on the door in front of them.  After some muffled shuffling coming from the other side of the door it swings open to a triumphantly smiling Heejun.  

"Hey guys, welcome to my crib." He jokes breathlessly.  He is balanced on crutches and his good leg.  Even though the bruises on his face look much worse today he seems to have a few less bandages covering his face.  Youjin pokes his head out from behind Heejun's shoulder looking exasperatedly embarrassed.  It is then that Jihun realises he is holding Heejun's hospital gown together behind him.  Seungjun starts laughing and after a moment he has to take deep breaths to try to gain control over it.  Heejun smiles all the while.

"Hey, you're disturbing the peaceful atmosphere." Inseong calls a few steps down the hallway loud enough to also disturb anyone still sleeping in the ward.  

"Come on you, back in bed." Youjin lightheartedly scolds Heejun while tugging on his gown.  Heejun turns his head a bit to give him a devious smile.

"Make me." The suggestion in his tone and the longing stare they share has Jihun looking down as he feels his face fill up with red.  Inseong reaches them and throws an arm around Jihun's shoulders making both him and Seungjun jump.  

"Make you what?  What'd I miss?" Inseong says.  Heejun looks away from Youjin and rolls his eyes at Inseong.  

"I'm hiring a detective today to get Yoonji's number so I can personally beg her to get back with you cause obviously pizza guy Changkyun is not a big enough distraction.  That's what you missed." Heejun says before huffing and letting Youjin help him back into his bed.  Inseong slips his arm off of Jihun and follows them in.  Jihun and Seungjun follow and let the door close behind them.  

"I could save you the trouble and give you her number.  But I don't think pizza guy Changkyun would like that.  And I think he's definitely a big enough distraction.  It's just that nobody is more than you, buddy." Inseong says as he goes to stand on the other side of the bed by the windows and across from Youjin.  

"Ugh, hey don't make me sicker.  They might make me stay another night."  Heejun teases making a disgusted face.  Jihun didn't realize how much he missed this.  The weirdly flirtatious bickering between these two, the 'up to no good' grin from Heejun, and the overall feeling of warmth being with the whole group felt like.  

"I'd help you fight your way out."  Inseong says making Heejun chuckle.  

"I thought you were trying out pasificm?"  Seungjun joins in the teasing.

"And I thought you casually slipped off a cliff.  Where have you been?"  Inseong says.  

"What nearby cliff could I possibly have fallen off?  We live in a city."  Seungjun tries to avoid his question.  Jihun's back straightens as his mind realizes this is the perfect time to interject, to say a few words and quickly clear the whole situation.  But his throat feels constricted and the pressure winds tighter and tighter until he realizes he isn't breathing.  He feels Seungjun squeeze his hand a few times.  And when he glances at him his lungs finally fill up.