Fated Mistake

Notes

"Baekhyun, the food will get cold, if you keep looking out the window," Dr. Song warned.

"Baekhyun?"

Dr. Song's gentle touch on his shoulder brought Kyungsoo back to earth. It had been weeks since he became "Byun Baekhyun." Still, he couldn't get used to that name.

"You look pale. Are you in pain again?" The doctor asked.

"No, my leg is fine. I'm just a little tired." Kyungsoo replied. Lately, he couldn't sleep. Yet, it was not the pain that kept him awake. It was Jongin's incomprehensible behavior that made him ponder. He thought he had seen Jongin's gentleness for a moment. However, it seemed he was wrong. Jongin's concern, even if it lasted briefly, was perhaps just Kyungsoo's imagination. Since Kyungsoo's injury, Jongin was barely home. He went to work when Kyungsoo was still asleep and came home when Kyungsoo already went to bed. Even the weekend was no exception.

"How did you sleep recently? I can give you something to fall asleep." Dr. Song suggested.

"No, thank you." Dr. Song has been taking care of him since the accident at Jongin's request. She was a nice person with great humor. Kyungsoo liked spending time with her. But she wasn't Jongin. Kyungsoo noticed how Jongin was avoiding him. He just didn't understand why the gang leader would do that.

Jongin had been looking blankly at the statistics on his monitor for almost half an hour. Lately, his concentration declined sharply, and he worked just half as productive as usual, though he stayed in the office much longer. The dream last week was still bothering him. Such a dream ... about a man ... that scared him. Kyungsoo scared him. Since then he tried his best to avoid the other man. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But it didn't seem to work. The more distraction Jongin tried to get, the more often Kyungsoo appears on his mind.

And so, the phone call Jongin got a few minutes ago only exacerbates the unpleasant pressure in Jongin's lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe. Dr. Song called to tell him that she must leave earlier today. That wouldn't bother him if it didn't mean he had to take care of Kyungsoo for the rest of the day.

Reluctantly Jongin drove home right after work. As soon as he opened the front door, he noticed the delicious scent of freshly cooked food. This gave Jongin an unusual and indescribable feeling. Not that he never ate self-cooked foods, but the foods were never cooked in this house. The expensive kitchen, which had hardly any blemish, wasn't in perfect condition, because it was treated with care, but because it was never used. This kitchen - even if it was fully functional - was nothing more than a showcase piece, like those samples at IKEA. That was ... until today.

"Welcome home, I hope you are hungry," Kyungsoo greeted with a smile.

"What's this?"

"Usually you don't get to come home so early, so I thought I'd cook something for us."

Jongin looked at the food. One glance and he could tell how much efforts Kyungsoo had put into this. Even the table was set.

"You prepared this?"

"I know I can't compare myself with your personal chef, but I thought you might like some home-made foods. What I mean is that the cooking of a five-star chef might make you feel like you're dinging out every day ... So maybe you want a change? "

Jongin didn't even try hard to notice Kyungsoo's awkwardness. He could close his eyes and miss all the hand gestures that Kyungsoo was making, he could still tell how nervous the other one was. Spreading and recognizing fear was his daily business after all.

"Why were you cooking instead of resting?"

"Dr. Song said a bit of exercise would be good. And it didn't take long to cook anyway." Kyungsoo answered.