XIII

He perceived the next few minutes as fragments. He could hear an older man's concerned voice, Hyunjin's ragged breathing, and a murmur in the background. Then suddenly he was standing and being led somewhere. He then sat in a car he didn't recognize, but he could feel Hyunjin's presence beside him. Could it be that they were in a taxi...? Soon, he heard his friend talking to someone on the phone while holding his hand. His voice was interspersed with the occasional sniffle. From what he understood, he was talking to his mother.

He only became more aware of his surroundings when the car was parked in front of the Hwangs' house. Hyunjin got out, walked around the car and opened the door on his side. "Come on, love," he urged, holding out his arms for him to lean on.

He gratefully accepted his help. When he finally stood, he wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders for a little more support. "Sorry if I'm heavy," he muttered, turning his face toward him.

The younger boy shook his head slightly and smiled. Tears glistened on his cheeks. "It's okay. Come on, your mom will take a look, she's a doctor."

Slowly they reached the front door, which was already opening slowly. A long-haired woman stood between them, her mouth covered by her hand, and a man behind her. Perhaps it was her boyfriend. He didn't look much better. Did he really look that awful...?

"What on earth happened?" The shaken woman asked as Hyunjin and her boyfriend helped him to a seat at the dining table.

"We ran into Seong. I had no idea he'd be there," Hyunjin sighed, pushing his hair out of his face.

"I saw him talking to Hyunjin when I was coming back from the bathroom. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but he wanted to hit him."

The younger boy nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Chris took the hit for me. Seong threw him and he hit his head on the table when he fell. Luckily it had a blunt edge. He passed out for a while."

Mrs. Hwang nodded while still looking for the things she needed to examine Christopher. "You were lucky you didn't smash your head on that table. Are you dizzy?" She asked as she finally stood in front of him.

"Not so much anymore, I was dizzy especially after the impact. Now I only get dizzy when I change position quickly," he replied.

The woman nodded and picked up a small flashlight to check his pupil reactions, "You react normally to light. Do you feel like throwing up?"

"It's not that I want to throw up, but I get a little nauseous when I move fast."

"I see," nodded Mrs. Hwang, straightening up, then taking the ice pack from her partner and placing it on Christopher's bruised temple. "It doesn't look like you have a concussion, but try to stay awake for at least two more hours. You'll have a nice bruise there in the morning."

Christopher nodded and held the ice himself on the bump. "Thank you, Mrs. Hwang."

The woman smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. You can go to your room now if you want."

"Thanks, Mom," Hyunjin hugged her before helping his boyfriend back to his feet and slowly and carefully leading him upstairs. Once in the room, he sat him down on the bed and knelt in front of him before taking his free hand. "I'm so terribly sorry, darling, I didn't even know he was going to be there..."

The older of the pair shook his head and kissed him on the back of the hand. "Don't worry about that, honey. No one could have known."

"But you..."

"Shut up and come sit here," he put down the ice pack and patted his thighs.

Hyunjin nodded and settled on his lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing the forming bruise. Then he buried his face in his shoulder.

"Who was that anyway?" the elder stroked his hair.

The taller one sighed heavily and rubbed his face. "That was Seong, my ex-boyfriend."

Christopher nodded and hugged his lover a little tighter. "Has he always treated you like this?"

Hyunjin nodded while biting his lower lip. "Yeah," he replied in a whisper. "He liked having the upper hand over me. He always wanted me to listen to evertything he said and every time something happened, he turned it against me. If I didn't follow his orders, he usually beat me up... And I stupidly thought he was doing it for my own good," he sniffled softly, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't want to cry..."

"You can cry all you want, love, it's okay," the elder kissed him on the lips.

The taller one nodded and rubbed his eyes again. "He even kept an eye on what I looked like, how much I weighed... He always wanted me to be thin, he said it will make me a better dancer, make me lighter so I wouldn't have to carry so much unnecessary weight... That started a nearly year-long cycle of starving and vomiting for me, until I ended up in a psych ward for four months. They let me out at the end of October last year, and then I was getting ready for my entrance exams. Seungmin was with me through that whole horrible period, that's why he's so protective of me..."

The smaller one could feel the blood boiling inside him. That Seong was lucky as hell that Hyunjin hadn't told him that before they accidentally ran into him. He pressed his lover a little tighter against him. "No one's going to hurt you anymore. I'll always protect you, and I'll always be there for you no matter what, okay?"

The younger one nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Thanks, Chris. You don't know how much that means to me," he whispered, kissing him.

Christopher returned the kiss. He kissed him on the mouth, cheeks, jaw and neck. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Not only are you beautiful, but you're smart and fun to be with as well. I treasure every second I've spent with you, I wouldn't trade it for the world."

Hyunjin smiled and rested his forehead against the other's. "Honey, you hit your head so hard."

The elder shook his head and gently took his hands in his own. "I'm serious. I know it might be a little early for that, but... I love you."

"I love you too, Chris," the younger man smiled broadly, even as tears streamed down his cheeks. The elder gently wiped them away with his thumb.

"I hope those are tears of happiness," he kissed his cheek.

The taller one laughed softly and nodded. "Don't worry, they are. I haven't been happier than I am now in a long time."

"That makes two of us, Jin," he kissed and hugged Hyunjin again.

***

Two hours later they were washed in bed, and this time Christopher was the one with his head on the other's chest. He listened to the steady beat of his heart. He reached for his phone to text his mom that he was okay when a message notification from Minho caught his attention. He couldn't resist opening it.

He couldn't help smiling as he looked at the photo his friend had sent him. It showed two intertwined hands, one Minho's and the other Seungmin's. He adjusted the display so that his boyfriend could see it too.

"What?" Hyunjin shifted his head to get a good look at the photo.

"Minho and Seungmin got together."

"Oh," smiled the younger man. "Then I wish them well, though I'd never expect them to date."

"Yeah, that makes two of us."

He wished Minho and Seungmin good luck on behalf of himself and Hyunjin, texted his mom that he was okay, put his phone away, and got comfortable on his boyfriend's chest again. "Good night, love."

"Good night."

Hyunjin stroked his hair with a slight smile until he fell asleep.