world outsiders, nct dream

chapter thirty-six

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
COUPLE OF HEADACHES

❝DONGHYUCK? IT'S OKAY, I GOT YOU.❞

━ DONGHYUCK & HYEJI FOCUS ━

While Renjun and Eunha had their own fun fighting dead rats in the basement before having to leave for class, the rest of the teenagers had already finished their studies and begun their own chores for the day.

Two of the said teenagers were Donghyuck and Hyeji, who were on dishes duty.

"How do you wanna do this?" Hyeji asked, leaning on the counter as she eyed the dirty dishes and pans in the two sinks.

Donghyuck hummed as he thought about what role he wanted to fulfill, "I can wash. You wanna dry and put away?"

"Sure," Hyeji smiled, standing back up. Donghyuck smiled back at her, starting the water.

They spoke with another as they washed the dishes in sync. Halfway through, the conversation began growing quieter and quieter as both began to feel ill.

"Hey, hey, I need a break real quick-" Hyeji clutched her head with her right hand and reached for Donghyuck with her left but immediately pulled it away. "You're burning."

Donghyuck clutched his own head and looked at Hyeji to speak but his mouth closed almost as soon as it opened. "Your eyes..."

Hyeji tried to ask what was happening but a grain left her lips as her head tinged with pain and her legs collapsed under her.

"Are you okay?" Donghyuck asked immediately, trying to grab her before pulling away whilst realizing he'd probably burn her.

Hyeji nodded, looking back up at him and trying to smile although it came out with a painful feeling behind it. "Y-Yeah. Just a bit dizzy, that's all. Now, uh, what were you saying before?"

Donghyuck paused at her stare and looked into her eyes further. "Your eyes are flashing... like between human-looking eyes and..." he paused thinking about what her eyes were resembling, "cat eyes?"

Hyeji scoffed light-heartedly, "cat eyes? That's crazy talk, Hyuck."

Donghyuck nodded, "and so is my body burning hot enough to give someone a third-degree burn if they're in contact with me too long. Everything about this place is crazy, Hyeji."

Hyeji laughed softly, finding barely enough strength to stand up again. But just as she got to her feet, Donghyuck was running over to the trash can.

Hyeji walked after him and rubbed his back, the heat radiating from his back blocked slightly by the cloth of his shirt. He was still hot, just not hot enough to burn her.

"Donghyuck? It's okay, I got you." She said in a soothing voice, ignoring the nasty smell from the boy's puke.

He was bent over the trash can for another few minutes, getting rid of everything he had eaten for breakfast that morning and probably a bit of dinner from the previous night.

Although the sight made Hyeji a bit light-headed herself, she stayed by the sick boy's side, making sure to soothe him in any way possible.

Finally, his stomach sat empty and nothing else came out. His mouth was opened slightly as he took in deep breaths, his chest heaving up and down while his back began aching.

The kitchen door opened, Donghyuck and Hyeji turning to see who was entering.

"...Why do I keep walking in on these scenes," Jaemin sighed, throwing away a plastic bag and reaching in the medication cabinet to grab some pills.

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pretty short chapter, sorry about that