His First Love

Chapter 15

Chapter 15 — Awake, but Never Free

The steady beep... beep... beep had become a strange kind of comfort to Jeonghan. He hadn't moved from Seungcheol's side in two days. His hair was messy, his eyes ringed with shadows, but he refused to leave.

He was dozing in the chair when the grip on his hand tightened.

Jeonghan's head snapped up.

"Cheol?" he whispered, breath catching.

Slowly, Seungcheol's eyes fluttered open, hazy but alive. He blinked against the bright hospital light, then focused on the figure leaning over him.

"...Angel," he rasped, voice rough, strained from the injury.

Tears stung Jeonghan's eyes instantly. He grabbed Seungcheol's hand with both of his, pressing frantic kisses against his knuckles. "You're awake. Oh my god, you're awake."

Seungcheol tried to smirk, though it tugged at his bandaged neck. "Of course I'm awake. You think I'd leave you alone with those idiots?"

Jeonghan let out a shaky laugh, half sob, half relief. His forehead rested against Cheol's hand. "You scared me. You terrified me, Cheol."

Seungcheol's free hand lifted weakly, brushing Jeonghan's cheek with surprising gentleness. "Good. You should be terrified of losing me. Because I'll never let you go, Jeonghan. Not ever."

Jeonghan's chest ached. He raised his head, meeting Seungcheol's piercing eyes. "You can't just hurt yourself to make me stay, Cheol. You'll kill yourself one day—and then what? You think that'll keep me with you? It'll break me."

Seungcheol's gaze softened, but the obsession never left. "Then swear it again. Swear you'll never leave me. Swear you're mine."

Jeonghan leaned down, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling. His voice trembled, but it was steady. "I'm yours. I've always been yours. Even when they didn't trust me. Even when the world turned on me. You're all I have left, Cheol. I'm not going anywhere."

Something in Seungcheol cracked. His hand fisted weakly in Jeonghan's shirt, pulling him down until their lips brushed — not a kiss, just the faintest touch, raw and desperate.

"I don't deserve you," Seungcheol whispered against him. "But I'll destroy anyone who tries to take you from me."

Jeonghan smiled through his tears, thumb stroking his cheekbone. "And I'll destroy anyone who tries to hurt you. We're stuck with each other, Devil."

For a long moment, neither moved. Just the sound of machines and their shallow breaths filling the room.

Finally, Seungcheol relaxed against the pillows, exhaustion pulling at him. But he refused to let go of Jeonghan's hand.

"Stay," he murmured, already drifting.

"Always," Jeonghan answered, kissing his temple.

And as Seungcheol slipped back into healing sleep, Jeonghan stayed exactly where he was. Because he meant it. He wasn't leaving.

Not now. Not ever.

The sun had dipped low, painting the hospital windows in shades of gold. Jeonghan sat cross-legged in the chair beside Seungcheol's bed, head tilted as he hummed softly under his breath. His fingers carded gently through Seungcheol's hair, careful not to disturb the bandages.

The door creaked open.

Jeonghan didn't look up. "I told you not to come back until I said so."

There was a long pause. Then Jihoon's quiet voice answered, "We know. But we... couldn't stay away."

One by one, the brothers stepped inside — Mingyu, Soonyoung, Vernon, Wonwoo, Seokmin. Their shoulders were slumped, eyes guilty, like children caught sneaking into a church they didn't belong in.

Jeonghan didn't move. He just kept stroking Seungcheol's hair, his gaze fixed on the sleeping man.

It was Mingyu who broke first. He cleared his throat, voice rough. "Hyung... we were wrong. About you. About everything. We didn't... we didn't understand."

"Damn right you didn't," Jeonghan muttered, his tone sharp despite the softness of his hands.

Wonwoo stepped forward, hesitant. "We don't expect you to forgive us right away. But we want to try. We want to prove we trust you."

Jeonghan finally turned his head, eyes cold as glass. "Do you think your words mean anything to me? You accused me of betrayal. Do you know what that did? Do you know who that made me remember?"

The boys fell silent.

Before Jeonghan could say more, a low rasp cut through the air.

"Enough."

All eyes snapped to the bed. Seungcheol was awake. His eyes half-lidded, his voice weak but filled with steel. His hand clenched tighter around Jeonghan's instinctively, as though even in his state, his first thought was possession.

The boys immediately straightened, relief and fear mingling.

"Cheol—" Soonyoung started.

"Shut up," Seungcheol growled. He tried to sit up, grimacing against the pain, but Jeonghan's hand pressed gently against his chest, urging him to stay down. Still, his eyes never left the others.

"You think you can walk in here and make amends with words? After you dared to question him?" His voice, though rough, carried the same deadly authority it always had. "Jeonghan is mine. He belongs here more than any of you."

The room went dead silent.

Seungcheol's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "You don't touch him. You don't question him. You don't breathe wrong in his direction unless you want me to cut your throats myself."

The brothers froze, each of them swallowing hard.

"Do you understand?" Seungcheol's voice sharpened, even through the rasp.

"...Yes, hyung," they mumbled, almost in unison.

Jeonghan's heart twisted — half at the ferocity in Seungcheol's tone, half at the warmth that bloomed in his chest from the absolute devotion behind it. He squeezed Cheol's hand, whispering softly, "Cheol, don't waste your strength."

But Seungcheol turned his face toward him, eyes dark and burning. "I'd spend every ounce of strength to protect you, angel. Even against them."

Jeonghan brushed his thumb across his knuckles, eyes soft now. "I know."

The others shifted awkwardly, guilt written on their faces.

Seungcheol looked back at them, his final words cutting like a blade. "If Jeonghan forgives you, it will be because he decides you're worth forgiving. Until then—stay out of my sight."

The warning hung heavy, unshakable. The brothers nodded quickly and filed out, the door closing quietly behind them.

Silence returned.

Jeonghan leaned down, pressing a kiss against Seungcheol's temple. "You didn't have to do that. I already handled them."

Seungcheol smirked faintly, eyes fluttering shut again. "Doesn't matter. They needed to hear it from me."

Jeonghan smiled softly, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he whispered, "You're impossible."

"And you're untouchable," Seungcheol murmured, drifting back into sleep with Jeonghan's hand still locked in his.

For the first time since the shooting, Jeonghan let himself breathe. Because now, finally, everyone knew:

No one questioned the angel.
Not when he belonged to the Devil.