the other eight

: three :

I woke before all the guys did. After almost tripping and falling over them several times, I finally made it to the door, leaving it open for them.

"A drop in the ocean, a change in the weather. I was praying that you and I might end up together." I sang softly, cooking the eggs over the skillet. It was a quiet morning, definitely going to rain later on today. My words slowly drifted to hums and I bobbed my head softly to the beat of the song.

"You have a really nice voice."

I jumped, dropping the spatula, luckily not the pan holding the eggs. "Oh my gosh, you scared me." I laughed softly once I saw one of the guys sitting across the counter. "Good morning."

"I'm sorry." He smiled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm Hongjoong if you don't remember."

"No, I remember." I nodded, turning my attention back to the dozen eggs I've made. "You know how to read music."

"I do. I produce songs actually, at my old job." He drifted off, and I glanced over, making sure he was okay.

"Old job?"

"Uhm, yeah..." Hongjoong glanced down the hallway and let out a small breath. "Good morning Jongho." Jongho rubbed his eyes and nodded, not speaking.

"Hello, Jongho, nice to meet you." I waved with my free hand, dishing the eggs out onto plates. "I hope you like eggs." Jongho hummed and Hongjoong mumbled something in Korean.

"Eggs? Eggs?" A very familiar loud voice and noisy footsteps entered the kitchen, and I smiled at Mingi, his hair sticking up at several different angles. "Eggs Kenny?"

"It's Kennedy, you Buffon." Hongjoong shoved Mingi lightly as he sat beside him.

"Wooyoung." I spotted him just exiting the room, handing the three sitting in front of me their plates. "How does your stomach feel?"

"Kenny dee, I think, the blood, is escaped." He showed me his hand, his fingers covered in blood, my brother's old t-shirt damp with blood. Wooyoung stumbled forward, using the wall to steady himself.

"Jongho, watch the eggs." I rushed over to Wooyoung, Hongjoong hot on my heels as I guided Wooyoung to the bathroom, sitting him down on the toilet. "Take off your shirt," I commanded, opening the cupboard to get the first aid kit again. "Your scab must've broken while you slept."

"Is it bad?" Wooyoung closed his eyes and leaned his back, Hongjoong standing beside him with his hand clutching his shoulder. "Bad blood?"

"No no, it's...it'll be okay." I frowned, as I cleaned his wound, deciding if I should pull the rest of his scab off or not. "Hongjoong, can you go see if San's awake?" Hongjoong hurried off, leaving me with Wooyoung and his bullet wound.

"Kennedy?" San crouched beside me, wide awake upon hearing the news. "What's wrong." I stood up and stepped outside the room.

"San, I need you to be very specific." I held my hands out in front of me, hoping none of the blood was dripping onto the rug. "How much blood has he lost?"

"It's been four days. And every morning and evening, we had to find something new to cover his wound..." San stuttered, his eyes darting around. "Kennedy, is he going to be okay?" Tears brimmed his eyes.

"Is he usually that pale?" I stepped aside and let San get a good look at Wooyoung. San's lip trembled and shook his head. "Fucking hell," I mumbled under my breath and wiped my bloodied hands on my shirt.

"Kenny!" Hongjoong shouted as I walked away. "Kenny he won't open his eyes!" The smell of burning eggs slammed into my nose as all eight boys piled into the hallway.

"Kennedy!" San screamed at me, my back to them as I picked up my pace, throwing open the door to the closet once I reached it. "He's dying! Help us!" I grumbled under my breath as I threw stuff out of my way, my eyes frantically searching the closet for that box. With a final throw of a shoebox, I found the box and ran over to the guys.

"Move, move." I shoved past them, opening the box before I sat down, fumbling with the vial inside. With shaking hands, ragged breathing in my ears, I squeezed out four drops from the dropper, Wooyoung's back arching, his eyes shooting open.

"Stop moving!" I hissed, placing my hands over his wound, steaming escaping between my fingers. Wooyoung cried out in pain and thrashed around, desperately trying to stop.

"What the hell did you do!" Hongjoong cried, watching helplessly as Wooyoung strained in his grasp.

"I saved his life," I spoke, Wooyoung going slack, Hongjoong having to support him. His chest heaved rapidly, tears streaming down his face. "This vial? I stole it. I thought it'd help my mother, but it doesn't help immune system illnesses. It's a physical cure for injuries." I slowly removed my hand from his wound, the gooey blood replaced with skin. All that was left, was an indent that needed new skin.

"I thought you were leaving us with him." San sat on the ground, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." I put the vial back in the box and stood up, wiping my hands on my shirt again, blood all over me.

"It's fine." I took a step forward until someone grabbed my arm, whirling me around. It was Jongho.

"Thank you Kennedy."