patient • chensung

11 • tangled up in your sheets

Chenle was back at the playground later on that day. Although this time, he was alone and only had his clipboard on him, a pen attached to the side of it.

"A younger boy, huh?" he questioned to himself.

Due to it being late November, Chenle was in luck to have the playground bare, and for himself to look around. Despite living so close to here, he never visited this place- probably because he was growing up in China as a child, not here.

"Black hair, skinny and tall," he muttered to himself.

After a while of examining the park, he decided that it'd be better for him to come here with his client next, so he could hear about the child more. He didn't want to assume that it was Jisung straight away, even if he was pretty sure of it.

"Playing alone," he whispered again, as he walked back to the hospital.

He remembered what Jisung told him near the beginning of their encounter, about him having no relatives. Would this be the start for it?

"Xiaojun," he called, seeing the boy sitting outside the large building, on a bench with a book in his hand.

"Chenle?" the older responded, closing the book and putting it beside him. "Any ideas?" he asked.

The latter shook his head. "I only went to look around, I'll take him with me next time."

Xiaojun chewed on his lip. "Are you sure? I don't want you in risk of anything because, he is a bit dangerous you know."

Chenle nodded. "I do, but it'd hurt me more to just let this go. He could be in such a better place right now and he's so young, he's my age, ge."

The older nodded in understanding. "Just be careful, alright?"

With a reassuring smile, Chenle passed him, making his way through the doors and up the elevator. His route was already embedded in his mind, and he found his legs taking him to the familiar room without any thought.

"Can I come in?"

No response.

He knocked this time, three times for emphasis.

Still no response.

Chenle sighed, pushing the door open himself as he entered the room, shutting it behind him
gently.

"Mr. Park?" He called into the empty room, looking around for any trace of his patient.

"Jisung?" he tried again, heading further into the room and looking around the bed.

"Where are-"

Suddenly, his hands were clasped together in a vice-like grip behind his back, a firm grip on his chin as his head was forced upwards, facing the ceiling.

"What do you want from me?" the sudden presence whispered in the doctor's ear, sending chills down his spine.

"What do you mean?" Chenle asked, trying to stabilise his breathing from the unexpected shock. 

The hand on his chin let go, and used it to spin him around, never once letting go of his arms which were stuck behind his back.

"You kissed me yesterday. Who let you?" Jisung's voice raised, his anger following with it.

Chenle widened his eyes. "I kissed you?" he retorted in disbelief. "This is a joke," he muttered under his breath, exasperated.

The younger frowned. "Yes. I never gave you permission to, so why did you do it?" he asked again, squinting his eyes, scrutinising the smaller.

"You kissed me, Park Jisung. In exchange of not cutting me."

The said male loosened his grip on the latter's wrists and stepped back.

"I apologise. It won't happen again," he bowed, eyes looking down.

Chenle hitched an eyebrow, and kept a mental note of this.

So he decided to test it again.

"But I punched you last night," he began, and examined the boy's actions.

True to his thoughts, Jisung began seething again, his friendly demeanour gone instantly and replaced with a new, unsettling one.

What caught Chenle's eyes, however, was that during this whole process of his moods, his eyes had not changed one bit. They were all the same, just like when he had first found the boy.

Empty.

"I was kidding, I never punched you but you did fall over yesterday, presumably because you were tired," he continued quickly, raising his arms in surrender.

Jisung wasn't having it anymore.
"I've had enough of you and you interfering with my life," he spoke gently, a complete contrast to his words. "Just let me die in peace," he finished, walking over to his bed and sitting down, hands linked together in his lap.

Chenle's eyes followed him, and turned around to face the boy as he tapped his foot against the floor restlessly.

"Does it not excite you about having a future, Jisung? About a career, family and your own house?" the doctor queried, trying to get as much information out of him whilst he was in this state.

His question was rewarded with a low chuckle. "What future, Chenle? There is no future for me and there never will be. I've come to terms with this."

He didn't want to force anything out of the younger, already he could tell that if he asked more, Jisung would snap.

So he'd wait for a lbit, and the boy would open up little by little.

"Jisung," he called, walking to the door.

"What."

"Be ready by 7pm, wear something warm."

Jisung smiled. "Alright," he nodded, falling back to lay on his bed.

"We're going to see that little boy again, how does that sound?" the older asked, making sure he was comfortable with it.

"The lonely one?" he confirmed, remembering back to their previous visit.

Chenle nodded. "The same one."

••

sorry! short chapter but yeah i'm gonna start writing more of this since fame is almost finished, how do y'all like the plot so far? i'd recommend you quickly skim the last few chapters just so that you know what's going on in case you forgot because of the break i took from this book.

hope all of you are doing alright in quarantine, make sure to go in your garden or even just on a quick walk to get some fresh air, it's healthy.

love you all, and thank you for 41k reads on fame! i could not be happier.