Behind the Mask - Hyunjin x reader

I stared at the ground in the waiting room. Han had his head muffled into my shoulder, and his eyes were puffy. The rest of the boys were scattered across the remaining seats, while Hyunjin was pacing back and forth, relentlessly. 

The doctors had taken Jeongin in immediately, leaving us in apprehension, and no updates. 

It had been 2 hours now. 

And no one spoke.

Han sniffled besides me, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, and I tightened my grip around his shoulders protectively. Across from me, Minho looked worriedly at the boy, but I mouthed an 'it's okay' to reassure him. 

Another minute passed. Then another.

And then, finally, the door to the hallway swung open, and we all shot up.

A doctor stepped out, removing his surgical mask. 

- How is he? Chan was the first to speak. 

The doctor exhaled, glancing at all of us.

- He's stable. 

A collective breath of relief swept through the room.

- But, the doctor continued, and my stomach dropped.

- But? Hyunjin echoed, anxiously. 

There was always a 'but'. 

The doctor sighed.

- Jeongin is exhausted. His body is severely weakened. This was a close call.

- Can we see him? Felix asked, hopeful. 

The doctor hesitated before nodding.

- One at a time. He's awake, but he needs rest.

Chan stepped forward first, his leader instincts kicking in, but then he turned to Hyunjin.

- You go first.

Hyunjin looked startled.

- Me?

- You're the closest he has to a brother. Go.

Hyunjin nodded and rapidly disappeared through the door, while the doctor glanced at the rest of us. 

- His parents are on their way, but it will take a while. They were on a business trip to Shanghai when they got the call. 

- We can stay until they get here, Chan affirmed, and all the others nodded. 

Was it even a question? Even if the parents were here already, the boys would have probably insisted on staying anyways. 

The doctor gave a small nod. 

- I'll let the nurses know. But please, don't overwhelm him. He needs as much rest as possible. 

And with that, he disappeared down the hallway. 

Felix leaned back against the seat, exhaling deeply.

- I still can't believe this happened. I was so scared. 

The others nodded collectively. Even though Hyunjin and I weren't there when it happened, they described the scene, and I felt awful for the boys. It must have been traumatizing to witness something like this. 

- He wanted to be with us, Seungmin murmured. He didn't want to miss out.

A heavy silence fell over us again.

I stared at the closed door, my thoughts drifting to Hyunjin and Jeongin inside. He had barely spoken ever since we got here, his pacing the only sign of how much this was affecting him.