Chapter Text
He heard familiar, comforting footsteps on the hard, polished floor. Night had fallen, and outside the stars were decorating the sky like tiny shards of glass.
Nam Shin had mastered the art of pretending to be asleep by now. He and Ye Na were the only people who knew he wasn't really asleep. It had been a week, maybe two... none of them had a clue.
Shin had heard so many things.
He'd heard his mother's constant crying and worrying, her apologising from the bottom of her heart, the desperate whispers. 'Wake up. Shin, mom is here. Please, wake up.'
He'd heard David, his words not quite so desperate. Of course, Shin knew about the robot now, and he guessed David preferred the mechanical monster to the man with flesh and blood. David often spoke with Hyun Joon, the doctor who had worked so hard to keep Shin alive. Quite often the doctor had said things like: 'It's not looking good' or 'We need to think about other options.' Nam Shin had wanted to laugh at his comments.
Ye Na had been like a lost dog, by his bedside any chance she could get. She'd get upset and cry for hours on end, the sound of her sniffling driving him crazy. Once she knew he wasn't really in a coma, the crying stopped, but then talk turned to their relationship, the wedding, how they'd spend the rest of their lives together... Shin found himself wishing he'd slip back into his coma to avoid listening to the word 'marriage' fifty times a minute.
And then there was Ji Young Hoon. Nam Shin had heard the most interesting words from his mouth. He'd heard things he never thought he'd hear.
'Shin, wake up.'
'Shin, stop worrying us now.'
'Come on now, the joke is getting old. Stop this. I know you like to prank me, but this has gone on long enough.'
'You need to open your eyes. Your mom misses you.'
'Shin. I miss you.'
'Shin... please come back to me.'
If Young Hoon thought that Nam Shin was awake, he would have never dared to speak such words... but the silence gave him courage and a sense of daring.
Nobody (apart from Nam Shin himself and Ye Na) could have predicted the drama that unfolded before the presentation. When the glass was smashed and blood appeared, everyone was stunned. Robots cannot bleed, which meant the Nam Shin standing before them all was human. He was out of his coma, into his suit and bleeding in front of them all. A few steps was all it took for him to crash to the floor. He felt Young Hoon's hand on his stomach just as he lost consciousness, again.
The next few hours were tense, and everything was terrible again. Young Hoon's mind was only Shin. He got told he looked pale, but he just gave that smirk and shrugged it off.
When Young Hoon discovered that Shin had woken up, he felt an entire weight vanish from his shoulders. His heart ached that day more than ever. Laura had gone in to see him first, and then Ye Na had barged her way in, Young Hoon trailing behind. Young Hoon stood out of the way, let the two women fuss over him first. Shin was cold towards his mother and she got upset again. Ye Na made a fuss and explained to him what had happened, stroked his hair from his eyes and caressed his face. Nobody saw Young Hoon pulling a slight face, a look of pain and longing. How he longed to touch Shin like that...
Laura left, and Ye Na went with her. She gave Young Hoon a smile that seemed slightly forced. 'Look after him for me until I get back.' She blew a kiss to Shin, who ignored it, and left the room. Now it was just Nam Shin and Young Hoon alone.
Shin was lying down, his eyes heavy and unfocused. Young Hoon came forward now, walking up to the foot of Shin's hospital bed. Shin opened his eyes fully and raised his head to see who it was. 'Oh, here you are.'
'Did I wake you?'
'I want to stay awake, but I keep sleeping. For someone who's been in a coma, you would have thought I'd had enough sleep.' That was such a Shin thing to say, Young Hoon couldn't help but smirk. Shin saw it and smiled, too. 'I can't tell whether I'm asleep or dead.'
'Dead? Don't say that! You just woke up.' Young Hoon sounded outraged, but he spoke using his authoritative voice, the one he used when he had to tell Shin off, and it made him laugh.
Young Hoon saw Shin smirking and he sighed, wanting to remain annoyed but unable to fight the smirk that was now on his own face.
'It's good to see you,' Nam Shin said. 'It's been a while.'
'Yes. You too.'
Nam Shin noticed how his friend was speaking now, how formal the speech was, how Young Hoon held himself. He was standing tall, upright, professional. Different to how he'd been at his bedside previous times, when he had thought Shin was unable to hear him...
'I had a strange dream,' Shin said, sitting upright now. In a heartbeat, Young Hoon was helping prop Shin's pillows up properly and adjusting his blanket.
'Oh?' Young Hoon said casually. 'What happened?'
'It was...' Shin eyed Young Hoon and saw how intently he was looking at him. 'About you.'
Young Hoon could have faltered, but just like Shin had perfected the art of fake sleeping, Young Hoon had perfected the art of keeping his cool - especially around Shin. He'd had years of practice now...
'Ah, I see.' A pause, during which time Shin's eyes never left Young Hoon's face, and then, 'Care to tell me more?'
'You said my name and then,' Shin said slowly. He paused this time, long enough to torture Young Hoon slightly. 'You held my hand.'
'Strange indeed,' Young Hoon said, hoping his voice sounded calm - something he was slowly losing. 'Did you dream about Ye Na, too?'
'Only you.'
'I haven't finished.' Young Hoon's eyes flashed Shin, but he just smirked again and sat up more in the bed. 'You didn't just hold my hand.'
'Shin...'
'You stroked it. For at least three minutes. You only let go when there was a knock on the door.'
'Coma patients have been known to have all sorts of bizarre dreams,' Young Hoon said. 'It's not uncommon to have... dreams.' He reached for Shin's water jug. 'I'll go and get you some more.'
'I'm not thirsty,' Shin said, humour lacing his voice. He knew he had shaken Young Hoon up. He was a man that hardly ever got rattled, so this was like a sport to Shin now. 'Stay.'
'Call me crazy, but I don't think it was a dream.'
'What?' Young Hoon sounded stunned. 'Of course it was a dream.'
'It wasn't,' Shin argued. 'I was lying just now.'
Ji Young Hoon flashed his eyes again in response. He was quickly losing his cool.
'I heard you,' Shin said. 'I felt you touching me.'
Young Hoon was a clever man. 'How could you know all of this? You were supposed to be in a coma.'
'I was,' Shin said simply. 'I woke up earlier than you lot think.'
'Ye Na told us,' Young Hoon said. 'But... you were awake then? Why didn't you tell anyone? Why did you tell Ye Na and not me?'
'Is this jealousy?' Shin smiled fully, but Young Hoon didn't reply. He ran his fingers through his hair and he shook his head.
'I can't believe you. Tell me, why.'
'I didn't know who I could trust,' Shin said. 'I wanted time to suss people out.'
'Shin...' Young Hoon sounded hurt. 'How long have we known each other? You always used to say you trusted me more than anyone. You called me your only friend.'
'Can you ever be my friend if you work for my grandpa?'
'Shin. I've always worked for him, but I've always...' Young Hoon sighed. 'Fine, I admit it. I did say your name.'
'And?'
'And hold your hand.' Shin nodded. 'I was worried about you. You have been my only priority for years now, it's only right that I wanted to ensure you were okay.'
'You're still not being honest with me,' Shin said. 'What about the other things you said to me when you thought I couldn't hear you?'
'Shin...' Young Hoon sighed deeply. 'Stop it, please.' Young Hoon feared everything now. If Shin really had been awake longer than anyone suspected, he was in big trouble.
'You said you missed me,' Shin said. 'You told me to come back to you.'
'You should rest up,' Young Hoon said, clearing his throat. 'Don't get overexcited now with crazy ideas in your head. Just lie down and take it easy. I'll get you some water...' Ji Young Hoon reached for the jug, but was stopped by Shin. Shin shifted forward in the bed and grabbed Young Hoon's wrist with his hand. Shin's touch burned his skin in the most amazing way.
'I'm not thirsty,' Shin said, his grip still tight around Young Hoon's wrist. 'I want you.'
'You want me... to what?'
There was a long, agonising pause before Shin spoke again. 'I want you... to tell me the truth. Don't lie to me. Please?'
Young Hoon swallowed hard and sighed, resigned. 'Shin, I'm begging you.'
'Why did you say all of those things? Why did you hold my hand? Why did you stroke it?'
'Are you going to let go?' Young Hoon moved his wrist all he could, still under Shin's vice-like hold.
'Are you going to answer me properly?' The two men stared at each other for what seemed like an age. Neither of them blinked, neither of them breathed. Shin did move his eyes, but from Young Hoon's eyes to his lips. Young Hoon noticed where Shin was looking and felt heat rising up his neck. He cleared his throat again and smirked, closing his eyes. 'I guess we'll have to stay like this all night,' Shin said.
Young Hoon's eyes remained closed. How he wished he could spend the night with Shin. That had been his fantasy for years and years now. He had driven himself crazy with the idea of being with Shin, but knew it was never going to be a reality. If Shin knew how many nights Young Hoon had lain awake, only a room away, imagining all sorts of things they could do together, he doubted if Shin would ever look him in the eye again.
'I'll answer you,' Young Hoon said. He told himself to calm down before opening his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shin's face, mere millimetres away from his own. Shin was standing up now, leaning slightly against the bed. He saw Shin's lips first, saw the deep pink colouring and the way his bottom lip was slightly thicker than the top... he saw Shin's nose - Young Hoon had always thought he had such a cute nose... and then finally Shin's eyes. Eyes that, for so long now, had stared back at him from the face of a robot.
Young Hoon felt Shin's hand move, and he was being pulled closer to Shin. Their mouths were now almost touching. Young Hoon had tried in vain to fight the blush, and now his cheeks were radiating warmth. Shin had a dangerous twinkle in his eyes and he licked his lips with one swift movement. 'Shin...' Young Hoon whispered, not sure whether he wanted Shin to stop or move faster now.
Shin placed his free hand on Young Hoon's back, gazed up at him. Shin put a small amount of pressure on Young Hoon's back, pressing gently, and it was all that was needed. Young Hoon's eyes closed shut and their mouths met. Young Hoon broke away a second later, and Shin sighed. He frowned at Young Hoon, who was composing himself. Shin went to speak, but Young Hoon quickly got him back into bed and he pressed a finger to his lips. A moment later and the door swung open. Ye Na had returned, carrying a big basket of fruit.
'Thanks for keeping Oppa company,' she sang. 'But he doesn't need you now that I'm here. You can go.'
Young Hoon kept his usual composure, professional and a good secretary to Shin. He nodded at Ye Na, turned on his heel and left. He couldn't bring himself to meet Shin's gaze, despite the fact that Nam Shin stared at the door long after Young Hoon had left.