Chapter Text
"Kim Dokja, what are you doing?"
Kim Dokja freezes like he's been caught red-handed. "Getting some water."
Yoo Joonghyuk crosses the hospital ward in large steps and pushes him back into bed. "Do you have to manhandle me like this?" Kim Dokja groans as he is aggressively tucked into bed.
"If you want water, you tell me," Yoo Joonghyuk growls.
"I can't even do one thing by myself around here?" Kim Dokja asks.
"No." Yoo Joonghyuk stomps over to the table and angrily pours out a glass of water.
Kim Dokja huffs incredulously. "So I have to tell you every time I want something?"
"Yes."
"So if I have to take a piss, I'm supposed to tell you? And what?" Kim Dokja challenges. "You're going to help me piss?"
Yoo Joonghyuk turns to glare at him. "Yes."
Kim Dokja points at him. "You better not regret that decision later."
Yoo Joonghyuk returns a defying look. "I won't." He holds out the glass of water. "Drink."
Kim Dokja takes the glass from him and sips at it. "I've been in bed for days. I need to move a little."
"You are not moving. I will call Han Sooyoung over," Yoo Joonghyuk threatens.
Kim Dokja raises a hand in surrender and sighs, "I'm just bored, okay?" Yoo Joonghyuk stares at him with a frown. "All I've seen since I woke up are these four walls," Kim Dokja continues complaining. "I'm- Hey! Where are you going?"
Yoo Joonghyuk has exited the room.
Kim Dokja scoffs in disbelief. "Leaving in the middle of our conversation," he grumbles under his breath. "So rude."
"Kim Dokja."
Kim Dokja looks up and his eyes widen. Yoo Joonghyuk is back, and with a wheelchair this time. "Do you want to go out for a while?" he asks.
Kim Dokja nods enthusiastically. Yoo Joonghyuk slides his arms under him and carries him into the wheelchair with ease. "Do not tell anyone," he says. "We will go to a place where there is nobody."
It brings a laugh out of Kim Dokja. "Your secret is safe with me. So where are we going?"
Yoo Joonghyuk doesn't reply and only pushes his wheelchair wordlessly. Kim Dokja looks around. The place feels so foreign to him. He's really missed a lot.
A voice breaks him out of his thoughts. "We're here."
Kim Dokja's eyes widen. "This is new. Is it a greenhouse?"
"Mm, we started growing our own fruits and vegetables," Yoo Joonghyuk says. "The gardeners usually come in the morning. I come here before preparing dinner."
Kim Dokja's jaw drops in amazement as he takes in the sight. The air isn't stale and the sunlight feels warm on his skin. He imagines Yoo Joonghyuk picking herbs to cook with, and the idea makes him smile in amusement. "This is incredible," Kim Dokja breathes out. He spots a familiar plant nearby. "There are even tomatoes here."
Yoo Joonghyuk nods. "For everyone else but you."
Kim Dokja turns in surprise. "You remember?"
Yoo Joonghyuk looks at him like he's just asked the stupidest question ever.
"I've missed your cooking," Kim Dokja says.
Yoo Joonghyuk hums. "When you're better."
Kim Dokja lights up. "Really? You're being suspiciously nice. Is it because I'm injured?"
Yoo Joonghyuk doesn't answer and continues pushing his wheelchair around the greenhouse. After a while, Kim Dokja stops making comments and becomes quiet.
"Kim Dokja, you fell asleep and didn't bother to tell me?" Yoo Joonghyuk asks softly. He pushes the wheelchair back to the hospital ward and gently places Kim Dokja in his bed. His body is thin and frail, and it unsettles Yoo Joonghyuk to no end. He settles into his chair next to the bed and watches as Kim Dokja's chest rhythmically rises and falls.