Strawberry Pocky // Nomin

Ch. 13: Crush

Jaemin concluded his throat was as dry as Doyoung's jokes after he coughed and it felt like he skinned it.

"OH MY GOSH, JAEMIN!!!" Jaehyun bust through the door to the nurse's office. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?! Who touched our NaNa--"

"Yah! Hyung I have a headache. Please be quiet," Jaemin groaned as his brother rushed over to him.

"What happened?" Taeyong followed Jaehyun.

"Well... Let's just say I'm a wimp," Jaemin laughed painfully. "Don't sweat it though! They'll leave me alone."

Taeyong cupped Jaemin's cheeks, his fingers dispelling his headache.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I don't think this is okay."

"Hyung, I'll be okay, I promise."

"Do you need anything?"

"Yongie, cutie, you're not helping him feel better," Jaehyun chuckled. "Let's go home."

Jaemin didn't want to think about what happened, but his brother made him smile.
He was ready to go home....

All he wanted was to cry in the softness of his bed (aka his current soulmate).

"By the way, what's he doing here?"

Jaemin's eyes widened in confusion as his eyes drifted over to where Jaehyun was pointing.

Next to him, Jisung had curled up in a chair and was still holding his hand.

His hands are so cold...
But they feel so fragile...
I need to thank him.
Maybe I should buy him a chocolate bar?
No, a bag of them.
Scratch that, I'll get a cake so I have an excuse to eat half.

Jaemin smiled warmly.
Jisung was so cute.

"He helped me get here..." Jaemin suddenly remembered.

"Hyung, have you seen Jeno?"

Jaehyun had a strike of realization, "Oh, so he didn't bring you here? He called Taeyong and told us that you were in the infirmary."

"Ah... I see," Jaemin's chest swelled in disappointment.

He really hoped Jeno would come for him...

But that's probably to much to ask of someone who didn't want to be your first kiss anyway.

"Jisung-ah," Jaemin gently shook the younger. "Let's go home."

---

"You sure you'll be okay?" Jaehyun's face wrinkled in unsure ways, at the door to Jaemin's room.

"I'll be fine Hyung," Jaemin threw his sunshine smile at his brother.

It looked so reassuring from Jaehyun's view, but he knew better. It was his little brother after all. But he also knew better than to barge in when his younger brother was figuring things out by himself.

Jaehyun opened the door gently and wrapped Jaemin, already in his pyjamas, in a large hug.

"Look, I'll be back later tonight," Jaehyun looked into his eyes sincerely. "If you don't feel okay, just call and I'll be back before you can say 'we hot, we young!'"

Jaemin held back the stinging in his eyes as he let his brother go.
He couldn't bear to keep him from his first date with Taeyong.

"Don't drink a lot, and if you're doing adult things, make sure you tell him you get sore easily," Jaemin tried his best to joke.