The House on Mass. Avenue | Rensung

Untitled Part 10

Jisung's eyes widened in realization and he looked at Donghyuck who was giving him a stern look. "Oh I'm sorry, my headache... it just slipped my mind." 

"I know," Donghyuck sighed and took another step towards Jisung, "We're just not going to be around you all the time and even if you're not feeling good, the rule is still going to be broken."

"I know, I know," Jisung said, his headache becoming worse and now he felt his mood drop as well. Just his luck to act this way in front of the one person he wanted to show that he could follow the rules without being babied. "I'm sorry Donghyuck." 

"It's alright Jisung," Donghyuck said softly and he reached out, pulling Jisung into a hug, "I just want what's best for you. I don't want to be worried about if you're okay all the time." He hugged Jisung tighter and Jisung was a bit dazed and bewildered that Donghyuck was hugging him. Donghyuck, out of everyone. He would have supposed Jaemin would have been the first one to give him a hug. 

Then Jisung moved back, Donghyuck smiling at him lopsidedly, "Let's just find that tea, okay? How about you go sit back down on the couch, I'm sure I can find it myself." 

Jisung just nodded and slowly began his journey back to the comforting couch that he spend most of his early mornings and late nights on. This time, however, he tugged the old patchwork blanket off of the back of one of the armchairs and threw it over his body as he sat back onto the couch. Briefly shifting his notebook and pen onto the coffee table, Jisung tucked himself back into the corner of the couch, nooking himself between the couch arm and the back cushions. 

When Donghyuck walked back into the living room with a mug in hand and steaming tea within the clear glass cup, he laughed at Jisung position. "Aww, is Jisungie feeling a bit sick?" He asked in a cute tone and Jisung grimaced, letting out a small 'bleurgh' at Donghyuck's cute action. 

"Just give me the healing tea," Jisung grumbled and sat up, taking his arms out from under the blanket and holding them out to take the steaming mug from Donghyuck's hands. Taking the mug, Jisung brought it close to his chest, tilting his head down to smell the tea. "What flavor is this?" 

"I'm not entirely sure," Donghyuck shrugged, "Jaemin had a bunch of glass containers of loose tea filled with various herbs and one of them was labeled 'Donghyuck' so I guessed that was my sick one. He's kind of weird, isn't he?" the sunshine boy laughed and Jisung chuckled a little too, bringing the mug up to his nose to see if he could discern at least a little of what herbs made up the tea. 

There was definitely some sort of lemon sprinkled into the mix, probably some juice infused into the herbs or a kind of balm. He smelled...maybe rosemary too? Jisung thought back to his mom's small herb garden in their kitchen window and frowned. Nothing really distinctive came to mind save for the lemon. 

"Do you get sick often then?" Jisung prompted, looking up at Donghyuck over the rim of the mug as he took a tentative sip. Donghyuck nodded, pulling the edge's of the patchwork blanket over his feet. It was getting colder a lot faster than Jisung assumed, even if it was already the middle of September. 

"Yeah, I've always been someone more susceptible to sickness," Donghyuck said and Jisung nodded, his mind whirling with a sudden realization. 

He knew nothing about Donghyuck. 

Not a single thing. 

He had no idea what Donghyuck did for a living, how he paid for his room at the house, what he did in his spare time, what sort of things he liked, what sort of things he didn't like, where he went when he left the house on occasion. All he knew for certain was that Donghyuck was sick a lot of the time and he seemed tired, along with the fact that he was very adamant about Jisung following the rules. 

Sure he didn't know a lot about the other tenant, especially Mark who he hadn't even met yet, but he at least knew a little about what they did and what they were like. 

Jeno was someone who liked to be sociable, had a bright eye smile, and worked at a bike shop. Jaemin was a great cook, liked his herbs, had great intuition, and obviously lived at the house because he was the owner's son and collected rent. Chenle was a bright and kind-hearted college student who was studying marine biology, telling Jisung in a passing conversation that his parents paid for his stay there while he went to college in the area. Then Renjun, the overworked yet sassy bartender who seemed to be able to read Jisung like an open book -- obviously paying for his rent through his job. 

But Donghyuck...nothing. 

It was curious. 

"Penny for your thoughts Jisung?" Donghyuck's voice teased from where he sat across from Jisung on the couch and Jisung just scrunched his nose, shifting the mug as it began to burn at his hands. 

"Just how I want to get to know you better," Jisung smiled softly and Donghyuck mimicked the smile, leaning forward to wrap his arms around his bent legs. 

"Then get to know me," Donghyuck offered and Jisung felt himself turn pink a little at the tone of voice. He took another sip of the tea and he sighed at the comforting flavor. Actively relaxing his muscled, Jisung leaned farther into the side of the couch and fixed a pensive stare on Donghyuck's face. 

What should he ask first?

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