The Halfling - Part 11

Sep 26, 2013 00:17

Title: The Halfling
Pairing(s): Onkey, side 2min
Rating: PG-13 (overall)
Genre: Romance, sci-fi (?)
Disclaimer: I don't own SHINee, I don't own any of the members. Their souls and bodies belong to SM, I am only a lowly, foreign fanfic writer.


He wasn’t sure what exactly woke him up only a few hours later.

He didn’t feel particularly hot or cold, the lights were still off, and he was still sufficiently tired. It wasn’t until he heard a small sound behind him that he realized what it was.

Key was making sounds and Onew thought, at first, that they were snores. But he soon realized that the sounds were too squeaky and drawn out; Key was wheezing.

In a flash Onew had the lights to the room turned back on and he spun to see Key lying on his back in bed, still asleep. After a moment’s pause it became apparent he was definitely wheezing loudly; something was blocking his airway, or constricting it. Only a second later Onew noticed there were large red circles all over Key’s previously unblemished skin; his face, his throat and what Onew could see of his chest above his v-neck collar. His eyebrows furrowed in concern immediately.

“Key!” he shook the blonde’s shoulder gently, and then harder when he got no response.

Key’s eyes slid open after a moment, looking confused. Onew could see the instant Key realized something was wrong because his black eyes doubled in size, instead of looking confused they looked terrified. The wheezing got louder in Key’s panic and when his hands came up to clutch at the base of his throat Onew could see the red splotches were on his hands and arms as well. The young heir suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time, his stomach dropped into his toes and his mouth opened in shock. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

“Oh my God what happened?” Onew almost shrieked. He hovered his hands over Key’s body as if trying to figure out how to help but came to the realization that there was nothing he could do. Key only shook his head and let out more wheezing sounds, as though he were trying to push out words. “Don’t try to talk. Just hang on, okay?” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the Halfling, even when he began clawing at his chest and throat as if it would help, panic taking over his entire body. Who could Onew possibly call? The only doctors he knew were for humans, they would not know how to deal with the special needs of a Halfling. “Phone! Call Taemin,” Onew yelled over his shoulder.

The phone rang three times, which was truly only a few seconds, but to the panicking boy felt like an absolute eternity.

“Hello?” came tiredly through the phone.
“Taemin something’s wrong,” Onew shouted toward the bedside table.
“Hy-hyung? What’s the matter? What time is it?”
“Something’s wrong, Taemin-ah. Key can’t - Kibum can’t breathe, please,” he pleaded. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
“What do you mean he can’t breathe?” Taemin’s voice now sounded more alert.
“I don’t know, he’s wheezing and he’s covered in red spots. Help me,” he begged.
“Hang on!” Taemin’s voice floated through the phone, now sounding further away.
“It’s okay, Key,” Onew whispered to the Halfling laying beside him, but his heart felt like it could explode at any minute. He had no idea it he was lying or not. “Please try to relax.” Over the phone Onew could hear Taemin yelling instructions, something about a doctor. All the young heir could do was keep whispering pleas to the boy beside him to keep calm, to keep trying to breathe, to wait, help was coming.
“I’m sending over the doctor Minho sees. He specializes in Halflings and he should be there in five minutes; he’s coming from the city but he’s in our fastest royal hover, okay?
“O-okay,” Onew choked out.
“Wake up Junsil and tell him to be at the door to let the doctor in. Now, listen to me, Cousin this is very important,” Taemin was speaking slowly, somehow aware that Onew’s hysteria was impeding his ability to process words. “Keep Kibum sitting upright, so he can breathe easier, alright? The doctor will be there soon, I promise.”

Onew nodded his head - as if Taemin could see it - and grabbed the remote to his room, pressing the button for the butler’s room in the servant’s quarters. The second Junsil picked up, Onew yelled him his instructions. He turned back to Key who was still wheezing, still clawing at his chest and looking around wildly.

“Key, you need to sit up,” Onew choked out - why did it feel so hard to just speak? - and then reached forward. He pulled Key up by the shoulders, alarmed at how warm the other felt and how loud the wheezing got again. “Taemin are you sure he should be sitting?” he called back toward the phone.
“I’m sure, hyung. Is he sitting up?” came his voice, muffled by the sound of rustling and doors slamming.
“Yes,” Onew called back but he was struggling to keep the blonde upright. After a moment he crawled around the small body, sat up straight and let Key’s back settle on his chest.
“Keep calm, hyung. I’m coming now and the doctor will be there soon,” and the phone disconnected.

Onew nodded again and took in a deep breath. Key wouldn’t stop thrashing against him, fighting to get more air into his lungs. He reached around and took hold of Key’s wrists, bringing them down so they could no longer claw at his chest.

“It’s okay, just try to breathe, okay?” Onew whispered into Key’s soft ear even as it lay flat against his head, twitching violently in its low position. “Focus on breathing and relax. The doctor is coming and you’ll be fine. You’ll be fine, alright?”

He was amazed to find that Key stopped thrashing but his chest kept rising and falling at an alarming speed and his tail repeatedly thumped against the bed in anxiety. His hands twisted to clutch onto Onew’s fingers with a violent grip, who could do nothing but whisper comforting words into blonde hair. What seemed like years later he heard the unmistakable sound of a hovercraft landing in the front yard.

They were small metal objects that did not fly as high as airplanes so they had to avoid buildings, but they flew comfortably above the trees and were very fast. As promised, this one made the normally twenty minute trip from the capitol city to the Lee estate in five minutes.

“He’s here, Key. I can hear the doctor’s hover,” Onew murmured, clutching back on Key’s hands with equal strength and trying desperately to ignore the shakiness in his voice. Key did nothing but keep trying to suck air into his lungs.

Not a minute later the clatter of the sitting room’s doors being flung open sounded and Onew’s heart jumped. Then his own door banged open against the wall and a man walked in followed by an alarmed Junsil.

The doctor was short and round, wearing a pair of pajamas and slippers under a heavy winter coat, which he immediately threw to the floor.

“My lord,” the doctor bowed quickly and opened his medical bag. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know. I woke up to him wheezing. He can’t breathe and he has these red marks on his skin…”
“Alright,” the doctor crawled onto the bed a bit and leaned forward. He picked up one of Key’s arms, which proved to be difficult as the Halfling refused to let go of Onew’s hand, so the heir ended up bringing his arm up as well. Key let out a small sound of protest as the doctor pulled his sleeve up to examine the red spots on his skin, but it was barely discernable through the wheezing. “It’s an allergic reaction,” the doctor said after a moment.
“What?” Onew asked incredulously. He’d never seen an allergy do this before.
“I’ll explain in a moment. Hold him still, please,” the doctor said and reached into his bag, pulling out a capped needle and a vial. He filled the needle quickly and instantly reached for Key’s arm.

Key immediately let out an ungodly yowl sound, distorted by his wheezing and constricted airway. He tried to roll away from the doctor but Onew held him fast.

“This isn’t to hurt you, Key. It’s medicine,” Onew said loudly to be heard over the ruckus. Onew tightened his arms desperately around the other, “He’s not going to hurt you, I promise. I won’t let him; he’s trying to help.”

Key turned his head to stare into his master’s eyes. Two black orbs, so full of panic and confusion. In the moment it took the Halfling to glance at Onew, the doctor made his move. In a flash he plunged the needle into Key’s arm and pressed down on the top of the syringe to inject the medicine. Key’s head whipped around in an instant, another yowl erupting from his throat.

“This will start taking effect in a moment,” the doctor said and placed the used syringe in a biohazard bag.

Onew kept whispering comforting words to Key and clutched the other’s hands tightly. Key tightened his hold even further in fright, but the wheezing was starting to slow down already. Slowly, Key’s airway was relaxing.

“Doctor, what was this?” Onew looked to the short man.
“It seems your Halfling was exposed to something that caused a delayed allergic reaction. Something he touched, judging by the hives covering his skin,” the doctor informed him and scribbled something down on a tablet. “The hives are going to take about a week to totally disappear.”
“But…” he struggled for words through his confusion and his now weaning panic. Key was starting to breathe more normally and Onew could barely hold in relieved tears. “Why was he choking?”
“He was experiencing anaphylaxis. Whatever he’s allergic to caused his airways to start swelling shut. Is there anything new he was exposed to today?”
“Snow?” Onew offered worriedly.
“No, no. Something man-made,” came the mumbled reply as the doctor rummaged through his leather bag.
“Hot chocolate?” Onew tried again. No, it had to be something he touched. And then it hit him. “Body wash! I let him use my body wash.”
“Could I see the bottle?”
Onew spotted the butler by the door, having forgotten he was there. “Junsil, please go to Kibum’s bathroom and get the bottle.”
“My lord,” Junsil bowed and left the room.

Key was now breathing at a normal speed with only a slight wheeze squeaking from his chest. He was shaking and continued to hold Onew’s hands. The older didn’t bother trying to pull away, and instead began rocking back and forth to further soothe him. He didn’t know where the impulse came from; perhaps when he was a child and his nanny would do something similar when he was upset.

“He must take two of these, once a day for his hives for one week,” the doctor placed a bottle of pills on the bed. “A normal human would only need one but Halflings require a higher dose.”
“These are normal hives?” Onew questioned, glancing at the splotches on Key’s skin. They were darker than any hive he’d ever seen, so dark they almost looked magenta, and instead of being raised throughout, the skin around them puffed up in a thin, light border.
“They are Halfling hives; specific to the species.”

Just then Taemin came storming into the room with Minho stumbling behind him and Junsil with the body wash slipped in after.

“Is he alright?” Taemin wrung his hands.
“He’ll be just fine, Prince Taemin,” the doctor smiled as he took the bottle from Junsil to begin reading it.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Kang,” Taemin bowed to the older man.
“Thank you, doctor,” Key echoed and Onew jumped, having expected him to stay silent in the aftermath of the scare.
“You’re very welcome,” Dr. Kang smiled at Key kindly and Onew was pleased to find that it seemed the doctor wasn’t like most other humans. “You’re very lucky the Prince called me when he did. You were extremely sick.”
“Could… could Kibum have…?” Onew attempted to ask the question but it seemed when he tried to say that specific word, his throat closed around it.
“Yes,” Dr. Kang stopped reading the bottle and turned to Onew seriously. “If it had been any longer, even a few minutes, he could have stopped breathing altogether.”
“Oh my God,” Taemin gasped. Minho was quick to place a comforting hand on the Prince’s back.

Onew felt all the air expel from his lungs as if he’d received a fist to the gut. His arms tightened around Key almost of their own accord.

“These allergies are very serious,” Dr. Kang continued as he typed into his tablet. “But, they are not wholly uncommon in Halflings. Their bodies don’t know how to handle our chemicals sometimes.”
“This could happen again?” Taemin questioned, bottom lip catching between his teeth.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Dr. Kang gave a somewhat apologetic sigh. “If you’ll give me a moment, I’m going to run a test based off the chemicals in this bottle to find out what caused it,” the doctor said and walked over to Onew’s desk then began putting information into his chemical mixer so the small machine could make whatever he needed.

Taemin and Minho continued to hover by the foot of the bed and Junsil stayed uncertainly by the door, looking as if he were going to pass out any moment. With a nod, Onew indicated that he could go back to bed and Junsil did so with a grateful bow.

“Kibum,” Taemin murmured and moved to sit at the edge of the bed, facing his cousin and the Halfling. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes, my prince,” Key’s voice came out a little weak and he shifted just barely against Onew’s chest, his now upright ear brushing against Onew’s own.
“Kibum, I’m going to get up now, alright? Just stay sitting up. I’m just going to speak with Taemin,” Onew slid out gently from behind the blonde’s body, helping to settle him against a mountain of pillows.
“Yes, my lord. Thank you,” Key smiled gently.

Onew motioned for Taemin to follow him and the two moved over to the leather chairs before the large hearth. Onew noted that Minho stayed behind and instead sat on the bed to speak with Key.

“I’m so sorry, Cousin,” Taemin said immediately and Onew paused, somewhat taken aback. “I should have warned you about this being a possibility. When Minho first came to live with me, Dr. Kang told me to be cautious with what he uses.”
“Taemin, it’s not your fault,” the older shook his head gently. “I should have been more careful. I’m sure it’s in the paperwork I signed but I never bothered to read it.”
“Still, hyung. I feel terrible. I’ve… I’ve never seen you look like this before,” the prince admitted softly, his eyes boring into his cousin’s meaningfully.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. You looked so pale and, well, terrified,” he frowned. It was true; throughout his entire life of knowing his cousin Taemin had never seen him act that way. Onew was always so calm, so collected. He always knew what to do even in a stressful situation, so to see him so genuinely panicked was a shock to the young prince.
“I just…” Onew began but trailed off unsurely. Onew had never felt so out of control of a situation before. All he could do for almost ten minutes was stare as Key gasped for air, scared out of his mind. “I can’t lose him, Taemin-ah,” he added, letting his eyes stray to the Key sitting on the bed, speaking softly with Minho.
“I understand, hyung.”
They fell into silence, watching the two Halflings interact and then, “Thank you for coming tonight. You and Minho,” Onew said softly. “You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

Taemin just smiled gently and gripped his hyung’s arm.

-----------

Four hours later, Dr. Kang finally left. He had run a series of tests on Key (all of which the Halfling visibly disliked) and determined the specific chemical that caused the reaction, which, he told Onew, is present in most body washes. After making sure Key did not have a secondary reaction the doctor gave him a small rectangular object about the size of a block eraser. He explained that if Key ever had a similar reaction, to press it against his skin and it would inject the medicine he’d previously been given into his body, at the appropriate dosage for a Halfling.

Taemin and Minho left shortly after the doctor, giving both Key and Onew reassuring smiles. In Onew’s case he also got a hug from his cousin and a surprise comforting hand to the bicep from Minho, followed by a polite bow. The Bull Halfling had never before touched anyone but Taemin, so to say the heir was taken aback would be an understatement.

The sun was coming up by the time Onew settled back into bed beside the blonde. He crossed his legs and gazed at the Halfling for a moment. Key simply lay still with the covers piled up around him.

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly.
“Fine, my lord,” two black eyes shifted to him. “I am cold and shaky, but fine.”
“The doctor said that’s normal. You’re going to be feeling cold for the next couple days but the shakiness will be gone in a few hours,” Onew noted and then frowned. “The side effects last much longer in Halflings than in humans. I’m sorry for that.”
“I am sorry I got so sick.”
“Key, that’s not your fault,” he watched unhappily as Key shivered a little and pulled the comforters closer. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Key said nothing for a few long moments, simply watched his master calmly. He seemed to be debating something.

“I was scared, my lord,” he murmured finally. “I could not breathe. I have never… I have never experienced this before.”
Onew studied Key, his brown tipped ears drooping into his hair. “I was scared, too,” he whispered.
“You, my lord?” Key’s ears perked up in interest, his face scrunching in confusion.
“I thought you would stop breathing. I thought you were going to die, and I couldn’t do anything. I’ve never…” felt so helpless “-experienced that before, either.”
Key contemplated him for a moment. “What would have happened if another man were my master?”
“You want me to be honest?” Onew raised an eyebrow and regarded Key’s face. His black eyes demanded the truth. “If it were any other master, probably, you would have been in the slave quarters. It’s possible no one would have heard the wheezing and you would have stopped breathing in your sleep, and even if they did, it’s possible that the master would have decided to do nothing.”
“Nothing?” Key’s ears flattened into his hair.
“Some people do not feel the need to spend extra money on sick Halflings. It’s barbaric,” the last part came out whispered.

The Halfling stared at the comforter covering his body for a few moments. His eyebrows remained furrowed and a frown set deep onto his bow shaped lips.

“I think all masters should be as you are, my lord,” he finally declared.
“I think that there should be no such thing as masters, and no such thing as slaves.”

Key’s head snapped to the right so he could look at Onew clearly. His eyes looked shocked; truly, beyond words shocked. Slowly his eyes relaxed and a watery smile spread across his lips. Onew started to feel panic at the sight of tears, not knowing what caused them.

“I am grateful you are my master,” Key whispered. “I do not deserve you.”

A million things ran through Onew’s mind. That Key deserved to be on Agrius. That he deserved to be with his family and with his people; hunting from the trees and continuing his traditions. Key deserved to live a free life, belonging to no man. The thoughts assaulted Onew’s brain so abruptly and with such force that it was hard not to let them out of his mouth. But reminders of a future lost would help no one.

“Let’s go to sleep,” Onew responded, not wanting to linger on the fact that, no matter how hard he tried to forget, Key was in fact his property.

The blonde nodded in response before pulling the covers tighter around his still shivering body. Onew shut off the lights and the two settled on the mattress, but even so he could see the room easily enough in the predawn light. He caught Key’s eyes staring at him just briefly before they turned away quickly. Thinking nothing of it, he let his heavy lids slip shut in anticipation of slumber, but couldn’t shake the feeling of two black eyes watching him. After a few moments, Onew gave in and opened his eyes.

“Are you alright?”
“Yes, my lord, I just…” Key trailed off softly. Onew raised his eyebrows as a request for him to continue but instead of using words, the Halfling slid across the bed under the covers until he was right beside the elder. He paused for a moment, watched Onew’s face for any objections, and when he found none he slid even closer and turned, fitting his shoulder in the curve where Onew’s arm met his body, resting the side of his head over the heir’s heart. As if on instinct, Onew’s arm wrapped around Key’s shoulders even while his mind was having trouble processing the recent development. “I apologize if this is inappropriate, my lord. But I cannot…I cannot stop thinking about how it felt.”
Onew was fairly certain he felt physical pain in his chest when he looked at the Halfling and saw such a mixture of confusion and helplessness. “It’s alright, Key,” he whispered, “I understand.”

At the allowance, Key’s left arm reached out to wrap itself over Onew’s chest and his tail moved to rest over his stomach. Key made a small sound, then cuddled even closer into his owner’s side.

“Thank you,” came out so frail and weak Onew almost didn’t catch it. He watched Key’s eyes flutter and slip closed, listened to his breathing begin evening out.

Onew tightened his arm around Key and closed his eyes. It was such a bittersweet thing - to feel Key in his arms and to smell the shampoo in his hair and to listen to the breath pass through his bow shaped lips, but to know the reason for it all was so upsetting. To know it may never happen again; and to remember how close he’d come to losing him.

Onew worked hard to clear his mind, because that last memory was one he’d like to forget.

----------------

When Onew woke up again, he was relieved to find that it had nothing to do with Key. The first thing he noticed was that the Halfling was still curled into him, sleeping calmly. The second thing he noticed was that a soft voice was the actual cause for his waking up.

“Hyung,” was whispered again and Onew turned his head to see his best friend kneeling beside his bed.
“Jonghyun?” Onew murmured back, mindful of the sleeping boy beside him. “Wait for me in the sitting room, alright?”

Jonghyun said nothing, only nodded and exited the room silently. Onew slid off the bed carefully so as to not disturb Key, but the Halfling merely rolled fully onto his stomach, let out a soft sound and stilled. He tried to hold in a smile, but really Key was too precious in the simplest of ways.

Onew shuffled into his sitting room on slipper-clad feet a few moments later. He fell into a chair at the small dining table across from his friend and happily accepted the mug of coffee offered him.

“What time is it?” he murmured into the steaming porcelain.
“Three in the afternoon,” Jonghyun answered softly. Onew let out a groan and drank his coffee, wincing as the hot beverage burned its way down his throat. Jonghyun shifted in his seat. “Is Kibum alright?”
“The doctor says he’ll be fine. He’s going to feel cold for the next couple days and the hives won’t be gone for about a week, but other than that he’s okay now,” the heir responded softly.
“And you?” Jonghyun added, watching his friend closely.
“Oh, well it wasn’t contagious. Just an allergic reaction so I’m fi-“
“Hyung,” the tailor interrupted with a stern look. “You know that’s not what I’m asking. Taemin told me he almost stopped breathing, and I know how you feel about Kibum. So…” he leaned his elbows on the table and stared into Onew’s eyes meaningfully. “Are you okay, hyung?”

Onew placed his mug on the table and let out a deep sigh. He’d been trying his best to not think about the night before - or, rather, earlier that morning. But, Jonghyun wasn’t his best friend for nothing and he was annoyingly good at reading people sometimes.

“I…” the heir began but trailed off immediately. Was he okay? After all, Key would be fine and was resting comfortably. The fact of the matter was Onew only truly cared for a few people in his life and that night had served as a very sudden and very violent realization of just how much he actually felt for the Halfling. And, in the same moment, it almost took him away.  “I don’t know, Jonghyun.”
“It scared you,” he said, not as a question but as a statement.
“It did,” Onew nodded. “He almost…”
“I understand,” Jonghyun murmured, large eyes studying the wood table before him.
A pang shot through Onew’s chest immediately, an apologetic look filtering into his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jonghyun.” If anyone should know about loss, it would be the young tailor.
“It’s fine. It was a long time ago, hyung. And my past doesn’t make what happened last night any less terrifying,” the younger smiled gently.

Onew was about to apologize again when he heard the door to his bedroom open. He turned his head just in time to see Key shuffle out, his sweatpants pooling around his sock covered feet. Key had his arms curled tightly around himself, hands tucked into the sleeves of his sweatshirt, as he blinked blearily.

“I’m sorry, did we wake you?” Onew asked with a smile.
“No,” Key shook his head, cleared his throat. “I woke up because you were gone.”
“How are you feeling?” Jonghyun asked, trying desperately to hide his smile at the blush blooming over his hyung’s cheeks.
“Oh, Jonghyun-ssi!” the blonde looked startled and immediately bowed before straightening himself. “I am feeling much better, thank you.”
“Do the hives hurt?” he asked again, taking in the red splotches covering all of the Halfling’s visible skin.
“They only itch.”
“Good,” Jonghyun nodded. “I brought you something, Kibum. If that’s alright.”

Onew’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Key wasn’t fond of Jonghyun and had made that clear since the beginning. For Jonghyun to bring the Halfling a gift, especially when the brunette wasn’t much for gift giving to begin with, was a little shocking.

“For me?” Key asked, his face reflecting the astonishment that Onew felt.
“Taemin told me what triggered the reaction, so I thought I would get you some things to help,” Jonghyun reached down to the floor beside his feet and produced a basket full of all different bottles and tubs. “They have all natural ingredients, so you won’t have to worry. I got shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotions, face wash, moisturizer… Everything I could think of, I guess,” the older boy shrugged.

Key approached the table slowly and took one of the larger bottles in his hands. He popped the top and inhaled, a small smile crossing his face.

“What is this smell?” he questioned.
“Vanilla,” Jonghyun supplied after glancing at the bottle in question.
“Thank you, Jonghyun-ssi. This is very kind of you,” Key responded softly.
“If you’re important to my best friend, then you’re important to me, Kibum,” Jonghyun gave a thousand watt smile and stood from his seat. Onew tried desperately to control his facial expression in hopes Key hadn’t paid attention. “I’m sorry I could only stop by but I need to get back to those ball gowns for your mother, hyung. If you need anything let me know.”
“Thank you, Jonghyun,” Onew smiled.
“Thank you again, Jongyun-ssi,” Key bowed.

Jonghyun exited the room leaving Key and Onew in silence. Onew was praying with all his heart that Key wouldn’t mention what Jonghyun had said. And he was also mulling over different ways to injure his best friend.

“Jonghyun-ssi is very kind,” Key smiled and sat at in the vacant seat at the table.
“Not quite the heartless person you thought he was, huh?” Onew asked with an amused tilt to his lips.
“Perhaps not,” the blonde blushed before he quickly amended, “but I still do not like the way he chooses to be so free with his body.”
“Neither do I, but Jonghyun has his reasons no matter how much I disagree with them,” the heir sighed. Key watched in confusion but it was apparent Onew wasn’t going to speak anymore on the subject.

Onew instead changed the topic by calling the kitchens for food and insisting Key sit by the fireplace. Once he was settled under Onew’s favorite fleece blanket on the couch and the food had arrived Onew pulled his desk chair over and settled next to the Halfling.

“You have to eat this very carefully,” the older said while handing over a steaming bowl. “It’s called kimchi stew. It’s spicy and very hot, but it will help you not feel so cold.”
“But the bowl is not hot at all, my lord. It is only warm,” Key frowned.
“It’s a thermal bowl, Key. Trust me, the stew is very hot.”

Key nodded in understanding and began eating his food. It went slowly, and when he was only halfway through he set the bowl on the coffee table before him.

“Is it too spicy?” Onew asked, concerned.
“No, my lord,” the blonde smiled contentedly and snuggled into his blanket. “I feel warm.”
“Good,” a smile stretched slowly over his face. “Don’t forget your medicine,” he added and handed over two pills from the small bottle on the table.
“What are these?” Key examined the small capsules.
“I’m not sure. Pills to help with your hives, the doctor said.”
“Pills? Do I simply chew them?”
“No, you swallow them whole,” Onew set his own bowl down and sat up straight, offering Key his water glass.

Key glanced unsurely between the water and pills. After a moment he placed them carefully on his tongue and quickly tossed his head back, downing almost the entire glass of water immediately. When he finally paused for air, coughs erupted from his chest.

“Are you okay?” Onew asked through a laugh, rubbing his hand on Key’s back.
“I think so,” Key coughed out and then made a face, putting a hand to his throat. “I do not like pills.”
“You’ll get used to it, especially because you have twelve more to take.”
“I would prefer not to, my lord,” the Halfling stared at the pill bottle on the coffee table disdainfully.
“Why don't you just rest now and we’ll deal with the pills tomorrow? The doctor said they’ll make you tired,” Onew smirked and used a gentle hand to push Key into a laying position.

The Halfling grumbled but snuggled under the blanket nonetheless, burying his face into the pillow under his head. Onew smiled gently and walked toward his desk to deal with the household expense reports.

-----------------

When Key woke up again, Onew was reading a book in one of the chairs by the fire. The blonde shifted and let out a small sound, prompting the caramel haired boy to look up.

“How are you feeling?”
“Cold,” Key pulled the blanket tighter around him. “How long have I been asleep?”
“About five hours. It’s almost ten.” Onew watched him pout and smiled softly, “Do you want to eat? I had a servant bring food up while you were sleeping.”
“Meat?” he asked hopefully.
“No, rice porridge with vegetables.”
“No meat,” the pout returned.
“Key,” Onew sighed though he still had an amused smile on his face. “If you eat at least half of your food we can watch a movie.”
“A movie?” the Halfling’s interest seemed to spark. “I have never before seen one.”
“You can watch it in bed,” the heir added, watching Key’s ears perk up. “And I’ll call for hot chocolate.”

Two hours later, Onew found himself staring as the credits rolled to the movie Key had chosen. It was a comedy, something that had come out a few years ago about agricultural astronauts that had been assigned to grow food in biodomes on one of the uninhabited planets. Key had seemed to enjoy it but fell asleep about halfway through.

Onew turned off the television with the remote, deciding not to use voice commands so as not to disturb the sleeping boy beside him. He gazed at Key’s face for a few moments; eyelashes resting on porcelain skin, blonde hair splayed over a smooth forehead, ears drooping just slightly in his sleep, and the faintest chocolate moustache shadowing his upper lip. A small smile tugged at his mouth. He itched to touch Key’s face, to hold him in his arms and kiss his forehead. After the previous night, every moment Key was alive felt like a miracle.

He shifted the sleeping Halfling in bed, moving the pillows he was propped up on to allow his body to settle into a laying position. Onew did the same for himself and was taken by surprise when Key shifted in his sleep and pressed himself against the elder’s side. Propping himself up on his elbow, Onew allowed his free hand to reach out toward Key’s face. He paused for a moment, just before his fingers reached the skin, but after only a second of hesitation he let himself touch his face. Onew sucked in a breath, pressing his palm against Key’s cheek and reveling in how soft his skin was.

“Goodnight, Key,” Onew swiped his thumb gently up the other’s cheekbone and settled in bed. Key mumbled in his sleep and shuffled closer, resting his head on Onew’s shoulder. The heir felt warmth radiate through his chest before he fell into a comfortable sleep.

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Sooooooo sorry for the mild panic? I added lots of fluff so you don't all attack me through my computer screen!! This is so long it's like twelve pages lawd help me. I hope you all liked it! please tell me what you thought!? Just writing the fluff made me all warm inside. Also they're getting even more comfortable with each other. Also there was a bit of an allusion to Jjong's backstory again. lalalalaaaa i have so much planned for this story!! please comment i'd appreciate it immensely. <3333

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onkey, fic, halfling, pg13, shinee

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