Seventeen: Unexpected Family

08

Minghao-

It was the next morning. Everyone was still asleep, except for me. I hadn't slept at all and it was 6:30 am.

I glanced over at the window that lit up the gloomy hospital hallway to see the Sun rising above the valley. Something about watching the sun rise made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Wonwoo was spread out on my legs, Chan had fallen off of Wonwoo during the night. So due to my position, I was unable to fall asleep.

and my ass hurt

I was reading a book on my phone, when I noticed a doctor making his way towards me. I really didn't want to be the one to talk to him, but I also didn't want to wake up the others.
I decided I would wake up Joshua and have him talk to the doctor with me. I would never have considered Joshua  a friend, but now due to the past couple of days, besides Chan and Wonwoo, Joshua was my favorite to be around. I gently moved Wonwoo's body off me as I got up to stretch and make my way over to Joshua. Joshua was sprawled out on the floor below Seungcheol and Jeonghan, who was clinging onto the Soccer player like a kola bear.

"uhm, Joshua hyung." I whispered as I gently pat Joshua to wake him up.
Joshua finally started to stir, stretching before opening his eyes.
"hm?"
"uhm, it's Minghao, the doctor is here, I figured you would want to hear the news"
Joshuas eyes burst open, as he let the information sink. Almost like he had to recalculate that he was in the hospital, waiting on Seokmin to wake up.
"thanks minghao" Joshua sat up and offered me a warm smile, a smile I wouldn't mind getting used to seeing. Joshuas smile made me feel warm and fuzzy, just like the sun rise. I was now pulling Joshua up as we made our way over to the doctor greeting them.
"good morning, concerning Mr. Lee, the seizure he had yesterday is quite normal sometimes in this kind of case, so there is nothing to worry about."

I could feel a weight being lifted slightly off of me.

"Mr. Lee is expected to wake up either sometime today, or tonight into tomorrow morning, after that he'll need a day in the hospital to recover before leaving. He may have seizures quite often for awhile, but once his body is completely healed they should stop."

The doctor smiled as he bowed and walked away. I glanced over at Joshua who seemed completely relieved.

"Minghao?"
"hm?"
the two boys were staring at the room Seokmin was locked away in.
"Do you, know the feeling, where you don't think you like someone, they just make your day a little better with their jokes, but suddenly something bad happens to them and your heart is constantly feeling like it'll never recover, and you want nothing more than to hold that person."

I was slightly taken back by Joshua who was still hypnotized by the door.
I let myself think of mingyu. I felt the same when I first met mingyu,
just a random kid making me laugh in class and didn't even know he existed, but here  is head over heels for the boy.

"yea, I know the feeling.."
Joshua broke his gaze and looked at me,

"really? about who?"

I choked

"i'll tell you, when you tell me"
Joshua looked like he was really considering it.

"one day." was all the older said before walking away and waking up Seungcheol and Jeonghan.
I looked over and noticed Jeonghan start crying after Joshua told him Seokmin will be waking up soon.

-----

The others had finally woken up, and it was already the end of first period when we set out for school. Jeonghan promised to call when and if Seokmin woke up. We were excited. on the way to school everyone seemed in a brighter mood as we talked about, whose house we would go study at, Joshua and Seungcheol's upcoming soccer games and if we could attend earning an enthusiastic nod from Seungcheol.

"I really feel at home with you guys"

the words suddenly came out of me, I didn't know why I said it. I couldn't hold it in though.
As we walked down the sidewalk, littered with cherry blossoms and covered by shades of the leaves on trees as the wind gently blew through the group making us breathe it in. In the short amount of time I have known them, and the situation it occurred in , it felt like fate to me.

"me too Hao"

I turned, never hearing someone call me "Hao" other than wonwoo and chan. I turned around to face a group of boys, a group of 7 boys who had stopped on their path. The wind blew from behind them, as cherry blossoms swirled in the back ground, almost making the scene feel ethereal.

Joshua was stepped out a little bit more than the others.

"you guys really do feel like home"

Joshua smiled, making me feel that warm and fuzzy feeling again. This time, I felt it more intensely. When I moved my gaze from Joshua, and looked at the smiles of 7 boys, who made that warm and fuzzy feeling deepen, like it was what I had missing my whole life.

Vernon, Seungkwan had just joined the group as of yesterday, but had already made themselves valuable by running to gas stations to get snacks and drinks, bringing pillows and blankets from their homes for everyone.

Next to them Stood Seungcheol and Jihoon. Seungcheol had been there at the start, and he has really helped Jeonghan through a lot. Jihoon has managed to make himself useful by non-chalantley doing things for Soonyoung.

Joshua, Wonwoo, and chan my two best friends and someone who I felt was my older brother, have really helped me understand what family is. Is this what it feels like? To have a family, people who love and care for you even in uncertain situations. To me, It felt like I had a mom and dad, for once, it was just like how my grandma used to explain.. The only person I want to create a stronger relationship with, is mingyu and Seokmin.

I can't wait till Seokmin wakes up, maybe he too will finally feel like he has a family.

"ew ok, that was gross and disgusting"
Chan laughed as he raced past me towards the school, everyone running after him as joshua yelled out
"i'll show you what's gross when I beat you into the ground!"

What a rollercoaster my life is about to become