"Okay. I promise I'll let you speak until you're ready for me to say anything." Jisung wasn't sure how easy it would be, but he was willing to try.
Lino took a deep breath.
"Okay. First off, I was really upset with what you said to me the other day, but I never really planned to stop bugging you." Lino chuckled slightly. "I thought about scaring Hyunjin that night, just for fun, especially since even you wouldn't have expected it."
Lino paused as if he needed a rest from already saying so much. He still wasn't feeling well and talking was surprisingly exhausting.
"I...decided to try the thing we were talking about the other day. You know...possession."
Jisung bit his tongue as he tried not to jump in with a thousand questions. They had barely talked about it, as if it were just a gimmick that might not even be possible. But apparently Lino took it seriously, and something drove him to suddenly try it. Jisung couldn't help blaming himself even more.
"I figured I already had experience as a cat, so I thought about Shadow. I wasn't sure if I could even do it or what would happen if I did. I suppose I probably wasn't thinking with a clear head."
After hearing that Lino wanted to use Shadow, Jisung started thinking about the little cat's behavior that night. The coughing and other random strange noises, his interest in pineapple pizza, and especially the part where he fell off the couch and landed in a daze.
"Well...it worked. But once I came into the living room, I became more interested in what you two were talking about than trying to pull any pranks."
Now it was 100% confirmed. Lino had been eavesdropping, just as Jisung believed. What he couldn't believe was that he was Shadow the entire time, just sitting there right next to him listening to everything.
"Is what you said really true?" Lino was too nervous to look at Jisung while waiting for a response. But Jisung said nothing. "This is the part where you can speak, dummy."
"O-oh, right. Is...what true?" Jisung knew he said a lot of things that night, but he didn't want to assume which thing Lino was questioning.
"You said...that you can't imagine your life without me."
"Lino...When I told you that day that I 'have a life', I regretted it instantly," Jisung sighed. "And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you are part of my life too."
Lino looked up as Jisung brushed the matted hair from his forehead. He hadn't been part of anyone's life since he had one of his own.
"Oh no, you're started to get warm again. Maybe we should finish talking about this another time."
Jisung ran to the bathroom to wet the cloth again and quickly returned to place it on Lino's head.
"Why is this happening to me?" Lino groaned.
"I don't know. When exactly did it start?"
"Well...when I heard you say those things about me, I suddenly felt like I was going to burst, so I bolted out of Shadow's body and up to this room."
"That explains why he fell off the couch and acted like he was spaced out. That was you leaving." Jisung didn't want to laugh, but the thought of Lino flying out of there in embarrassment was a little funny.
"Once I was in here, I felt really dizzy and...well, you can see the mess I made."
"I thought maybe you were trying to scare us again. Or that you were upset and destroying the place. Thankfully Hyunjin assumed it was an animal." Jisung looked around the room again. It really was a bit of a disaster.
"I feel bad that I broke all these old things. I was just trying to get to the bed as fast as possible. I can clean it up." He lifted his visibly shaking hand and groaned.
"Hey, you need to rest," Jisung scolded. "I don't know if using your powers exerts energy, but you're clearly in no shape to be doing anything at all."
"But—" Lino protested.
"Nope. No but. I will clean it later."
Lino dropped his hand back to the bed and huffed, but he knew Jisung was right. Everything felt exhausting.
"Urgh...I forgot I haven't eaten dinner yet," Jisung suddenly said as he felt his stomach about to growl. "Are you hungry?"
"A little..." Lino murmured.
"How about some soup? That's always good when you're sick."
Lino nodded and Jisung stood up, promising to be back as quickly as possible with food.
As soon as he returned, Lino seemed to perk up a bit at the smell. He hadn't eaten since he got into that room, and though he didn't actually need food, the feeling of hunger was starting to get to him.
He carefully blew on the noodles and took a bite, then another and another. Before he knew it, the bowl was completely empty.
"I thought you said you were a little hungry," Jisung giggled.
"Thank you. I think that really help—" Lino suddenly stopped and put his hand over his mouth.
"Oh no..." Jisung knew instantly what was about to happen. He scrambled around the room and found an empty trash bin. "Here!" He urged as he held it up to the ghost.
And it was just in time. A second later, every single noodle exited Lino's stomach and into the bin.
"Are you okay?" Jisung asked as he gently rubbed his back.
"My noodles," Lino whined. He was more upset about not having a full stomach anymore than the fact that he was sick.
"I guess we better be careful about what you eat. Or maybe hold off on food for a while, if you can."
Lino laid back down as Jisung took the trash bin to the bathroom to clean it. He brought it right back to the room, just in case it was needed again.
"You know, I was really sick like this once when I was little," Jisung told him. "I had to stay in bed for three days. I was miserable."
"Three days? Am I going to be stuck here for three days!?" Lino let out a loud, pathetic groan.
"I really don't know. We'll just have to take it one day at a time, I guess."
"Jisung...will you stay with me?" Lino murmured.
"Until you get better?"
Lino nodded and Jisung thought for a minute. He still had classes the rest of the week, but he knew if he contacted his professors, he might be able to tackle some of his work online. He would miss a few lectures, but he wasn't exactly upset about that.
"Yeah. I can do that." Jisung smiled down at Lino. It was like having a sick child who didn't want his mommy to leave him.
"Thank you..." Lino trailed off and let out a big yawn. A moment later, he was sound asleep.
Jisung watched him as his chest rose and fell deeply. He checked his head one more time and noted that he felt much cooler again. And even though he said he wouldn't leave, he at least needed to go shower and then email his teachers.
He quietly slipped out and took care of what he needed to, then climbed back onto the bed next to Lino. It should have felt awkward sharing a bed, but neither of them thought much of it. Lino was too sick to have any impure thoughts and Jisung was hyper-focused on his recovery. They each kept to their own side of the bed, with plenty of room between them. Jisung stayed there all night, occasionally waking up from worrying and immediately checking to make sure his fever hadn't returned.
ㅇㅇㅇ
The next morning, both Lino and Jisung slept in. The ghost was still very sick and Jisung hadn't slept very good. He was glad he'd be able to stay home the rest of the week to take care of Lino and not have to worry about him all day while being gone.
"Good morning," Jisung whispered as he watched Lino's eyes slowly open. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible. If I remember correctly, this is what being severely hungover feels like."
"That's awful," Jisung shuttered, remembering how he felt the other morning. "Do you think that's what this is? A hangover from overusing your ghost powers or something?"
"That would be embarrassing," he groaned and buried his face in the blankets.
"It's okay. Either way, I promised to take care of you. Whether you're sick or just hungover." Jisung pet the ghost's silver hair.
"Why are you so nice?" Lino mumbled into the blankets.
"Lino..." Jisung sighed. "You're my friend and basically my roommate. I'd like to think you'd do the same for me."
For some reason, the thought made Jisung sad. He didn't honestly know if Lino would take care of him if the situation was reversed. They were friends, but what did that even mean to the ghost?
"I'm not sure I'd be any good at it," Lino huffed and finally revealed his face again.
"You don't have to be good at it, you just have to care."
Jisung may have been poking a little to see what Lino might admit. But the ghost didn't reply, he simply groaned again and squeezed his eyes shut. His fever had returned.
Jisung continued with the cold washcloths until his head felt normal again. It seemed as though he'd be at it all day with how often it came and went. But the thing Jisung began to notice was when the fever kept spiking.
They still had a lot of talking to do, but whenever they got to something that made Lino have big feelings, he suddenly began to burn up again. Once Jisung made the connection, he decided to make sure not to get into any deep conversations. At least not until he was completely better.
Instead, Jisung played shows for them on his laptop, since there was no tv in the room, of course. Lino would occasionally drift off to sleep, giving Jisung a chance to do a few things around the house while he napped. He always made sure not to be gone too long, in case the ghost woke up and needed him.
The next few days played out in a similar way. Lino gradually seemed to get better, but he still had some ways to go. By Friday, he was starting to go stir crazy, but still didn't feel like he could get out of bed.
"I think a couple more days of rest is all you need," Jisung tried to assure him. "But, I definitely can't miss work, so you'll have to be on your own over the weekend."
"Okay, but I'm going to need to move to the couch or something. I really miss that big, beautiful tv."
Jisung laughed and ruffled Lino's hair. He'd finally gotten his sense of humor back now that he was on the mend. He truly missed the sassy, snarky ghost.
Just then, Jisung got a text.
"Oh shit..." he blurted out.
"What is it?"
"I'll be right back," Jisung said as he hopped off the bed and went out the bedroom door.
He pulled up his messages and stared at his phone in a panic.
[Minho]: I'm excited for
our date. I hope you
have everything planned
He had totally forgotten about his date that night with Minho. The one he was supposed to plan so that they could do something he liked. He was so busy caring for Lino that he hadn't even given it another thought.
He frantically tried to think of an excuse to cancel the date. It wasn't necessarily that he didn't want to go out, but on top of having absolutely nothing planned, he had already promised not to leave Lino until the next day.
All he needed to do was postpone it another week, then he'd have time to actually think of something to do. He decided he would simply tell Minho that he wasn't feeling well, which was an easy enough excuse since he'd actually missed several days of school. Minho surely would have noticed his absence from the class they had together the previous day.
[Jisung]: Actually, I haven't
been feeling well.
Can we do our date
next Friday instead?
[Minho]: Aww babe. I
wondered why you
weren't in class yesterday.
Are you doing okay?
[Jisung]: I'm starting to
get better I think.
Maybe another good
night's sleep will do the trick
[Minho]: Alright babe.
Rest up for me. I'll
find something
else to do tonight
[Jisung]: Have a good night
Jisung sighed in relief. He felt bad about cancelling on Minho, but it was for the best. In a week, things would be back to normal and he could try again to see where things were going with their relationship.
He'd been so distracted that he hadn't thought more about his feelings for Minho and Lino. However, he spent more than three days by Lino's side, and he honestly didn't resent it for a second.
He returned to the bedroom where the ghost was busy watching anime on the laptop while he waited for Jisung. He looked up the moment he walked in.
"Everything okay?" He asked worriedly.
"Oh, yeah. I uh...was supposed to go out with Minho tonight. But I cancelled." Jisung rubbed his neck anxiously, unsure if he should have told Lino about the date.
"Oh." Lino looked down, trying to hide the slight smile that was growing in his face.
If it had been earlier that week, he'd have felt terrible that he was still causing problems for Jisung and "interfering" with his life. But the more time they spent together, the more he felt like he really was part of his life. And if Jisung was choosing him over Minho, well, he didn't hate that at all.
"It's fine. I promised I'd stay with you. Besides, I was not at all prepared to go out tonight." Jisung sat back down on the bed.
"Are you sure? I've taken up all your time since I've been sick. Don't you need a break?" Lino couldn't help fishing for reassurance.
"Don't worry about me. I'm glad I was able to take care of you."
Lino still tried to hide his smile as Jisung scooted closer to him to watch the show on the small screen of the laptop. They spent most of the day doing just that. Lino wasn't needing to nap as much and he was finally able to eat. So, when evening came around, they both felt a rumbling in their stomachs.
"I'll go make us dinner," Jisung giggled as rude sounds kept coming from their tummies.
Just as he got up, he heard a knock at the front door.
"I wonder who that is?" Jisung searched his mind. "Oh crap, I forgot to reply to Hyunjin's texts about missing class. He's probably stopping by to check on me."
Jisung looked at the ghost who quickly waved his hand to shoo him away.
"Just go answer the door and let him know you're fine. I'll be here." He put his hands behind his head and continued watching his show.
"Okay. I'll just close the door in case he wants to come in." Jisung exited the bedroom and closed the door, then hurried down the stairs as he heard more knocking.
"Coming," he shouted as soon as his feet hit the last step.
He flung the door open, expecting to see his tall, blonde friend standing there looking worried. But his face dropped when he saw who was really there.
"M-Minho," he squeaked.
Minho was standing there holding a container of soup with a puzzled look on his face.
"Looks like you're feeling better," he muttered with a raised eyebrow.
Minho stared at Jisung as he awaited an explanation about his condition. It was clear he wasn't sick. He looked healthy and full of energy, the total opposite of what Minho expected.
"I...uh..." Jisung tripped over his tongue as he tried to think of what the hell to tell him.
"You know, if you didn't want to go out tonight, you could have just told me that," Minho huffed.
"No! I really wanted to, it's just..."
"Jisung! What is going on?" Minho snapped.
"It's my friend. I'm taking care of my sick friend," Jisung finally blurted out in a panic.
Minho furrowed his eyebrows at the cowering figure in front of him, then his expression gradually softened.
"Why didn't you just tell me that?" He sighed.
"I'm sorry. It just didn't feel like a very good excuse to cancel our date and I didn't want you to think anything weird about it." Jisung fidgeted intensely with his fingers, twisting them around and scratching at them.
Minho took Jisung's hands with his empty one and held them tightly to stop his anxious movements.
"You're very sweet, Han Jisung. But you don't have to lie to me. Things will go a lot better if you don't." He let go of Jisung's hands and held out the container of soup. "I brought this for you, but you can give it to your friend."
"Thank you, Minho," Jisung said with a relieved smile.
"Hey, I need your friend to get better so I can have you to myself," Minho smirked.
He gave Jisung a wink and turned to walk back down the path to his car. He waved just before getting in and then quickly drove away.
The whole interaction was brief, as it always seemed to be with Minho. He showed up whenever he wanted and left just as quickly, leaving Jisung in a whirlwind of thoughts. Lino wasn't much different in that respect, but somehow it didn't feel the same.
He took the soup out to the kitchen and put it in the refrigerator. He was pretty sure Lino wouldn't exactly want something Minho brought, but he saved it just in case.
He headed back upstairs to the closed door of the master bedroom. He took a deep breath and tried to shake off any sign of distress that he had, not wanting Lino to worry.
"You got rid of Hyunjin pretty fast," Lino chuckled as Jisung walked in.
"It wasn't him. It was Minho coming to check on me because I lied and told him I was sick."
"Did he buy it? You definitely don't look sick."
"No...he could tell right away. So, I told him I was actually taking care of a sick friend. Which was the truth, I suppose." Jisung flopped onto the bed.
"I'm sorry I messed your night up," Lino muttered.
"Just...stop. I made the choice to stay with you. There's nothing more to be said." Jisung crossed his arms and tried to focus on whatever Lino currently had on the laptop screen, but it wasn't much use. After a minute, he jolted up.
"Agh, right! I was about to go make dinner. I'm sorry I'm such a mess," Jisung whined as he put his hands through his hair and shook his head.
"Ji, you aren't a mess. And you don't have to apologize." Lino pulled Jisung's hand down to hold it in a surprisingly affectionate manner. "I promise once I feel better, I'll make it up to you."
"You don't have to do—"
"Shush!" Lino snapped, putting his finger up to Jisung's lips.
Jisung's eyes went wide at the reaction, but it was more ridiculous than anything, as the ghost comically smushed his lips trying to silence him.
"You're so weird," Jisung huffed. He stuck his tongue out for a split second, touching it to the ghost's finger.
"Ew," Lino grunted, wiping his wet digit on Jisung's shirt.
They both laughed at their dramatic behavior for a minute before Jisung finally got up to go make some food.
Lino was more than glad Jisung decided to stay with him for one more night. He knew his condition would be better very soon and he wanted to savor every close moment with the human.
There was nothing romantic about their time together that week, but it didn't matter. Lino felt closer than ever to Jisung and he desperately wanted it to last. Though, he also knew he couldn't keep him to himself forever. Jisung did in fact have a life outside of his home and strange roommate.
As much as Lino wanted to keep Jisung from having any interest in other guys, he knew it wasn't fair. He didn't have enough to offer him. He couldn't even leave the house, after all. That meant there would never be dinner and movie dates out. No vacations or holiday parties or normal things people did together. No being a part of his actual life.
He felt selfish and it was the main reason he held back telling Jisung how he really felt. As far as the human was concerned, Lino figured he was only a confused apparition that needed help sometimes. He was grateful, but he couldn't see a possibility of things going further.
The rest of the night, Lino and Jisung hung out in the master bedroom watching anime. They both knew it would be the last night like this. Jisung had to work the next day and Lino was nearly better. He planned to hang out on the couch over the weekend and finally wouldn't need as much care.
What they didn't know was that they both had a lot of things on their mind. They never did quite finish their conversation from the beginning of the week. Jisung didn't want to discuss anything while Lino was recovering, and Lino simply didn't want to bring up anything while he was enjoying Jisung's company.
But, everything has a breaking point, whether they wanted to confront it or not.