Distant Luminosity | Hanjoo

Chapter Fifteen

That night when we got in the car to leave, Hansol practically begged for me to let him stay at my house. That was a whole new side to him; he almost never asked me for what he wanted, he'd just keep it to himself and nod if I said something about it. I, obviously, couldn't say no and allowed him to come home with me. As soon as we got there, Eomma immediately tackled me in a hug. Why do I still get startled at that? She does it every time!

"Byungjoo!" Eomma squealed as she nearly suffocated me.

"Yes, hi." I said with a strained voice. Hansol was chuckling quietly, which, again, is one of the cutest things I've ever heard in my life.

"Do you want a hug too, sweetheart?" She asked, stepping away from me and looking at Hansol with a bright smile. It was a moment of awkward silence before Hansol reached his arms out hesitantly. Eomma quickly pulled him into a tight embrace and I could tell he was grinning under his mask. "There." She whispered after the hug was broken.

"Oh, Hansol's staying here tonight, by the way." I cut in, wrapping an arm around Hansol's shoulders as Eomma jumped up and down excitedly.

"Awesome! I'll go make dinner for you two."

–

Dinner went down about the same way last time did, except Hansol managed to eat more. I remembered to keep his food to a low amount because of how sensitive his starving stomach was. Although it may have not been much, I'm still happy he ate almost half of the bowl.

Afterwards, we went back to my room and were looking at stupid pictures on my phone that made him laugh like crazy while we huddled close together. His actual laugh was so loud but contagious and just as adorable.

When ten o'clock rolled in, Eomma knocked on the door and smiled at, what I'm assuming, the display of us cuddling, but told us not to stay up too late and then shut the door back. That was when I decided to put my phone on the bedside table and make my bed specially for Hansol to sleep in while he watched from the corner he sat down at. I then went to my drawers and picked out some extra pajamas I had that I knew could fit him, regardless if they're just a bit loose. While I was at it, I went ahead and got mine out, too, and held them with an arm. I laid his out nicely on the bed and turned to him. "All set. If you want to take a shower, you can."

"Alright." He mumbled as he stood up. I smiled sweetly to him before heading out the room, shutting the door behind me. I got changed in the bathroom rather fast, then waited in the living room for Hansol to come out. Normally I'd not wear a shirt but, Hansol's here and I don't know if he'd be comfortable with that. After a few minutes passed, there he was. Just as I figured, the clothes were just a bit loose, but not too much.

I stood up and hugged him tightly, not really wanting to let go but I did for his sake. "My face and arms are showing." He whined. I raised a hand to gently brush a thumb across the marks on his cheek.

"That's okay, Eomma wouldn't say anything if she saw them, okay?" Not necessarily a lie, but she may ask me about it when he's not around. I know it wouldn't be rude, though, she'd just be concerned about his health, you know? "Trust me."

"Okay." He murmured, turning around and slowly making his way back to my room. I followed him back at his own pace and grabbed an extra blanket from my closet as he curled up in a bawl on my bed. I turned off the light, the only source of light was from a nightlight I had plugged in, and just as I thought he'd want me to let him sleep alone, he whispered. "Don't leave me." It was so quiet, I'm probably lucky that I could hear it well enough in the silence of the room.

I turned around, gazing into his shimmering eyes. Sighing, I dropped the blanket on the floor and knelt down beside the bed, running a hand through his hair. "Do you want me in here with you?" He nodded, blinking his watery eyes. I ruffled through his hair affectionately, feeling so honored that he wants me there with him. Honestly, I didn't want him to sleep alone, either. Too many things could happen during a night alone. "Alright then, move over."