The Three Cupcakes (9/?) Part Two (2)
Title: The Three Cupcakes (9/?) Part Two (2)
Pairing(s): 2Jun (Family!2JunSeob) Some JunKwang
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7,588
Summary: Doojoon makes a big mistake. Junhyung can’t take it anymore. Yoseob is caught in the middle.
Previous: The Three Cupcakes (9/?) Part One (1)
Day 58
“UMMA! UMMAAA!!”
Yoseob crawled all over Junhyung like a wild little water bug, grinning and smiling. Junhyung-knowing just who it was-laughed out of his sleep…
“Whaaat…….?”
“LOOKUMMALOOKLOOK. LOOK AT MY CRAYONS!!”
Yoseob thrust his deluxe pack of rainbow crayons into Junhyung’s nose. Umma blinked, playing his part in acting utterly taken.
“Ohhh… that’s your gift? The tooth fairy got you new crayons?”
“YEAH.”
“That’s a lot of colors, baby… They were the ones you’ve always wanted, right?”
“YES. UMMA HOW DID SHE KNOW!?”
Junhyung ruffled his hair, “Fairy noona knows everything,” Junhyung pushed his lips against the young one’s cheek.
“Alright, alright, Seobie. Come on. Umma needs to rest some more.” Kikwang ushered the ecstatic Yoseob away from umma with dismissive pats to the small of his back. But once Jun was up, he was up. Junhyung slowly blossomed to life. He swept his legs up and over until his feet touched the carpet. He stretched and yawned, but not as grand, being constricted by his tight fitting clothing from yesterday.
“I can’t rest for too much longer. I’ve gotta be at the shop at ten.”
Kikwang gasped, “‘Ten?!’ You’ve got a morning shift?”
“Yup. You and me both, which means we’ll have to bring Seob.”
Yoseob bounced happily with his boxy crate of new crayons. Kikwang occupied a space beside the tired, but restless man.
“Did you finish everything at the bureau?”
“Yeah, somehow.”
Kikwang smiled a teensy bit… More than anything did he want to tell Junhyung to keep still, lie back down, and gain a proper rest, but he knew his friend needed to keep money rolling in. He knew he had to take care of Seobie. He knew he had to get his lights and water on-which weren’t working still, by the way. Jun checked. He had to work; he literally couldn’t afford to sit still.
“What time is it?” Junhyung asked.
“About 9:13.”
“Alright…… then I’ll get started on breakfast and then get Seobie ready.”
“No, no,” Kikwang pressed his hand against Jun’s chest, “I’ll get breakfast while you get yourself and Seobie ready.”
Junhyung wasn’t given any room to protest. The arms of Kikwang’s apron were hugging his waist. Junhyung had to comply.
No longer in charge of breakfast, Junhyung summoned Seobie forth to the bathroom. He had to tell him to leave his crayons behind.
“Umma I can help you and Kiki at the shop like last time?” Seob blinked wildly at the man. Jun lathered a bad of Yoseob’s shampoo between his palms. He worked it diligently into the boy’s wet tresses and scalp. Suds festered on the itty crown of his head. Seobie assisted.
“Mhm. We could always use another helper.”
With Seobie squared away, umma had time to ready himself for more work. His shower was quick; he emerged smelling like a fruit. Yoseob was seated at the table eating a bowl of cereal and a slice of jammed toast. Kikwang personally brought to Jun a hot, brewed cup of espresso. The coffee he had earlier had run its course, but it served him well.
“This should help you. And get rid of those bags under your eyes,” said Kikwang, passing off the mug to his best friend. They nestled into the seats ‘round the table. Junhyung tried the brew on his way into his chair. The blend was bold and rich, and it awakened Junhyung from throat to stomach.
“You’re getting better,” Junhyung complimented.
“Thanks. It’s really okay?”
“It’s kinda too sweet for my taste, but it’s sweet enough to bear.”
“…I’m kind of used to making things sweet,” the other confessed, and with a shimmer of pink at the tops of his cheeks…
Time nibbled on the heels of the three. When breakfast was all eaten, they had to make the straightest bee line to Sweet Yong. Jun and Kikwang were always the firsts to arrive. The other employees came after.
“Kiki, you ahead and set up the chairs. I’ll get the ovens going for the bakers when they get here.”
“What I can do?” Yoseob peeped, a glint in his eyes. He wanted to do something. He was a big boy. And just as he asked that, the telephone started to sing. Junhyung-smiling to Yoseob-launched his baby off of his little feet and pasted him to his hip, filing the mold.
“You wanna answer the phone for umma?”
Yoseob nodded, his hair reflecting his excitement as it swished about. Junhyung carried the child over to the front desk, “Now when you pick up the phone, you say, ‘Hello. This is Sweet Yong. My name is Yoon Yoseob. Can I help you?’”
“Okay.”
“You can remember all that?”
“I can. I remember it.”
“Alright. Go ahead and answer.”
Umma dipped his body some so Yoseob had a better reach for the phone. He grasped it with his small hand and stuck it to the side of his wildly. It worked for him.
“Hi. This is Sweet Yong. My name is Yoon Yoseob. Can I help you?............uh-h-” Junhyung poked Yoseob, and the boy corrected his language (he was speaking to an adult), “-I mean yes……yes he is right here…”
Yoseob pulled the phone away from his face.
“Noona wants you umma.”
“Okay. Thank you, baby.” Junhyung released the boy, then took up the phone.
“Hello, this is Yong Junhyung………..yes………..”
As this conversation ensued, Junhyung stayed quiet for the most part as the noona on the other line chirped on and on. Or rather speechless. Yoseob watched umma’s orbs swell. Kikwang wasn’t too far away, either.
“I-I’ll be there immediately……..yes……yes, thank you. Goodbye.” Junhyung dropped the phone onto its hook. It produced a pretty loud sound. Kikwang noticed it.
“What’s up, Jun?” asked Kiki.
“It was the hospital. Finish opening shop and start selling without me.”
“No problem. I-Is everything alright?”
Junhyung and Kikwang interlocked their gazes. The former had this look of incredulousness on his pastel countenance.
“I hope it will be. Yoseob go get your jacket,” Jun rushed, almost making the command sound like a single word.
“Where we going?” the boy inquired.
Junhyung already had one arm in his coat, “To see appa.”
♥
With nurse Hyeri leading the way, Junhyung carried Yoseob through the labyrinth that was the hospital… But Jun knew his way around the place. He’d been there many times. They eventually made it to the room where Doojoon was no longer sleeping.
“Try to keep your voices at a minimum. Although he’s been awake for some hours, his ears are very sensitive right now.”
Junhyung nodded, petting Yoseob’s locks, “uhhuhyeahsure.”
She calmly gripped the knob, and opened the door.
And Doojoon’s head turned.
And Doojoon’s gaze touched Junhyung’s.
When those pupils connected in the air, Junhyung could feel his soul leave his body, then fall back into its shell from thousands of feet above. A cornucopia of emotions came and left and came in the passing of a second as he had several out-of-body experiences.
Junhyung set Yoseob to the floor, and the latter jumped excitedly into the room. The nurse’s reminder to keep a quiet tone was obviously discarded.
He was seeing his appa for the very first time in months.
“APPA!! APPAAPPA!!”
Doojoon, cringing with a smile, looked to the side. He found a springing, ecstatic Yoseob to his right. He was too small to climb onto the bed, but he could see his appa’s lustrous orbs, and his feeble smirk.
“HI, APPA! HIHI!”
“Heeeey…” Doojoon strained, peering up and over to gaze at his son.
“Yoseob, talk quieter. You’re hurting appa’s ears.”
Their eyes met again. “Jun,” labored Doojoon, but it was a beautiful sound… Why was Jun so far away? He wanted him… He wanted his whole family by his side.
In two-and-a-half wide steps, Junhyung was close to Doojoon’s bed as he could be.
Then he was on top of it.
Junhyung very literally descended upon his lover and lassoed him into his arms as his body struggled with the decision whether to sob or breathe. He came apart on that bed. He emotionally disassembled on that bed. Fifty-eight days’ worth of agony and wondering and heartache abruptly came to an end, and all the emotions flowed freely. Junhyung wasn’t dreaming anymore. He didn’t have to dream anymore.
“Hi,” Doojoon croaked with his unused voice, but Junhyung heard him. Doojoon closed his eyes. He weakly reached around Junhyung’s torso until he swathed him into a full embrace, again, croaking, “Hi…”
They were stuck like that for two minutes. Junhyung felt Doojoon’s heart speaking to his chest. He felt his warmed skin. He felt his arms circling him and pressing them closer. The feelings surrounding them were heavy, but heavy with love. A new love. It was the loveliest embrace the couple partook in since their first days of togetherness.
Yoseob pouted, bouncing on his toes, “Ummaaaa… pick me uuup…”
“Okay, a-alright.”
Junhyung lifted Yoseob up. He took his place on the edge of the bed, next to umma. He could see Doojoon clearly now… He saw the overabundance of gauze and the bandages seemingly keeping Doojoon’s frame whole. That didn’t worry him as much. There was a bigger picture: Doojoon was alive, wasn’t he?
“Hi, appa~”
Doojoon’s hand slithered to Yoseob’s, taking it up into his larger palm. His eyes slit. His smile reached Seobie. It happened slowly.
“Appa you okay?”
Doojoon nodded… “He’s just a little weak,” Jun attached, “but he’ll be better soon. Why don’t you show appa your new smile?”
Yoseob beamed extremely wide to showcase his gap. Appa’s eyelids, little by little, spread back into his skull. He could not verbalize all that he wished to say to his son, but he expressed his surprised in a wispy, “Wow.”
“It come out when I ate a apple at breakfast. It didn’t hurt, either, appa. I didn’t cry. Umma tell me to put my tooth under my pillow before I go to sleep and fairy noona will give me a present. She got me a lot of crayons! Oh and I make you a lot of cards, too, appa but they are at home so me and umma have to get them.”
Babyseob filled Doojoon in on all that he had missed in his little life. He rambled and rambled, as a five-year-old would, and the two parents listened to all of the innocent stories painted by the child’s tongue. Doojoon responded as he would have responded at one-hundred percent, though just in slow motion. He comprehended everything Yoseob was telling him, squeezing his tiny hand fondly…
Junhyung immersed himself in his lover’s eyes. They were just as brown as he remembered. Doojoon was the same, yet a little more on the pale side. Besides the treated scars, he appeared to be the very same Doojoon from Day One. And his fresh, untouched smile-though very weak-was the same. Junhyung smoothed down the errant licks of hair delicately as he gawked over the sweetness of his partner’s faint smile, that lovely smile that he thought he would never see ever again.
“I’m sorry,” Junhyung breathed in the middle of one of Seobie’s many anecdotes, first somewhat collectedly, but after the fourth and fifth time, his tone had completely imploded and he found himself silently quivering against Doojoon’s chest again. Doojoon’s voice lacked the strength to tell him to stop apologizing, but he let Jun know that he had forgiven him, and long ago, with easy kisses from cold lips that he was sure Jun could sense. To Doojoon, it felt like they hadn’t been separated an hour. When the nurse told him he’d been “sleeping” for more than a month, he was skeptical towards the news. But seeing and hearing Junhyung react to his consciousness, he began to reconsider…
The last thing he remembered was the briskly coldness of Junhyung’s pupils and attitude. This new warmth… it was something he never thought he would feel again. It was almost too much, experiencing this sensitive side of Junhyung, this Junhyung of yesterday. But he loved it.
“I didn’t think…… you’d…” Junhyung couldn’t finish his statement. He bit his lip, and then sucked it in. Doojoon curved his left hand around Junhyung’s warm cheek. It pained his throat a bit to use his voice, but his countenance let his lover know that he didn’t have to worry about any of that any longer. He was alive and well. Junhyung sank his head into Doojoon’s hand and kept it there, holding his entire arm and keeping it lifted. He closed his eyes. He prayed to God that this was not a dream… That he had not nodded off somewhere, and would wake up passed out on the dining table. Doojoon languidly skimmed his thumb over Junhyung’s soft lips, once, twice, three times. Smiling.
Doojoon wanted to see him smile… Jun kissed the thumb at its third swipe. And he stroked Doojoon’s hand. And he smiled.
“Yong Junhyung?” said a new voice. A new body entered. It was Doctor Hong.
Junhyung bowed briefly, “Yes?” He wove his fingers with Doojoon’s.
“Ah. We were worried that we wouldn’t be able to get in touch with you. Luckily one of the nurses has visited your shop and remembered that you were same Yong Junhyung.”
“I apologize… I’m having… phone problems.”
“But you’re here now, which is great.”
Jun tuned into his lover, “How is he?”
“Doojoon is doing fine. He’s stable. His vitals look good-”
“When he can come home?” Yoseob intervened, blinking up and into the eyes of the doctor.
“Yoseob. The doctor is speaking,” umma lightly snapped. Doctor Hong beamed kindly at the outspoken one.
“It’s fine, Junhyung… Is this your… appa?” the doctor posed to the child, pointing to Doojoon.
“Yes… That’s my appa.”
“And what is your name?”
“My name Yoon Yoseob…”
“Interesting. Nice to meet you, Yoseob… I will answer your question in just a moment, but let me talk to Junhyung for a moment, okay?”
Yoseob agreed. He silently kicked his feet.
Doctor Hong revisited Junhyung’s eyes, “Doojoon has been in a coma for nearly two months, and in his present state, he cannot even walk properly. He is very weak, and that is entirely normal because of the inactivity of his muscles caused by the coma. He will require daily, intense rehabilitation in order to improve and recover his muscle memory. I can tell you now, though, that I am very optimistic that he will regain everything back fairly fast. He’s already talking, which is great, and he has retained his recognition. You may notice that he is barely capable of speaking above a whisper, and his tone is somewhat gravely, but that is typical for someone in his position…” Doctor Hong turned his attention yet again to the little boy with the brown, shiny bowls, “So Yoseob, give us two to three weeks, and your appa will be back at home with you.”
That’s all Seobie wanted to hear. It brought a great big smile to his circular face. Everything would be normal soon!
Junhyung glanced over to Doojoon, stroking his temple with a sweet caution. Doojoon’s eyes gently shut; His pink lips carried a soft smile. He basked in the sensation of being petted by his love. It was a nice feeling…
A missed one.
Pairing(s): 2Jun (Family!2JunSeob) Some JunKwang
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7,588
Summary: Doojoon makes a big mistake. Junhyung can’t take it anymore. Yoseob is caught in the middle.
Previous: The Three Cupcakes (9/?) Part One (1)
Day 58
“UMMA! UMMAAA!!”
Yoseob crawled all over Junhyung like a wild little water bug, grinning and smiling. Junhyung-knowing just who it was-laughed out of his sleep…
“Whaaat…….?”
“LOOKUMMALOOKLOOK. LOOK AT MY CRAYONS!!”
Yoseob thrust his deluxe pack of rainbow crayons into Junhyung’s nose. Umma blinked, playing his part in acting utterly taken.
“Ohhh… that’s your gift? The tooth fairy got you new crayons?”
“YEAH.”
“That’s a lot of colors, baby… They were the ones you’ve always wanted, right?”
“YES. UMMA HOW DID SHE KNOW!?”
Junhyung ruffled his hair, “Fairy noona knows everything,” Junhyung pushed his lips against the young one’s cheek.
“Alright, alright, Seobie. Come on. Umma needs to rest some more.” Kikwang ushered the ecstatic Yoseob away from umma with dismissive pats to the small of his back. But once Jun was up, he was up. Junhyung slowly blossomed to life. He swept his legs up and over until his feet touched the carpet. He stretched and yawned, but not as grand, being constricted by his tight fitting clothing from yesterday.
“I can’t rest for too much longer. I’ve gotta be at the shop at ten.”
Kikwang gasped, “‘Ten?!’ You’ve got a morning shift?”
“Yup. You and me both, which means we’ll have to bring Seob.”
Yoseob bounced happily with his boxy crate of new crayons. Kikwang occupied a space beside the tired, but restless man.
“Did you finish everything at the bureau?”
“Yeah, somehow.”
Kikwang smiled a teensy bit… More than anything did he want to tell Junhyung to keep still, lie back down, and gain a proper rest, but he knew his friend needed to keep money rolling in. He knew he had to take care of Seobie. He knew he had to get his lights and water on-which weren’t working still, by the way. Jun checked. He had to work; he literally couldn’t afford to sit still.
“What time is it?” Junhyung asked.
“About 9:13.”
“Alright…… then I’ll get started on breakfast and then get Seobie ready.”
“No, no,” Kikwang pressed his hand against Jun’s chest, “I’ll get breakfast while you get yourself and Seobie ready.”
Junhyung wasn’t given any room to protest. The arms of Kikwang’s apron were hugging his waist. Junhyung had to comply.
No longer in charge of breakfast, Junhyung summoned Seobie forth to the bathroom. He had to tell him to leave his crayons behind.
“Umma I can help you and Kiki at the shop like last time?” Seob blinked wildly at the man. Jun lathered a bad of Yoseob’s shampoo between his palms. He worked it diligently into the boy’s wet tresses and scalp. Suds festered on the itty crown of his head. Seobie assisted.
“Mhm. We could always use another helper.”
With Seobie squared away, umma had time to ready himself for more work. His shower was quick; he emerged smelling like a fruit. Yoseob was seated at the table eating a bowl of cereal and a slice of jammed toast. Kikwang personally brought to Jun a hot, brewed cup of espresso. The coffee he had earlier had run its course, but it served him well.
“This should help you. And get rid of those bags under your eyes,” said Kikwang, passing off the mug to his best friend. They nestled into the seats ‘round the table. Junhyung tried the brew on his way into his chair. The blend was bold and rich, and it awakened Junhyung from throat to stomach.
“You’re getting better,” Junhyung complimented.
“Thanks. It’s really okay?”
“It’s kinda too sweet for my taste, but it’s sweet enough to bear.”
“…I’m kind of used to making things sweet,” the other confessed, and with a shimmer of pink at the tops of his cheeks…
Time nibbled on the heels of the three. When breakfast was all eaten, they had to make the straightest bee line to Sweet Yong. Jun and Kikwang were always the firsts to arrive. The other employees came after.
“Kiki, you ahead and set up the chairs. I’ll get the ovens going for the bakers when they get here.”
“What I can do?” Yoseob peeped, a glint in his eyes. He wanted to do something. He was a big boy. And just as he asked that, the telephone started to sing. Junhyung-smiling to Yoseob-launched his baby off of his little feet and pasted him to his hip, filing the mold.
“You wanna answer the phone for umma?”
Yoseob nodded, his hair reflecting his excitement as it swished about. Junhyung carried the child over to the front desk, “Now when you pick up the phone, you say, ‘Hello. This is Sweet Yong. My name is Yoon Yoseob. Can I help you?’”
“Okay.”
“You can remember all that?”
“I can. I remember it.”
“Alright. Go ahead and answer.”
Umma dipped his body some so Yoseob had a better reach for the phone. He grasped it with his small hand and stuck it to the side of his wildly. It worked for him.
“Hi. This is Sweet Yong. My name is Yoon Yoseob. Can I help you?............uh-h-” Junhyung poked Yoseob, and the boy corrected his language (he was speaking to an adult), “-I mean yes……yes he is right here…”
Yoseob pulled the phone away from his face.
“Noona wants you umma.”
“Okay. Thank you, baby.” Junhyung released the boy, then took up the phone.
“Hello, this is Yong Junhyung………..yes………..”
As this conversation ensued, Junhyung stayed quiet for the most part as the noona on the other line chirped on and on. Or rather speechless. Yoseob watched umma’s orbs swell. Kikwang wasn’t too far away, either.
“I-I’ll be there immediately……..yes……yes, thank you. Goodbye.” Junhyung dropped the phone onto its hook. It produced a pretty loud sound. Kikwang noticed it.
“What’s up, Jun?” asked Kiki.
“It was the hospital. Finish opening shop and start selling without me.”
“No problem. I-Is everything alright?”
Junhyung and Kikwang interlocked their gazes. The former had this look of incredulousness on his pastel countenance.
“I hope it will be. Yoseob go get your jacket,” Jun rushed, almost making the command sound like a single word.
“Where we going?” the boy inquired.
Junhyung already had one arm in his coat, “To see appa.”
♥
With nurse Hyeri leading the way, Junhyung carried Yoseob through the labyrinth that was the hospital… But Jun knew his way around the place. He’d been there many times. They eventually made it to the room where Doojoon was no longer sleeping.
“Try to keep your voices at a minimum. Although he’s been awake for some hours, his ears are very sensitive right now.”
Junhyung nodded, petting Yoseob’s locks, “uhhuhyeahsure.”
She calmly gripped the knob, and opened the door.
And Doojoon’s head turned.
And Doojoon’s gaze touched Junhyung’s.
When those pupils connected in the air, Junhyung could feel his soul leave his body, then fall back into its shell from thousands of feet above. A cornucopia of emotions came and left and came in the passing of a second as he had several out-of-body experiences.
Junhyung set Yoseob to the floor, and the latter jumped excitedly into the room. The nurse’s reminder to keep a quiet tone was obviously discarded.
He was seeing his appa for the very first time in months.
“APPA!! APPAAPPA!!”
Doojoon, cringing with a smile, looked to the side. He found a springing, ecstatic Yoseob to his right. He was too small to climb onto the bed, but he could see his appa’s lustrous orbs, and his feeble smirk.
“HI, APPA! HIHI!”
“Heeeey…” Doojoon strained, peering up and over to gaze at his son.
“Yoseob, talk quieter. You’re hurting appa’s ears.”
Their eyes met again. “Jun,” labored Doojoon, but it was a beautiful sound… Why was Jun so far away? He wanted him… He wanted his whole family by his side.
In two-and-a-half wide steps, Junhyung was close to Doojoon’s bed as he could be.
Then he was on top of it.
Junhyung very literally descended upon his lover and lassoed him into his arms as his body struggled with the decision whether to sob or breathe. He came apart on that bed. He emotionally disassembled on that bed. Fifty-eight days’ worth of agony and wondering and heartache abruptly came to an end, and all the emotions flowed freely. Junhyung wasn’t dreaming anymore. He didn’t have to dream anymore.
“Hi,” Doojoon croaked with his unused voice, but Junhyung heard him. Doojoon closed his eyes. He weakly reached around Junhyung’s torso until he swathed him into a full embrace, again, croaking, “Hi…”
They were stuck like that for two minutes. Junhyung felt Doojoon’s heart speaking to his chest. He felt his warmed skin. He felt his arms circling him and pressing them closer. The feelings surrounding them were heavy, but heavy with love. A new love. It was the loveliest embrace the couple partook in since their first days of togetherness.
Yoseob pouted, bouncing on his toes, “Ummaaaa… pick me uuup…”
“Okay, a-alright.”
Junhyung lifted Yoseob up. He took his place on the edge of the bed, next to umma. He could see Doojoon clearly now… He saw the overabundance of gauze and the bandages seemingly keeping Doojoon’s frame whole. That didn’t worry him as much. There was a bigger picture: Doojoon was alive, wasn’t he?
“Hi, appa~”
Doojoon’s hand slithered to Yoseob’s, taking it up into his larger palm. His eyes slit. His smile reached Seobie. It happened slowly.
“Appa you okay?”
Doojoon nodded… “He’s just a little weak,” Jun attached, “but he’ll be better soon. Why don’t you show appa your new smile?”
Yoseob beamed extremely wide to showcase his gap. Appa’s eyelids, little by little, spread back into his skull. He could not verbalize all that he wished to say to his son, but he expressed his surprised in a wispy, “Wow.”
“It come out when I ate a apple at breakfast. It didn’t hurt, either, appa. I didn’t cry. Umma tell me to put my tooth under my pillow before I go to sleep and fairy noona will give me a present. She got me a lot of crayons! Oh and I make you a lot of cards, too, appa but they are at home so me and umma have to get them.”
Babyseob filled Doojoon in on all that he had missed in his little life. He rambled and rambled, as a five-year-old would, and the two parents listened to all of the innocent stories painted by the child’s tongue. Doojoon responded as he would have responded at one-hundred percent, though just in slow motion. He comprehended everything Yoseob was telling him, squeezing his tiny hand fondly…
Junhyung immersed himself in his lover’s eyes. They were just as brown as he remembered. Doojoon was the same, yet a little more on the pale side. Besides the treated scars, he appeared to be the very same Doojoon from Day One. And his fresh, untouched smile-though very weak-was the same. Junhyung smoothed down the errant licks of hair delicately as he gawked over the sweetness of his partner’s faint smile, that lovely smile that he thought he would never see ever again.
“I’m sorry,” Junhyung breathed in the middle of one of Seobie’s many anecdotes, first somewhat collectedly, but after the fourth and fifth time, his tone had completely imploded and he found himself silently quivering against Doojoon’s chest again. Doojoon’s voice lacked the strength to tell him to stop apologizing, but he let Jun know that he had forgiven him, and long ago, with easy kisses from cold lips that he was sure Jun could sense. To Doojoon, it felt like they hadn’t been separated an hour. When the nurse told him he’d been “sleeping” for more than a month, he was skeptical towards the news. But seeing and hearing Junhyung react to his consciousness, he began to reconsider…
The last thing he remembered was the briskly coldness of Junhyung’s pupils and attitude. This new warmth… it was something he never thought he would feel again. It was almost too much, experiencing this sensitive side of Junhyung, this Junhyung of yesterday. But he loved it.
“I didn’t think…… you’d…” Junhyung couldn’t finish his statement. He bit his lip, and then sucked it in. Doojoon curved his left hand around Junhyung’s warm cheek. It pained his throat a bit to use his voice, but his countenance let his lover know that he didn’t have to worry about any of that any longer. He was alive and well. Junhyung sank his head into Doojoon’s hand and kept it there, holding his entire arm and keeping it lifted. He closed his eyes. He prayed to God that this was not a dream… That he had not nodded off somewhere, and would wake up passed out on the dining table. Doojoon languidly skimmed his thumb over Junhyung’s soft lips, once, twice, three times. Smiling.
Doojoon wanted to see him smile… Jun kissed the thumb at its third swipe. And he stroked Doojoon’s hand. And he smiled.
“Yong Junhyung?” said a new voice. A new body entered. It was Doctor Hong.
Junhyung bowed briefly, “Yes?” He wove his fingers with Doojoon’s.
“Ah. We were worried that we wouldn’t be able to get in touch with you. Luckily one of the nurses has visited your shop and remembered that you were same Yong Junhyung.”
“I apologize… I’m having… phone problems.”
“But you’re here now, which is great.”
Jun tuned into his lover, “How is he?”
“Doojoon is doing fine. He’s stable. His vitals look good-”
“When he can come home?” Yoseob intervened, blinking up and into the eyes of the doctor.
“Yoseob. The doctor is speaking,” umma lightly snapped. Doctor Hong beamed kindly at the outspoken one.
“It’s fine, Junhyung… Is this your… appa?” the doctor posed to the child, pointing to Doojoon.
“Yes… That’s my appa.”
“And what is your name?”
“My name Yoon Yoseob…”
“Interesting. Nice to meet you, Yoseob… I will answer your question in just a moment, but let me talk to Junhyung for a moment, okay?”
Yoseob agreed. He silently kicked his feet.
Doctor Hong revisited Junhyung’s eyes, “Doojoon has been in a coma for nearly two months, and in his present state, he cannot even walk properly. He is very weak, and that is entirely normal because of the inactivity of his muscles caused by the coma. He will require daily, intense rehabilitation in order to improve and recover his muscle memory. I can tell you now, though, that I am very optimistic that he will regain everything back fairly fast. He’s already talking, which is great, and he has retained his recognition. You may notice that he is barely capable of speaking above a whisper, and his tone is somewhat gravely, but that is typical for someone in his position…” Doctor Hong turned his attention yet again to the little boy with the brown, shiny bowls, “So Yoseob, give us two to three weeks, and your appa will be back at home with you.”
That’s all Seobie wanted to hear. It brought a great big smile to his circular face. Everything would be normal soon!
Junhyung glanced over to Doojoon, stroking his temple with a sweet caution. Doojoon’s eyes gently shut; His pink lips carried a soft smile. He basked in the sensation of being petted by his love. It was a nice feeling…
A missed one.