ENG - Fractured Fates ʰʸᵘⁿˡᶦˣ

13

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"You're Minho, aren't you? His roommate? You can go in, he's awake."

When I heard his voice, I gathered my energy with the last of my strength and ignored the agony coursing through my body to sit up again. I turned my head slowly towards the door, my face contorted with exertion and rising anger. "Minho, you wretched dog," I hissed through clenched teeth, my voice quivering with anger and pain. Although I doubted he could hear me, he entered hesitantly, his eyes fixed on the floor.
In one swift movement, I switched off the soft night light and activated the bright ceiling light instead. Luckily, both switches were within reach of my bed. The harsh light blinded me for a moment, but I wanted to see his reaction when he finally stood next to my bed.
"Where the hell have you been for the last three days?" I asked him, my voice sounding sharp and accusatory. "Had to do the assignments for Chan, couldn't go earlier," he replied, sitting down on the edge of my bed instead of in the chair.
Relieved, I hung my head and sighed. "Thank God you're finally here," I began quietly, my voice now shaking with relief and no longer with anger. "I thought you'd been killed on one of those jobs."

Minho looked at me with a mixture of guilt and anger in his eyes. "Like I'm going to get killed, I'm not a raving moron like you," he snapped at me, his voice sounding rough and angry.
"I told you to take care of yourself while I do this fucking job!" he continued, his voice almost cracking. "Instead, I come home and find you half dead and covered in blood on the floor!" he screamed.
He punched me roughly against my shoulders, causing me to hiss slightly. A sharp pain shot through my body and I rubbed the sore spot while looking at him angrily. "As if I did that on purpose," I defended myself angrily, my voice shaking with indignation.
Minho stood up and started pacing back and forth, his hands clenched into fists. "You could have fucking died!" he shouted at me, his eyes glittering with rage. "And what would have happened to me then, huh?" he continued, his voice almost breaking. "Do you have any idea how fucking worried I was about you motherfucker?" he concluded, his voice no more than a breath as he turned around and wiped his face briefly. I felt my anger slowly recede, making way for guilt. "I'm sorry," I whispered guiltily.

He turned around slowly and looked at me with tear-filled eyes. His eyes shone in the dim light and his voice quivered slightly as he said, "I can't lose you, Hyunjin. You're all I have." He came closer and sat down right next to me, only to hug me afterwards. "I swear to you Hyunjin, don't ever worry me like that again or I'll kill you," he said more softly now, his voice sounding like a soft breath that could barely be heard.
I hung my head as if it was too heavy for my neck and leaned it against his shoulders. "I'll be more careful," I murmured, my voice barely more than a whisper. I could feel his chest rise and fall as he breathed in and out deeply to calm himself. Then he pushed me away from him and looked at me with an angry glare. "I should hope so, you idiot," he growled, his voice harsher again, but I could hear the fear behind it. "Don't even think about leaving me alone in this fucking world," he continued, his voice now an angry growl that barely hid his despair.
I saw him trying to hold back his tears and hide his emotions, but I knew him too well. A slight smile flitted across my lips as I watched his effort. "I know I'm not always easy," he continued, his voice a little softer now, almost fragile. His eyes, normally so full of life and energy, now gleamed wet and vulnerable. "But I need you, Hyunjin. I need you to remind me of the good in this world, so don't die."

His words hit me like a slap in the face, taking my breath away and causing a lump to form in my throat. I could feel my heart beating faster and my throat constricting, but I forced myself to act cool and calm. This guy was really the only person who could actually make me cry if he wanted to. But I didn't give in to tears, not ever. "Since when have you been such a crybaby and so deviantly clingy?" I asked with a provocative grin and punched him in the shoulder.
He looked at me with a surprised expression when my fist hit his shoulder, but then his face twisted into a mocking grin. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not clingy," he said, trying to make his voice sound firmer. But I noticed how his eyes were still shining wetly and his hands were shaking slightly.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a mocking grin. "Oh, really? You need me to remind you of the good in this world? That sounds a lot like clinginess to me," I replied, shaking my head. I felt my heart slow down and my breathing calm down as I engaged in our usual repartee, because that was the only thing I needed in this shitty world.
He rolled his eyes and gave me a gentle shove. "You just don't get it, Hyunjin. I'm not clingy, I'm... emotionally dependent on you," he said, trying to remain serious, but the smirk playing around his lips gave him away.
I laughed out loud and shook my head. "Emotionally dependent? That sounds even worse than clingy," I said and gave him another slap. But this time he caught my hand and held it tightly.

His gaze became serious and his eyes met mine. "For me, it's the best thing ever," he breathed softly, but with a firm conviction. His words left me momentarily speechless and all I could do was stare into his eyes. "You can admit it, Hyunjin. You're emotionally dependent on me too," he said with a mischievous smile.
I rolled my eyes playfully and gave him one last push before freeing myself from his grip. "Maybe in your dreams," I replied with a laugh as I waved him off with a wave of my hand. "You've really become a softie, it's about time I came back home, Hyunjin withdrawal doesn't agree with you. You're starting to lose it up there," I teased him after my laughter had subsided and tapped him on the forehead.
Minho laughed softly and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll still be the same old bastard," he said, winking at me. But I saw something else in his eyes - something that looked like gratitude mixed with a hint of sadness.
He rolled his eyes and gave me a gentle push. "We're friends, but you're a real handful sometimes," he said with a slight smile. I could see his mood slowly lighten and those pesky tears disappear from his eyes.
"Exhausting? Me?", I replied indignantly and theatrically placed a hand on my chest. "I'm just passionate and committed, my friend. You should be glad you have me." I winked at him and saw him laugh.
He shook his head and gave me another punch to the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm blessed to know you, Hyunjin," he said with a smirk, which he tried to suppress.
Our friendship was really something special, something I would never give up.

We bickered some more until there was a knock at the door and Felix entered again, having kept his word and returned. We both fell silent and looked at him as he stepped closer to the bed. As he turned back to the familiar folder and scribbled in it, Minho suddenly blurted out a question addressed directly to Felix: "What happened to Hyunjin? When he almost died, what happened?"
He turned to Minho and seemed a little surprised by the question, but then smiled a bitterly sad smile. "He had alcohol in his blood, which led to high blood pressure and put pressure on the internal injuries. In addition, he was probably not lying still in bed, but moving around," he explained calmly. I felt Minho give me a dirty look, which suddenly made the wall next to me incredibly interesting, just because I didn't want to return his gaze. I couldn't see his gaze, but I could feel that he wanted to kill me, and that scared the shit out of me.
"Hyunjin..." Minho began and I felt him rise from the bed. Suddenly, he grabbed my chin roughly and turned my face in his direction so I had no choice but to look at him. "I told you not to do shit," he suddenly roared and gave me a rough blow to the head, causing me to hiss out painfully. "Who fucked up your brains so badly? You barely got out of the hospital and got drunk," he continued to rant.

Clenching my teeth, I held my throbbing skull while my fingers gently massaged the aching area. "Dude, you bastard, I'm sick! Treat me like a god," I shouted. We looked at each other angrily and couldn't stop shouting. "God?" Minho sneered, his lips twisted into a mocking grin. "Then I should kick your divine ass so hard that you can't move another inch! So you can finally stay in that shitty bed."
I clicked my tongue with an indifferent gesture and rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Then why don't you try," I challenged him arrogantly and crossed my arms. Minho grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and roughly pulled me closer to him, his eyes flashing with anger. But before the situation could escalate, we heard a laugh that came from neither me nor him.
Confused, my friend let go of me again and we both looked at the blonde, who we had both completely forgotten about. "What's so funny?" Minho asked irritably, eyeing him suspiciously. Felix waved a hand and wiped a tear from his eye. "Well, you two. It's amusing to listen to and watch you," he admitted honestly and put on his familiar smile. "It's cute how you worry about him, but threaten and insult at the same time."
Minho glanced at me snidely and I returned his look just as snidely. "Cute?" I asked, confused. "That idiot isn't cute. He's the biggest ruffian I know, and he's also violent," I added contemptuously.

I felt another blow to my skull and suppressed a groan. "Dude," I growled and looked angrily at Minho. "Who's the ruffian here, huh?" he asked me at least as angrily. I raised an eyebrow skeptically and looked at him. "Well, you! There-" I began, but Felix interrupted me. "That's enough, okay?" Felix intervened and came over to our bed. "You mustn't get upset, it's not good. You don't want your wounds to open up again just because you're arguing with your roommate."
I pulled a pout and said with a snide undertone, "See Minho, that's how you should treat me, like he does! He's good to me, not like you asshole."
Minho raised an eyebrow and put his arms on his hips. "Seriously?" he asked me indignantly. "Then why don't you fuck him in future if he's oh so good to you?" I also raised an eyebrow and narrowed my eyes a little. "Maybe I'll do that too," I replied defiantly. 

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