Chapter Text
Week 0
Inho thrusting deep into him shouldn't feel this good, but it sure did and he hoped it wouldn't end. Gihun could feel the head rubbing on his walls, the balls slapping against his ass, the toned stomach putting pressure on his dick between their bodies. It was so good it made his head hazy with thoughts that shouldn't be as hot as they seemed.
— Fuck, yeobo… you dick feel so good… Oh fuck, I want you to fill me up!
Inho groaned and Gihun moaned with a pleased smile as he sped up a bit.
— Yeah? That what you want? For me to get you good and full with my seed?
Inho asked while raising his torso, one of his hands went to Gihun's stomach, he moaned as it sent chills up his warm body.
— Want this pretty belly to swell with my baby?
Gihun bit his lip and nodded with another moan, his hips twisted grinding against Inho to get him deeper, hands grabbing his ass to bring him closer.
— Yes yes yes! Want your baby in me… I want it so fucking bad, yobo…
He was reaching unbelieving levels of horniness now, why the thought of Inho impregnating him was so hot he would never understand, he was just happy his boyfriend felt the same.
— Maybe if I breed you deep enough it can happen… Want me to try that?
— YES!
He screamed and arched his back, Inho had matched his phrase with a hard thrust and both things were pushing Gihun over the edge. Inho adjusted the position, holding Gihun's legs up against his forearms and grabbing his ass cheeks tight to punch into him fast and hard. It started to hit that sweet spot that turned him into a chanting mess of “yes”. His hole was clenching around Inho every time he reached in deep.
— Fuck, jagiya, you gonna make me cum…
That sent Gihun's already heightened nerves into a new flare of pleasure, Gihun begged for more, for Inho to cum deep inside him, when the dick in his ass swelled slightly and started to twitch, Inho giving a final thrust before pressing against his ass to grind into it while riding his orgasm, Gihun’s eyes rolled back into his skull and along with the new hot feeling in him, he felt himself reach his orgasm dry. It was no surprise, they had been going since he woke up extra horny, it wasn’t the first of the day, but probably the last.
Inho’s weight fell on him while his boyfriend caught his breath, Gihun felt small sweet kisses being plastered around his collarbone.
— Now I regret not cumming inside the first round…
The out of breath confession from Inho came from Gihun’s neck. The first round for him was the third for Gihun, but they were still working on it. Gihun scoffs, a hand going to caress Inho’s high fade mohawk.
— Yeah, like you don't enjoy coming over me as much
— Hmm, I do… I love marking you up…
Inho admits, raising his body to look at his boyfriend and spreading more of the come on Gihun's low abdomen, he moved the sticky hand to massage Gihun's dick, whose body twitched with overstimulation. He groaned and pushed his boyfriend's hand away.
— Yes, and I love your cum either way, until it starts getting gross, so shower time.
He sat up, but didn't get up until pulling Inho to a hot kiss. As they separated and looked at each other's eyes they could feel the love emanating from one another, Inho smiled and kissed his boyfriend again.
They got up and made a beeline to the bathroom. They had to get ready soon anyway, since Inho's brother would be back from his sleepover at their friend, Noeul, who had been a lifesaver for granting them a night out. They didn’t get handsy in the shower, although kisses were still exchanged.
Noeul and Junho got in as they were finishing up breakfast, the seven year old boy rushed to tell his big brother and brother-in-law all the cool stuff they had done the day before, with Noeul taking him to the amusement park where he could ride some fun rides.
— And did you thank Noona for all that?
— Yes! I thanked her after every ride!
Gihun giggled at the brothers' interaction, sometimes it was like seeing a more casual version of his punk-styled boyfriend. He didn’t know if Junho got so much after his brother after Inho became his legal guardian, or if he was already a copy of Inho even when living with their parents.
— That’s my namdongsaeng. — Inho smiled proudly and messed with Junho’s hair. — Go sort your things out, don’t forget to put the dirty laundry in the basket.
The boy dragged himself towards his room, not expecting to be thrown into a chore so soon after coming back, Inho could sense Junho thinking about the possibility of going with Noeul again.
— Did he give you trouble?
Inho asked his friend while she laughed at Junho’s antics. Gihun put a new plate on the counter in front of her, with the croffle he had made for breakfast.
— Not at all, he’s better behaved than you.
She sat down next to her college friend and said with a sly smile to Inho who rolled his eyes, before thanking Gihun.
— Good, you can have him every weekend then.
Gihun scoffed and then laughed out loud, Noeul joined him, to Inho’s unamusement.
— You? Away from Junho? Every weekend??
Each question came less understandable with how Gihun was unable to contain his laughter. Yes, maybe he was a little overly attached, but that didn’t mean he was codependent of Junho.
— You guys done?
Inho asked after taking another sip of his coffee, the laughter dialed down, but Gihun was still giggling when Noeul changed the subject.
— And what are you guys doing today?
She also served herself a cup of coffee and Inho shrugged, he hadn’t planned anything, so they would probably spend Sunday evening watching movies or binge watching a tv show.
— Oh, I’m going out with Jungbae hyung today.
The animated announcement did not reach Inho with the same impact. He looked at his boyfriend confused, not having heard of that beforehand.
— You will?
He asked with a raised eyebrow, Gihun didn’t think much of the question, he leaned over the counter from the other side of Inho and stole one of his strawberries while nodding.
— Yeah, since we couldn’t yesterday.
— Hm… When are you going?
— Probably around six.
He said with a shrug and took a long gulp of his boyfriend’s coffee. Noeul eyed both of them, but focused on her food. Inho wasn’t trying to hide his discontentment anymore.
— You’re not staying out late, are you?
— Yobo, it’s sunday.
— Exactly, you work tomorrow.
Gihun sighed and got away from the counter with an eye roll. Inho had never really approved of Gihun’s friendship with Jungbae—or with Sangwoo, for that matter—but Inho was the one who came after, the friendship with his best friend was almost as old as Junho, while Inho has known Gihun for less than two years. It wasn’t fair for him to just come up and say “I don’t like this guy, I think he’s a bad influence on you and you should step away from this friendship”, not when he also had a friend who Gihun did not like. That didn’t mean he would feign happiness when the guy stole his boyfriend in the middle of a family Sunday.
— I think you’re mistaking me with the actual child of the house… again.
The comment was a fair sassy jab that made Inho raise his arms and surrender and lean back.
— Fine, you do you. Just don’t come back stinking of cigarettes, again.
He threw back the comment and got up to go to Junho’s room, their gray tabby cat following after him. Gihun watched and looked at Noeul in disbelief.
— Am I really the bad guy here?
She laughed lightly.
— I don’t think there’s a bad guy in this case, just people with their own point of view.
Gihun stared at Noeul, not expecting the philosophical answer.
— Sometimes I forget you’re a psychologist.
They shared a laugh and Noeul got up taking her dirty dishes to the sink.
— Almost. Just two more years.
She crossed her fingers and started to wash the dishes. Gihun joined to dry it with a dishcloth. They talked more about her course and how things had changed since she, Inho and Seokwoo enrolled in college six years ago. Now she was the only one still undergoing study.
In the bedroom, Junho had finished unpacking and organizing the clean clothes in his closet. Inho got in to talk about their plans for the day, Junho shared his thoughts about a quiet evening with comfortable blankets, a cool movie and popcorn. He went back to share anecdotes about his day with Noeul noona, lying in his bed where Dalgona joined for the missing pets from yesterday. Inho sat on the ground and listened to his brother with genuine interest.
Later that night, Gihun did come back smelling not only of cigarettes but booze as well, he tripped on his own shoes when taking them off in the entranced and trying to shush himself when bumping on the entryway table, probably noticing the lights off and thinking Inho and Junho had already went to sleep, not realizing the light coming from the TV and sharp eyes accompanying his movements.
— Need help?
— Aish!
Gihun jumped up surprised, turning to see Inho sat on the couch, a very annoyed eyebrow raised. The dark pink of his hair changed color under the TV's lighting.
— Hmmmm, no. ‘m good, thanks.
With a deep breath, Inho turned back to the TV, Gihun couldn’t even make sense of what he was watching.
— Ok, just please don’t throw up before you get to the bathroom.
Gihun brushed him off with a flip of his hand and went on his merry way to the bathroom. He didn’t throw up at all, he’s a proud twenty five year old tank, it takes more than a couple of soju to take him down. He was able to shower, change and fall into bed with no accidents.
Week 3
He was lazily laying in bed in that weird state where his mind knows he has to get up, but his body is too fucking tired to comply, his alarm had gone off twice, and Inho almost kicked him out of bed for it. He was almost dozing off again when a rush of nausea went up his stomach and saliva filled his mouth. Gihun got up in a hurry, running on top of the bed and stepping on Dalgona by mistake, the cat screaming it’s frustration, he tried to lift his foot before completely smashing the poor cat, but that caused him to fall down the bed, although not stopping him from reaching his target.
He was able to get to the toilet and open the lid, getting ready to whatever his body wanted to expel, but nothing came, he kept salivating with a metallic taste, even spitting some of it into the open toiled, but nothing nastier tried to come out. He took deep breaths and slowly the nauseating feeling passed.
— You ok?
The rough sleepy voice from his boyfriend startled him. Gihun got up, closed the lid again and nodded with a smug smile.
— Yeah, I thought I was gonna hurl, but I didn’t.
— I’ve noticed…
Inho didn’t share his boyfriend’s pride, he is used to worrying for both him and his boyfriend. Usually Gihun is the most active of the house, the guy’s metabolism is an envy to Inho who needs to force himself to train. His boyfriend was the first to get up—at the first ring of the alarm, sometimes even after that—and would be ready to greet the world with open arms and a smile. For almost a week now he has been missing his alarms, there was one time where he nodded off mid conversation.
Inho was starting to suspect a weird flu, or another virus, or maybe his night offs with Jungbae were ultimately taking a toll on his body. He went to his tired looking boyfriend and planted a kiss on his cheek.
— Go back to bed, I take care of breakfast today.
Gihun had half a mind to contest, but Inho saying the word “bed” triggered a siren call coming from their bedroom. He murmured a “thank you”, kissing back Inho’s temple and followed the call.
He liked Inho's cousine, he was a good cook and did most of the cooking at home. Breakfast was the only responsibility that Gihun had regarding cooking, except for baking, that was something he liked to do and Inho had zero talent on. Later he inhaled Inho's amazing dakjuk happily, feeling content with how his boyfriend filled his needs.
Week 6
As soon as Gihun entered the kitchen space the smell hit him like a crashing wave, it smelled like a two day dead animal's corpse, he covered his nose and mouth with a hand, his face scrunching up in a scowl.
— Eomeo! Are you serving us spoiled food, yobo??
Both Junho and Inho stared at him confused, Junho was mid bite from his dakjuk and looked between the both of them scared.
— What? Hyung??
Junho asked Inho, letting the spoon rest back into the bowl. The boy trusted his big brother more than anything in the world, which also meant he trusted Inho's judgment of Gihun, and with time Gihun turned into his second favorite person: he was fun, friendly, and totally gets Junho’s funny antics. So when the two of them disagreed on something he tended on staying neutral.
— What do you mean?
Inho looked around confused and back to Gihun, clearly not knowing what the problem was.
— What is this smell??
Gihun walked away a couple of steps, still with a hand covering his face. Junho leaned to smell his bowl, looked back at his brother and shrugged. Inho sniffed the air and raised both eyebrows.
— Chicken porridge…?
That made Gihun full on gag and turn his back to them, when it didn’t pass he marched to the bathroom, spitting all the extra saliva coming to his mouth. Junho took another tentative bite and shrugged again.
— It’s good for me.
Inho frowned and pointed to Junho’s bowl, indicating for him to keep eating, and went after Gihun.
— What’s going on?
He caressed Gihun’s back, trying to ease his dizziness. Gihun started to shake his head, but stopped and closed his eyes tightly when it just made the nausea worse.
— I don’t know, just thinking of it makes me wanna puke…
— But, it’s dakjuk, you ate it last week.
— I know, yobo! You think I want to feel like this?
Gihun snapped, turning angrily to Inho, to the surprise of his boyfriend that raised his hands and backed away a step. His sudden irritated response also surprised Gihun, he thought about how it wasn’t Inho’s fault either and here he was taking on him. His eyes blurred and he sniffed once.
— I love your dakjuk…
He whined and leaned against Inho, resting his forehead on his shoulder. Warm heavy tears dropping on his boyfriend's pajama shirt.
— Hey… You don’t have to cry…
Inho hugged Gihun and caressed his back again. He was much more confused with everything than annoyed about his boyfriend’s sudden outbursts.
— Are you still tired?- Wait, are you drunk?
He tried to look Gihun in the eyes, but the man pushed him back.
— What— no! How would I be drunk??
— I don’t know, sometimes when you're drunk you get sentimental.
— I’m not sentimental!
He tried to contest, but the sniffs and few remaining tears didn’t help his argument. Inho sighed.
— Ok, I’m sorry. What if I make you something else? How does gyeran-jjim sound?
Gihun looked at his boyfriend with adoration as his mouth watered for totally different reasons than from minutes ago.
— Would you do that?
— Of course, jagiya. — He scoffed a small laugh and brought Gihun back for another hug and a kiss to the cheek. — Go get ready, if it takes too long I’ll pack it so you can take it to go.
— Have I told you I love you so much?
His eyes were sparkling, but luckily for Inho there were no signs of new tears. If there’s something he wasn’t used to it was dealing with someone crying, it had been tough with Junho after the death of their father and his mother.
— You have, but I'm always up to hearing it anyway.
He leaned up to capture Gihun’s lips for a soft kiss, being responded promptly. Inho backed away, but stopped at the door.
— I’ll get you some dramamine too.
Gihun smiled lovingly and nodded. Inho went back to the kitchen and hid any vestiges of the dakjuk, he started Gihun’s special food, trying to keep it plain and light.
— Is Gihun-hyung ok?
Junho was still in his place on the counter and looked up at his brother worried. Inho was happy to see he had finished his bowl, at least someone still enjoyed his dakjuk.
— Yes, it’s probably just a stomach bug.
Later in the week, Gihun hadn’t felt much more than the, now frequent, nausea during work, Geumja, the angel that she was, had slipped a ginger tea his way, he probably was looking pale again that day.
The three of them had just retired for the night, Inho was spooning him in a perfect match of their bodies, his boyfriend's fresh eucalyptus smell was calming and comforting, but the presence of Inho's flaccid dick pressing on his ass was outrageous in Gihun's mind. He rolled his hips pressing his ass against it and Inho's hand went from comfortingly hugging him to suddenly holding his hips in place.
Inho nuzzled against the back of his neck and slowly moved his hand down Gihun's exposed thigh, the shorts he used as pajamas doing it's work to let them feel each other easily. Inho's hand went back up, grabbed his right cheek and pulled it apart, Inho pressed his own hips forward to fit his almost-half-mast in the middle of his ass.
Gihun felt chills go over his body, not expecting that to feel so hot. He turned part of his torso and his head to meet Inho for a kiss. It deepened and he turned his whole body to lay on his back, he raised his left hand to hold and bring Inho's head closer. Inho's hand moved from his ass to pass over his lower abdomen, and for some reason that got Gihun to full mast.
— No teasing.
He half ordered and half begged still in the kiss, but Inho complied by getting over him. He kept kissing Gihun until going down to his neck, feeling him shudder at the feeling, he kept moving, having his boyfriend's chest area as a targeted first stop, he kissed his sternum and moved to the left side and tongued his nipple once. It sent a jolt of electricity straight to his spine, but not in a good way.
— AAH!
The scream came accompanied by a hard push on Inho's shoulders. Gihun immediately clasped a hand over his mouth and looked at the door wide eyed, expecting a fearful Junho to come in at any moment. Inho also looked at it, having gotten a bit away from Gihun, and then eyed his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow.
— What was that?
— It really hurt!
Gihun lowered the hand from his lips and rush-whispered. Inho looked from his chest and back to him utterly confused.
— I just lapped at it…
— Yeah, well, it hurt, what is your tongue made of? Sandpaper??
He snapped angrily, letting his tone go back to normal. Inho was next to incredulous now.
— Jagiya, I already made you cum just from nipple play, what the fuck are you talking about?
Gihun shuddered again and his eyes got hazy, Inho watched as he squirmed under him out of nowhere.
— Fuck, you did, and that was sooo good and hot…
He was gropping Inho now, grabbing his ass with a handful and trying to bring him closer.
— Ok, you giving me mixed signals here, what you want me to do?
— I want to come, touch me… Just not there.
He reached for Inho's hands desperately, but let one go to gesture at his chest area.
— My dick! Yeah, touch me there!
He brought Inho's hand to his member and made it press down on the erection, Gihun trembled and moaned loudly. Inho snapped his other hand on his mouth and leaned over him.
— Ok, but you keep quiet, remember?
Gihun nodded eagerly, keeping his eyes from rolling back from how hot Inho was when dominating. He brushed Gihun's hand away and started to pull on his shorts, letting go of his mouth, and Gihun raised his hips to help remove the piece of clothing, and his boxers followed it along. Inho went back to caress Gihun's body, hands going up his hips, to the side of his waist—that Gihun knew his boyfriend has been obsessed about, since the day they met—he stopped just by Gihun's ribs to rub at his belly and back down towards his groin.
The touches seemed heightened in a way not even Gihun's most horniest state has ever done, he had no idea what was going on with his body and he was both scared and super willing to vibe with it, until just those light, innocent, touches brought him to the edge. He tried every trick in the book to prolong it: taking deep breaths, imagining un-sexy stuff, thinking about how Inho would be disappointed on him—although Inho wasn't that kind of dom, that would be Gihun, but he could play pretend here—hell, but nothing seemed to fucking work, he was on the verge of whimpering from frustration and at this point any orgasm would be ruined.
— Fuck, jagiya, you sure that thing hurt? It looks like it worked you up by a dozen…
When Inho finally decided to give attention to his reddish throbbing cock by caressing it with a finger from tip lazily to the base, the orgasm hit Gihun in a snap, his legs shook pressing at the sides of Inho, and he squirmed and screamed again. Inho was taken by surprise and by the second time worked fast to cover Gihun’s mouth.
— Gihun-ah!
He chastises in a rushed-whisper, although he was still in complete shock by Gihun's sudden orgasm, cumming early was not common from either of them, and from that little stimulation? Definitely a first. Gihun was also wide-eyed, clearly having been taken by surprise by it himself, his chest was rising and falling heavily and his body glistened. Not much more than a minute passed when a knock came on the door and Inho barely had time to get away from Gihun and throw the sheet over his boyfriend’s body before Junho opened the door.
— Hyung?
The boy was rubbing the sleep away from his eyes, unaware of the panic running through the adults. Gihun was holding the sheet like a lifeline and trying his best to be swallowed by the bed, Inho was all shades of scared and frustrated.
— Junho-yah, what did I say about entering without permission??
— But… I knocked…
— Yeah, and didn’t even give us time to respond.
The boy looked ashamed, clearly sleep had made him forget about some of his manners.
— I thought Gihun-hyung was having a nightmare… Why are you sweaty?
When Junho looked over at his brother-in-law, along with his eyes slowly adjusting to the dark, he realized a bit of the man's predicament, even if he didn't understand the reasons behind it. Gihun stammered before being able to respond.
— I- I did! Have a nightmare, I mean… but, uhm, Inho-ssi already helped me… T-thank you… for, uhm, for worrying… I'm sorry I woke you up.
Gihun's voice was small, the fear and shame of being caught made his body sweat even more.
— It's okay, hyung. You sure you're fine? I can sleep with you guys tonight…
The boy innocently offered, taking one step inside the bedroom before both men protested in unison.
— That won't be necessary!
— No, Junho-yah, go back to bed.
The sudden raised voice from Gihun and sharp response from Inho surprised Junho, the boy apologized and bid them goodnight before closing the door when leaving.
Week 8
He got to Geumja's Cat Cafe a few minutes late, but the sixty year old lady greeted him with the same happy energy as always. He helped her prepare to open up, it was hard to power through cleaning the litter boxes, but he did it. When finished he smiled at Gong-gi, raised his hand close to her and the cat pawed it playfully. It was like she was his partner in this suddenly difficult task, and the cat accepted it happily, even more so when he added a good petting to the back of her ear.
The rest of the day was a rollercoaster, he felt like having the best and worst day at work at the same time. Some cats in the cafe started following him around, which did annoy a couple of kids when he had to walk away from the cat patio, but he felt like the ultimate cat whisper.
Then he got yelled at by a customer for taking too long to make his order, he usually didn’t get behind the counter, that would be Yongsik or Hyunju’s job, but the man had the day off, and the woman was on break. And to be fair, he was a bit—a lot—slower today, but Gihun felt like he was doing the best he could. Usually he was good at dealing with the clientele, but that comment just hit the wrong nerve today.
— If you think you can do it faster than me, be my guest, but you breathing down my neck telling me to hurry up isn’t helping matters.
Maybe it was the sudden heat wave he was feeling, but he snapped back, to the customer’s horror, Gihun regretted it instantly, turning to the customer with his own shocked expression.
— Excuse-me?
— I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean-
— Gihun-nah… — Geumja interrupted him sweetly. — You may take your break now.
He felt his head hang from over his shoulder shamefully and heard the customer scoff at his back as he retreated to the breakroom. He didn’t even try to hear the old lady deal with the nightmare he created. Gihun sat down at the table, hands on his face as he breathed in, the lingering smell of coffee beans in his palms helped filter the stink that this room has presented itself lately.
The pression of everything was starting to weight on him, he still felt sick and knew that Inho was getting more worried every time something new and weirder showed up; he was also getting more annoyed about Gihun's usual outings with Jungbae, mainly because it seemed to be what was getting him sick—hangover, overly oiled-snacks and cigarettes weekly? Yeah, that was definitely messing with his stomach—but what was he going to do? He wasn't going to ghost his best friend when he was still working in that awful car factory that Gihun was able to escape. He didn’t want to fail ajumma Geumja so he hasn’t asked for a sick day yet, but still, sometimes he felt like he was causing more trouble than helping.
Suddenly something weighed on his legs, Gihun moved his hands away from his face slowly and looked down to see Ddakji, the most antisocial and grumpiest of the litter, making himself comfortable on his lap. That not only amazed him, but made him emotional enough to start crying, he clasped a hand to his mouth and faced up at the ceiling, freezing in place so the cat wouldn’t be scared away.
— Oppa…? Are you okay?
It was Hyunju’s confused voice, she had entered the breakroom from the adjoining restroom to find him weeping. Gihun nodded and lowered his hand a bit, now a fist resting in his chin.
— Ddakji is in my lap… and it's purring…
His lip wibbled again and another crying fit came. Hyunju laughed lightly and shook her head.
— That’s really impressive, oppa.
She left then. Gihun looked down at Ddakji, the tuxedo cat was staring at him with big clear yellow eyes, Gihun offered his hand and the cat sniffed at it shortly before rubbing its head on his fingers. Gihun closed his eyes with a gasp preparing himself for another fit, but it didn’t come now, he started to caress the cat, testing the spots where he enjoyed it the most.
The door opened again and Geumja got in holding a iced boricha mug, Gihun tensed, she has always been caring towards him, remembering a lot of his own mother, sometimes chastising him when he relapsed in his smoking habits, but usually he was treated with more care than Geumja’s own son, like a younger or favorite son. But now he expected a hard blow: disappointment.
— Ajumma! I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped like that, I don’t know what has come over me! I swear that’ll never happen again.
He forgo petting Ddakji to join his hands and offer her multiple bows, he stopped when the cat threatened to leave. Geumja nodded impatiently and sat down, putting the mug in front of Gihun, who looked at it confused.
— You don’t have to worry about that, you know I don’t like indulging bad customers anyway. How are you?
Gihun looked at her with big questioning puppy eyes, she seemed extra caring with him, sometimes she would give him knowing looks that Gihun wasn’t certain of the meaning, offering him drinks had become a recurring thing in the last weeks, and weirdly it was always what he was needing at the moment. He sipped the iced drink gladly, the cold from it making wonders on his throat and for his warm body.
— I’m fine… Ddakji is more needy, look!
He looked down at his lap where the cat had rolled up on itself and now was with his head pressing against Gihun’s belly.
— So I've noticed! He must have felt something he liked in you.
There was that knowing look again, now with a smile and raised eyebrow combo. Gihun smiled nevertheless and shrugged.
— I don’t know what it is, but I hope it stays like that if it'll get me to pet this cutie-patootie.
He said while rubbing at the cat’s muzzle, Geumja laughed, but Gihun didn’t realize what she was actually laughing about.
— I’m sure you’ll have him around you for a while. — She turned more serious and the shift got Gihun’s attention. — I don’t want you to think this is a punishment, ok?
He froze in place and Geumja was met with the sad puppy eyes again.
— I want you to take the rest of the week off.
Gihun moved to contest, but she continued before he could say anything.
— It’s for your own good because I know you need it, but yet you won’t take a damn sick day.
That made Gihun laugh, she knew him well, or maybe she was just seeing things as they were. The other day Gihun actually threw up after a customer passed him with a tuna sandwich. He thought he had been slick with the calm and constraint he had shown until he got to the restroom; clearly not.
— It's doing no good to anyone having you pushing your body like this, so take a few days to build strength, ok?
Three days off did in fact work wonders for him, he slept for ten hours straight, ate some light snacks his amazing boyfriend did earlier—though he had to push away the kimchi pancakes with an apologetic grimace—then would nap some more, always with Dalgona’s company. When his body would get tired of laying down he would put on some comfy clothes and go down to the ground floor to get some human interaction in Inho’s tattoo studio.
It was rare for both Inho and Thanos to be doing their art at the same time, so usually he would have one of them to talk to, if not, Noeul—who was an amazing receptionist while pushing herself through her PHD—was always a good company, the piercing specialist, Namgyu, wasn’t bad to talk to either, and sometimes he would even indulge a customer or two into conversation; he had helped to sell a bunch of piercings, being his usual outgoing sunshine.
Inho seemed happy about Gihun being able to rest for a few days, and mainly when it actually seemed to help. He usually didn’t notice how tired Gihun would get just by that quick trip down and up the stairs. Gihun didn’t let that or the occasional nausea get him down. It was the first time in weeks Gihun didn’t feel like he was dragging himself through fog, so when Jungbae called him asking about their weekly outing, Gihun felt like it would be a good idea of closing up that chill week; even though just thinking of going out made him lazy, he owed that to his friend.
Inho did not think the same, when he closed up the studio and got up to find Gihun getting ready to leave he sighed heavily.
— You're really going out today?
— You know I promised Jungbae that we would see each other at least every week.
He turned to Inho while pocketing his wallet with a sigh of his own.
— Seriously, yobo, I'm starting to get tired of saying this.
It was like Inho wanted to piss in his good week, this has been an argument that existed since the start of their relationship, although at first it would be more of a needy Inho wanting to be beside his new boyfriend all the time, but Gihun still needing his fridays or saturday’s night out with his friends. It would be easier if Inho didn't have Junho, or liked cigarettes—not smoking, but if he even tolerated other smoking around him—or liked binge drinking, or liked Gihun's friends.
The good thing is that those arguments weren't frequent, that is, until Gihun started feeling ill, but insisted in going out, Inho suspected that was what was making him unwell, but yet Gihun would go out every week and get fucking wasted.
— Yeah, but can't you meet somewhere else and not get drunk? He could come here and eat all of our fridge for all I care.
— We're not going to a bar today, we'll experiment a new tent close to his place.
That did nothing to ease Inho's worries, Gihun sighed again and got close to him.
— I promise I'll take things easy, ok? No getting drunk and no cigarettes.
He kissed Inho's cheek when the man rolled his eyes, accepting Gihun's promise.
He didn't come home at an acceptable hour, Inho didn't even notice when he got home, but the smell coming from Gihun's side of the bed when he woke up was clear enough to tell him that a promise had been broken. Inho got up and left the room feeling more disappointed than angry, he started breakfast keeping in mind it would have to be another plain dish, since Gihun's nausea was always worse when he was hungover.
A sound in their bedroom called his attention, something seemed to have fallen, followed by a wet sound that he really hoped his mind had created. He went to the room and opened the door slowly, the stench of booze, sweat and cigarettes now had an acrid companion. Gihun was doubled over their bed, almost falling down and immediately under his head was a pool of vomit. Inho took a deep breath and crossed his arms.
Gihun was staring at the mess like it had offended his entire family, then his eyes widened and he turned to the door, clearly not expecting to already see Inho judgely standing there. Guilt and shame washed over him as he looked away from his boyfriend.
— I'll clean it up.
Inho stared a bit longer and left without a word, Gihun couldn’t say if that was worse or better than if he had yelled at him. He got up and stilled, the dizziness hadn't left him, so he took careful steps towards the utility balcony. The breezing air helped ground him better and even take away a bit of the lingering nausea, even though his own smell was driving him crazy. He just had to go to sleep without cleaning up first. He grabbed a bucket with water and disinfectant, old cloths and other products, he breathed in once more before marching to the warzone again.
It was a huge mistake, the room was closed off with little ventilation, the acrid smell seemed even worse and the stench coming from him added a layer of permanent nausea. He tried to hold his breath and power through it, but everytime he opened his mouth to breathe he tasted it on his tongue and gagged, the looks of it did not help at all and ultimately, before he could even get the half of it done, he threw up again. He felt his body tremble with exertion and his eyes burned with tears that he didn't know if were because of the smell or his emotions getting a toll of it all.
He dried heaved again and looked away trying to control his breathing, but it just kept coming back with the nauseating feeling. He got his face near the bucket, expecting the cleaning product's smell to neutralize the stinking from the room, he tried to rub the floor clear again, but his stomach wasn't having it and more vomit came out, he felt like he didn't have what to get out anymore, his throat was completely wrecked and the mess kept getting larger.
— Leave it.
Inho kneeled next to him and everything about him screamed pissed: his voice, his posture, his face that would not turn to Gihun.
— Just go shower. You stink.
Gihun didn't even tried to argue, he knew no sound would come out with how fucked his throat was, besides that he didn't have what to argue about, he had screwed up, and now Inho had to clean after him again. So he just got up and shuffled to the bathroom, eyes glassy and guilt joining the fuck party in his throat.
He got into the shower and let the water wash over him, closing his eyes meant he wasn't able to empty his mind, guilt, shame and exhaustion came in a crashing wave and he scrambled down to the floor crying, he hugged his knees and couldn't stop himself from bawling.
His body ached, screamed for something Gihun did not know, his chest was aching, his stomach was upset—and it felt in a way besides the nausea— and he just felt so fucking tired. He leaned against the cold tile wall and breathed in deeply. It felt good, grounding.
He got back to the bedroom with his towel draped around his hips, Inho was just finishing putting the supplies into a second, empty, bucket. The first one was nowhere to be seen and the stain on the floor was a damp remaining of the cleaning products.
— I'm sorry…
Gihun started hoarse, feeling completely small, Inho still had a stern expression as if he had been with that scowl the whole time. Gihun doesn't doubt he has.
— For ruining our floor or for lying?
— I didn't lie…!
Inho got up and turned to him angrily.
— You sure? So this is how you take things easy? Do you know how fucking irresponsible you've being?
That was the reason why it hurt so much, Gihun knew Inho wasn’t pissed because of the mess, he was angry because Gihun broke a promise that he made for his own well-being, and Inho was right, he overdid it and his body was paying the price.
— I know…
— Well, it doesn't look like it! Junho looks up to you, and this is what you want him to see?
Inho gestured to the room, and Gihun flinched, hugging himself and looking away from him and to the floor, his eyes started to water again. It was rare for Inho to yell, but he was raising his voice now, at an hour when Junho would be home and definitely hear them, showing just how tired he was of all of this. Gihun started to shake, he was panicking with how this was going, if there was something Inho cared the most in the world—probably even more than Gihun—was Junho, so Gihun putting Junho on the line for a bad behavior could really mean the end for their relationship. He bit his lip, trying to keep from crying while expecting those horrible words. He heard Inho sigh.
— You promised, hyung… — He said disappointed and sighed heavily a second time. — You have to see a doctor.
Gihun looked up with wet wide eyes that were not expecting those words. Relief washed over him and he had to hold himself from jumping into Inhos arms.
— And I want- no, I need you to keep this promise:
He paused and Gihun nodded eagerly, he didn't have to hear, he would do anything if it meant Inho wouldn't ditch him.
—... No more outings…
Gihun stilled, he should had expected it, and it was somewhat fair, it was the thing straining their relationship earlier. He gulped, but couldn't bring himself to nod, Jungbae's sad face kept creeping into his mind.
—... at least until you're 100%. You've got to take care of yourself, jagiya, this is the one thing that I can't do for you.
And it was true, Inho was always cleaning after Gihun, caring for him, dealing with his hangovers, cooking and re-cooking for him, going after medication that could help, and even asking Geumja which tea was best for what—yes, he could just have google it, but Inho enjoyed searching the wisdom of the elderly—and he did all that without complaining. Gihun sniffed and nodded, he closed the rest of the way and hugged Inho while crying again. He felt Inho tense, but in a beat his boyfriend was hugging him back and caressing his back and hair.
— I promise… no more outings.
Week 9
He did pull off going to the doctor the most he could, until he didn't get better and Inho threatened to call Geumja and ask her to give Gihun a leave. So he went the next saturday, he convinced Inho he didn't need a companion and his boyfriend could stay and work at the studio; both of them knew how the movement was best at the weekends.
So there he went to the local clinic, first step in and it already felt like a bad idea, his stomach churned in that familiar way that indicated it did not like this place and would show how much if they didn't leave, Gihun trusted he would be able to power through, he hid his nose and mouth on the hoodie he stole from Inho, it smelled so much of him, with that hint of eucalyptus body soap, it did wonders to the sudden nausea.
The clinic itself didn't have much fuss about it, some sick kids, people with pain, Gihun got guilty about his visit, it seemed so small next to other people. He still felt tired and he's been extra bloated lately, like he was retaining every drop of liquid he ingested. His golden years were really over, huh? Almost to his thirties and his body couldn't keep up with all the fun.
The receptionist did not look impressed by his state, she clocked him as a walk-in and gave him a form to fill. He thanked her with a strained smile and went to sit down while scribbling the information they needed. It took less than he expected to be called by a nurse. She ran the vitals and noted them without batting an eye, and then asked about what he was feeling.
— Well… the most annoying thing is the nausea, it's been going for weeks now, and puking, but not everyday; it looks like I'm more sensitive to smells or something… I've been really tired too…
He started to list the things he's been feeling when it came to mind, the nurse nodded along, as if already expecting.
— Also bloating, like this fullness sensation, but I also look swollen…
He gestured to his lower abdomen.
— Hmm… my appetite has gone crazy, but I think that's because of the smell thing, and, of course that leads to irregular pooping… Ah, stomach pain too, light though.
She nodded once more and when he seemed to be finished turned back to his file.
— Ok, I'll just need a bit more information: are you sexually active?
— Yes.
— With women, men or both?
— Man, got a boyfriend.
His smile was totally involuntary, the nurse offered a friendly one in return.
— any chance of pregnancy?
—... I'm a man…
He wondered if he had noted down the wrong thing in the form.
— It's just a procedure given your symptoms, I didn't mean to assume. Do you drink or smoke?
— Ah… — That made sense. — On occasion…
She looked up at him like a bloodhound.
— And how frequent is “on occasion”?
— ahn… weekly?
She nodded and scribbled down again.
— Ok, the doctor will come see you soon.
She took his file and left the room, Gihun considered and then decided to lay down on the stretcher, he raised his arm to cover his face, the smell of Inho making him relax.
— Morning, I'm Doctor Lee… no need to get up if you're feeling unwell. Seong Gihun, is it?
The doctor all but barged in making Gihun jump. He sat up and the doctor took a stool next to him. He was reading Gihun's file.
— How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?
— A bit more than a month… maybe two?
The doctor hummed and Gihun regretted not having thought about all the information he had to give beforehand.
— Any changes to your diet?
— Just when the nausea started… some food that I liked turned too gross to stomach
— Ok, do you take any medication?
— Just dramamine for the nausea… it hasn't really helped.
— Right. Ok, let's take a look? I'll just feel your abdomen a bit, see if there's any sign of swelling.
Like the nurse, the doctor noted something on his file, then he put it away on the table and got up, getting closer to Gihun.
— Do you mind raising your hoodie and any other piece of clothing?
Gihun shook his head and did as asked. The doctor palpated his low abdomen from the right side to the left, asking him to breathe in and out at some points, when he got to the center Gihun flinched a bit, he heard the doctor mumble something like “tenderness in the mid-lower quadrant”. Finally the doctor moved away and sat down on the table, scribbling down in other papers.
— You’ve likely got a gastrointestinal issue, probably gastritis. I’ll prescribe an antacid and recommend a bland diet; also avoid caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, and smoking for now. If it doesn’t improve, we’ll do imaging.
Gihun got down from the stretcher and sat in front of the medic just in time for him to extend a prescription. He took it and did an once over, waiting for any other comment.
— Ok… ahm, thanks.
He got up slowly, still waiting for the doctor to say there was something else, but he looked up at Gihun and smiled.
— You're very much welcome. Have a good recovery.
Gihun nodded and left. It was strange because that was exactly what he was expecting, yet, something felt sour about how everything ran down. At least now he could reassure Inho that it wasn't anything serious.
When he got back home with the result Inho shrugged it off, the doctors know best, and things are what they are. He read through Gihun's new acquired antacid bottle and stared at Gihun's soul when he mentioned the “avoid” list. He was already expecting that.
The new diet was boring, two days of it and he felt like turning himself into a bowl of mashed potato. And it didn't seem to help at all, Inho had to remind him that some healings take time.
When he told Geumja she looked him up and down and gave an incredulous side eye. She asked if he was sure and he had to show the prescription—that obviously was in his back pocket since saturday—the old woman sighed and walked away mumbling about “doctors these days”. Gihun laughed, he really didn't know what the woman was expecting.
Week 11
It did get slightly better, the nausea didn’t full on stop, but it did dial down so he could at least tolerate the smell of Junho’s evening instant ramen, not only that but once he drooled because of it, made one to himself and ate the whole thing, he didn’t know who was more excited about it, him or Junho for having his snack buddy back.
They were happily munching on it while watching Hello Jadoo, Gihun had even added a boiled egg and honey to his bowl, Junho didn’t have to ask if he was crazy, the boy’s expression already did it for him, but Gihun chose to ignore it. Things weren’t perfect, but now he could enjoy these moments better, him and Junho laughing at Jadoo’s antics, Dalgona judging them from the ground, the warm food making it all even more comforting. It was a moment of peace amidst a whole new world of stress and pain and confusion.
It felt like his body was staging a rebellion and he had no idea what he’d done to deserve it. He thought quitting his nights out would help, and it has, but barely, and there's parts of his body that got mad at him for that as well. He didn’t consider himself a nicotine addict, he's an occasional smoker, he's not like Jungbae that pops one out everytime something slightly goes wrong, he's been there, but he has quit those habits since he started dating Inho.
The bastard hated the smell, in the start he wouldn't say anything, but Gihun saw how his nose would scrunch up unconsciously, and what person wants their boyfriend to think they smell? Inho also laid out the rule of no smoking in his apartment, which was fair: he hated it and had a kid. His studio also had this rule, Inho said it was to not infect the machines or whatever and people seemed to respect, but time or another a client would end up smoking just outside of the shop and under the living room window. Inho and Junho always complained, Gihun had to control himself not to double over the window and inhale.
But no, no addiction, he technically was around a year clear, the morning hand trembling and occasional eye twitching was just the stress lately.
Suddenly, Gihun got up and ran to the bathroom while cursing under his breath. Junho accompanied him with curious eyes. For what felt like months now he has seen Gihun run to the bathroom, most of the times with a hand on his mouth, at first it was scaring, even more so when Inho was around and seemed worried about it, but Gihun usually smiled at him and said “he was ok” and now it was basically their new normalcy.
Hearing the flush from the toilet, Junho turned back to his show and waited until Gihun got back, the man sat down carefully and sighed. Junho eyed him, slurping on his food.
— You puked again? Was it the ramen?
He was answered by a groan first. Gihun tucked his knees up, half-cradling the bowl, the warmth doing wonders to his stomach. In Junho’s eyes Gihun seemed tired.
— No, just had to pee.
Junho’s face scrunched up in confusion, he looked Gihun up and down accusatory.
— Hyung Inho says holding is bad for you…
Gihun laughs and shakes his head.
— I wasn’t holding it.
— Then why did you have to run?
— Because…! I just got the urge. It happens sometimes.
The boy didn’t look convinced, but accepted the response when a new episode started. Gihun took that gladly, although he loved Junho and spending time with the kid, at the moment he wasn’t in the mood to answer a bunch of questions.
Two episodes in, Gihun had to go again, and then he went four more times until Inho got back from the gym. Junho had changed the channel as soon as the door knob jingled.
— Hey…
Inho greeted them, noticing them in the living room. Junho waved at him lazily, Gihun leaned his head back on the couch and Inho gave him a peck on the lips. He leaned to caress Dalgona who was sleeping soundly between Junho and Gihun.
— Gihun-hyung put honey on his ramen and peed six times just now.
It sounded like funny news from Junho’s tone, Inho frowned and first looked down at the bowl on Gihun’s lap and then up at his boyfriend, deciding to stay, he leaned over the back of the couch with crossed arms. Before he could question either event Gihun jumped to justify himself.
— It’s just the meds messing with my kidneys…
Gihun had looked over Junho exasperated, not expecting to be told out. He brushed Inho’s confused and curious look off with a shake of his head and a sigh. Inho took a pregnant pause before responding.
—… I don’t think antacids do that.
— Well, maybe these do.
Inho scoffed at his boyfriend's sudden irritation. It was getting more common each day, all kinds of sudden emotions to be more precise, but recently irritation was sure at the top. So he opted to not press on the matter, even though “six times” echoed in his head, he also noticed Gihun didn’t try to explain the weird food.
— Ok, and what have you guys been up to?
Gihun smiled towards Junho and shrugged.
— Oh, we were snacking while Junho was watching Hello Jadoo…
— Hyung!!
Junho complained feeling betrayed. Inho didn’t hate the cartoon, but he didn’t exactly approve of it either, he thought Jadoo was too disobedient and set a bad example. Junho loved it, but didn’t want to disappoint his hyung.
— You tell on me, I tell on you, buddy.
Gihun laughed as Junho groaned.
— No, it’s great, that means I’m the only one getting dessert tonight.
Inho said smugly and tapped the back of the couch while getting away towards the bedroom. Gihun put his bowl away and stretched out to look over the couch at Inho’s retreating back.
— Hey! How do I get cut off for peeing??
— Not the peeing! Just the lying.
Gihun scoffed, he kneeled on the couch leaning over the back of it. Junho and Dalgona—who had woken up—watched with amused attention.
— I didn’t lie! Junho just said it before I did.
Inho came out of the room just to look at him, while taking off his shirt, jacket already gone. He tried to keep his face serious while addressing his cute looking pouting boyfriend.
— You said he told on you, which means you had no intention of telling me. And I thought you told me everything.
Gihun looked between Inho and Junho—and Dalgona—in disbelief.
— Well, I’m sorry if I thought “how many times I hit the can” wasn’t that important… I’ll start texting you every time I go from now on.
Inho laughed and got back inside the bedroom. Gihun sat back to look at his accomplices, Junho was trying not to laugh as well and Dalgona had squirmed to lay with her tummy up, looking at him upside down, her canines showing in a silly way.
— Yeah, you both laugh now…
Week 13
Things were starting to get tiring, and he felt like he'd been exhausted for months. The peeing thing got worse, he not only was going all the time, but most of the time he felt like he had to go again after walking two steps from the toilet. Yongsik timed it one day, he was going almost every forty minutes, sometimes less. The nausea had lessened, but was still there reminding him of all the good food that was now his enemies, and he kept snapping at people out of nowhere, which was really embarrassing cause he always would apologize right after and people would look at him like he’s out of control.
And then the scariest thing happened. He got woken up by a sharp pain on his lower abdomen, it wouldn’t be so bad if he hadn’t to pee again. He went to the bathroom hoping it meant he would be able to make his bawls work as well.
He didn't, which meant the pain really was constipation, at least he got to pee, he was about to flush when something in the toilet bowl caught his attention, in the side of the porcelain was a light reddish streak leaking into the water. His blood freezed, he had no idea what that was and for sure he was scared to find out, he knew it wasn’t there before he used the toilet. He closed his eyes tightly and flushed, not satisfied, he even closed the lid after confirming all vestiges of whatever that was were gone.
He brushed his teeth, the toothpaste bringing a wave of nausea that he rinsed quickly and left the bathroom still feeling shaken. He found Inho and Junho already in the kitchen, the kid was munching happily on his fruit salad while Inho washed the dishes. They were talking about something when Gihun entered, but he didn't register it.
— Morning! — Inho greeted him happily, until he actually looked at Gihun. — You ok?
He turned off the faucet and turned fully to him, trying to mask his worry, probably for Junho's sake.
— Hm? Yeah… Just… tired.
He shrugged and shook his head, luckily a yawn came at the right time to make it more believable. Inho considered him.
— Yeah? You're looking pale…
— I am?
Gihun tried to look at himself, his arms mainly, it didn't seem different for him and he had no idea about his face. He rarely looked at the mirror lately, not intently, his body was doing so many gross things that he felt disgusted at himself.
— Guess I need to eat, what's on breakfast menu?
He flashed Inho a smile that he took a while to accept. He pointed at Junho's bowl.
— Fruit or your mother’s injeolmi.
One look at Junho's juicy mix and Gihun shook his head fast. Nope. His mother’s sweets sounded much better. They went to visit her last night, he convinced Inho not to tell her how long he’s been under the weather, he didn’t want to worry her.
— Injeolmi it is.
Inho didn't even ask if he wanted it reheated, he pulled the cardboard it was in, pre-heated a frying pan and tossed five units in it. Gihun served himself a mug of lemon balm tea.
Geumja had introduced that to him weeks before when he was having a particularly rough day in the cafe, he was suspicious of it at first, everything about it seemed odd: the smell, the looks, the name. But after the first sip? He had a new best friend.
He went to sit on the counter lost in thought, not hearing when neither Inho or Junho tried to loop him into their conversation. Inho signaled to Junho to leave it, there were days where Gihun wouldn't be syntonized to earth, and apparently this was one of those days.
It was coming to a point where Inho didn't know what else to do, for days now he was suggesting Gihun went to get a second opinion, or at least have a follow-up from the last one, he may not have gotten worse like the doctor said, but he hadn't improved either. Noeul suggested they'd book him an appointment with a psychologist, since so many problems could be due to stress or other psychological issues. He didn’t suggest that to Gihun yet. He put the plate with the rice cake cubes in front of his boyfriend and caressed his hair as he passed to go get change.
A smile creeped at Gihun’s face with the gesture, the food was as heavenly as the night before and along with the tea he felt like entering a safe space amidst all the chaos. There was another pulling pain on his abdomen, he unconsciously started to rub at it until soon it turned into another peeing urge.
There it was again, a pinkish stain in his urine. He couldn’t ignore it anymore, the sight of it made the pain on his stomach more real, more worrisome. He met with Inho while leaving the bathroom.
— Hyung?
Inho asked with worry splattered on his face, Gihun wasn’t just pale, but actually shaking.
— I… I think I’m bleeding…
— What? where??
Inho’s eyes went wide and he stepped up trying to examine him for any bloody signs.
— I meant… I think I'm peeing blood…
Gihun took a step back, clearly not wanting to be touched, he wasn’t sure if because he was feeling gross or because he was afraid. Inho stopped, looked down and up and sighed.
— Ok, go get dressed, we’re going to the hospital. I just need to get Noeul to watch over Junho.
— Junho has class today…
— Well, he’s skipping it. Go get changed.
It sent a cooling water bucket down Gihun’s body, he was in panic, but Inho seemed terrified and suddenly it felt grounding, his mind feeding him every possibility of it being something totally normal and him having scared his boyfriend for nothing.
— Inho, he can’t just miss classes like that, and you have that client today…
He stopped his boyfriend by holding his arm and talked in a more calm voice, the shock from minutes before wearing down.
— It's probably just some tear… or urine infection, my immunity went to shit, those things are common right?
Inho stared at him, not a bit convinced, Gihun sighed. Even if that's what his own mind was feeding him, it didn't feel right either, he didn't feel any kind of burn or pain while peeing, and that was a big symptom for the two problems he listed, right?
— I'll go to the doctor, but you take Junho to school and go to work.
It wasn't just for Inho's sake, Gihun himself was starting to get tired of not knowing what was going on, it clearly wasn't what the first doctor thought it was, he just hoped that now they would actually look into it.
— Thanos-ssi can deal with the client…
— Yeobo… don't make me feel bad about this, it's already bad enough. I promise if it's something serious I'll call you, ok?
Inho did not enjoy the manipulative argument, mainly because he fell for it—and because he knew Gihun really would feel bad if it turned out to be nothing—he sighed and nodded defeatedly.
— Fine, but get a cab. And don’t forget to let ajumma Geumja know. And tell me the results even if it isn't “serious”.
Gihun smiled lovingly, it was rare when their age difference showed, Inho flustered and anxious? Something Gihun hasn't seen since the start of their relationship.
— yes, oppa.
The pet name left him in both levels of flirtatious and teasing, as he laced Inho's wide shoulders in a hug, it wasn't something he usually called Inho, but when he did it totally destabilized the man. Inho groaned with an eyeroll, but a blush creeped to his face.
— You're insufferable, you know?
He asked, hugging Gihun back by the waist and leaning to exchange a peck on the lips, Gihun laughed.
— Hyung, I'm ready!
Junho announced, walking out of his room with a uniform on and backpack ready. The couple separated, and Inho gave another worried look at his direction.
— You better not be here when I come back.
— Geez, love you too, babe.
Inho snorted a laugh, it was enough for Gihun to get more relaxed. Inho accompanied Junho to the entrance, after the kid got out the door, and he turned to get his keys he looked back at Gihun.
— I love you.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
There was an improvement, it seemed the words “blood in pee” and “lower stomach pain” did the trick for the doctor to ask for actual exams. He did bloodwork and took an ultrasound, the feelings was weird although the cool gel did something to relax his stomach, but the tech paused mid test and left to get the doctor to “check something”, the medic came back, stared at the screen—that was away from him by the way—then looked at him and said.
— We found something unusual on the scan, and unfortunately we’re not able to properly identify it here. I’ll be getting you a referral so you can go to a larger facility for further evaluation.
Then signaled to the tech to wrap it up. He left the clinic with a referral letter, the envelope with his test results, and a whole load of frustration from the lack of answers. In the hospital he received a deluxe chair treatment after presenting the referral documents. Boredom and anxiety started picking up fast. He picked up his phone to text his boyfriend.
Gihun:hey, got referred to a hospital cause the clinic couldn't find something out
Gihun:came to snuh
Gihun:just waitin
Updating Inho took less than a minute, there was no sign of his boyfriend reading the messages which probably meant he was with a client, so Gihun tried to distract himself with a bunch of little things: reading medical posters in the walls—he passed right through a cancer related one, no need to spiral even more into that rabbit hole—playing a game Junho had download in his phone, skimming through his socials; but nothing took away the anxiety of not knowing, so he decided to take a look at the results.
Everything was in complex medical terms, some things in the bloodwork he could make sense, not the informations per se, but the amount of whatever he was looking at since it had the average in the corner. The sonogram and ultrasound was even more confusing, he couldn't see anything in the image and any words in the report made sense until he was met with “gestational sac observed in pelvic cavity”, that got his attention, not because of the word “gestational” but the term “observed in”, it sounded a lot like it was talking about something that wasn't supposed to be in there.
He looked around the room, the receptionist who had taken his documents was on the phone, but the other by her side seemed less busy doing something behind the counter. She was a middle-aged woman who seemed to carry a fair share of experience.
— Hi, excuse me, could you just help me with this information…?
When he got closer he noticed she may be more occupied than he thought, but she nodded along to him.
— Ahm, this here, do you know what it means?
He pointed at the phrase and the woman just glanced at it before going back to her papers.
— That's a pregnancy term, sir.
Gihun froze, “what?” He looked at the results and then at the lady and back at the results, it had his name on it, did they clinic mixed something up? “We found something unusual on the scan” the doctor's words rang in his mind, no, she must be mistaken.
— What? No… — he laughed anxiously. — that can't be it, this is my exam…
He tried to hold the smile in his face, but it was getting hard with the panic bubbling up. The woman stopped her work and looked at him surprised.
— I- I'm sorry, sir… I thought you were accompanying someone else…
She looked frightened, like she had just made the worst mistake of her life.
— So… it doesn't mean… what you said?
Gihun asked tentatively, hoping she was actually wrong on her first analysis. The receptionist gaped at him and looked down at the results he was still showing her. She gulped and looked back at him.
— I'm sorry, it's really not my place, I'm certain the doctor will explain it to you.
She tried for a sympathetic smile, but Gihun knew: the mistake she had made wasn't the misinterpretation of the result, it was telling him what it meant. He laughed and shook his head.
— No, no… you're wrong… right? Tell me you're wrong!
The smile faded from the receptionist's face as she looked at him silently. He felt rage start to bubble up and even if she wasn’t at fault here, he couldn’t hold himself from taking it on her.