Care || n.jm

🧸eight🧸

Haneul brushed her long hair as she looked at herself in the mirror. Other than her father, brother, and the kids, she had never shared a bed with another male.

Why am I nervous? We're just sleeping on the same bed. Jisung is there too. Jisung will be in between.

She let out a sigh for what seemed like the hundredth time today. She looked over at Jisung who was playing with his teddy bear. His fever had gone down and just needed a good night's rest.

"Can I borrow your hairdryer? Mine broke." Jaemin asked, walking out of the bathroom. Haneul looked over at him and was speechless.

His gray sweatpants hung loosely around his waist as stray beads of water dripped down from his hair and to his bare shoulders. Her eyes trailed down to his abs which she didn't know he had.

He seemed to notice her stare and grinned. He snapped his finger in front of her face, breaking her out of her trance. "Like what you see Princess?"

"No, I'm just wondering why you're wearing Mark's sweatpants." Haneul huffed and looked away. "It's in the cabinet of the mirror."

"I forgot to the hang the laundry before I went grocery shopping." Jaemin answered, walking back into the bathroom.

Haneul looked back at Jisung who had his eyes covered. She went over to him and pulled him into a hug. "Why are you covering your eyes?"

"Jeno-hyung said when the adults are being lovey dovey I have to close my eyes." Jisung innocently stated. He peeked through his fingers and smiled. He broke into a coughing fit and Haneul helped him drink water.

"Let's get you rested." Haneul said. The two laid down, leaving space for Jaemin. Jisung pulled the covers up to cover just below his nose.

"Noona, when I'm all better can we go to the park?" He asked. "I want to play on the swings."

"Of course we can." Jaemin answered, walking out the bathroom. This time, he had a shirt on. He joined them in bed and booped Jisung's nose. "That's why you should focus on getting better."

He's so close, Haneul internally panicked. She tried to brush off her thoughts by going on her phone but Jisung tugged the collar of her shirt.

"Can we cuddle like how mama and papa cuddle with me? It will help me sleep better." Jisung requested, not even waiting for them to answer. He pulled them closer to him with all of his strength and put each of their arms around him. "Goodnight!"

The youngest had fallen asleep rather quickly, leaving Jaemin and Haneul in an awkward silence.

"Once he's deep asleep I'll move to the other kid's room so you can sleep comfortably." Jaemin whispered, being the first to break the silence once again.

"It's alright if you stay. Just for tonight I don't mind." Haneul mumbled, closing her eyes. Although her body was tired her mind was wide awake. Minutes pass and she still couldn't sleep at all.

"I know you're still awake so I'll make it quick." Jaemin sighed. "I notice you haven't been eating properly lately and you barely sleep. It's starting to show and it's worrying me."

She stayed quiet, surprised the boy even noticed it. It was probably Taeyong who told him about it.

"Taeyong hasn't told me anything except to watch over you. I think I know why he said it. I um..." He explained. He paused for a bit, making the girl nervous on his next words. "I saw the pills in the cabinet. I don't mean to be nosy."

She cursed herself mentally for forgetting to hide them. Her mouth felt dry as her heart slowly picked up its pace.

"I'm sorry for being mean before. I didn't know about your um anxiety." He apologized. "It explains a lot but I wish you could have told me sooner."

"So you can make fun of me for having social anxiety?" Haneul asked. She opened her eyes and locked gazes with Jaemin. His features were soft and caring, unlike how she expected him to look at her after finding out.

"No, so I can help you." He answered. He seemed to have a realization as his eyes widened. "Ah, I don't believe in fixing someone, I just want to be able to support you in your um... healing?"

Jaemin rested his head on his free hand and sighed. He was never good in situations like this but he wanted to be of help.

"You don't have to force yourself to tell me anything. I'm fine with it. You just have to tell me what I need to do." He assured. He smiled, making the girl blush. "I'm here for you. You can share your burden with me."

The way her heart raced suddenly felt different. She suddenly felt restless and a little bit of joy rush through her veins. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She snuggled closer to Jisung and hid her face in his soft hair. "I'll try."

"Are we friends now?" He asked cheekily. He hoped at least this time she would accept his friendship.

She thought for a bit. "No."

"Why?" Jaemin whined. "Why not? I wanna be your friend."

"Go to sleep Jaemin."

"Heol. You just called me by my name."

"Good night." Haneul yawned. She closed her eyes and let the sudden wave of sleepiness take over. Jaemin just sighed and let her be.

Although the way he saw her changed slightly, he didn't want her to feel bad about herself. He was dying to know more about her and what made her like this. Like he said though, he wouldn't force her to tell him. He wanted her to tell him on her own accord.

Looks like I have to gain your trust a little bit more, he thought.

Jaemin smiled and brushed the hair out of her peaceful face. He adjusted the blanket so it covered her shoulder. "Goodnight, Princess."

A/N

I feel like I didn't do well on this chapter like the concept for this chapter is for Jaemin to find out more about her and why she acts that way but it feels a bit meh wkdoakekkqd

We'll know more about it soon though so stay tuned!