The Marriage Pact // Changlix

二十七

i apologise once again for making you guys wait for this chapter. i feel really bad cause ive been getting serious writers block, and its chinese new year so i have a ton of reunion gatherings and house visits to go to and thus im pretty busy and unable to write and update. but 新年快乐 and 万事如意 to anyone who celebrates cny!! 💓

一

It felt unreal. Staring at Changbin's pale frame under the white hospital blanket. Felix felt like if he reached out and touched his boyfriend, he would just disintegrate.

"Is he awake?" Felix whispered, afraid to disturb Changbin. Hyunjin just shruged silently and shook Changbin's shoulder lightly.

Almost immediately, the sick male opened his eyes and widened them upon seeing Felix. He murmured Felix's name and Felix wanted to run forward and hug Changbin, never letting go.

But he didn't, staying back, not knowing what to say. Yell? Cry? Changbin saved him from saying anything by opening his mouth first.

"Sorry if I made you wait long. I swear I was going to be early but my spleen suddenly fucked up and whelp, now I'm here."

Felix didn't know whether he wanted to laugh, cry or slap some better sense into Changbin.

"Look, I'm sorry for not telling you earlier." His tone now serious.

Felix waited for Changbin to say more but he didn't seem to want to continue any further so he prompted, "About what? What happened?"

Changbin sighed, "I'm anaemic. I have sickle cell disease."

Felix furrowed his eyebrows. Despite living in Korea for years now, he still wasn't so sure about certain words, especially scientific terms.

Thankfully Hyunjin helped clear the air, "Basically Changbin doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells in his body."

Felix blinked, "And- and when did you find out? That you had this... disease."

"When I was seventeen." Changbin replied smoothly, without a hitch in his voice.

"Se-seventeen?" Felix repeated, widening his eyes incredulously. His own boyfriend had never told him that he was ill. Hid it for ten years. Ten fucking years.

Felix took a step back, shaking his head repeatedly like as if self denial would prove it all untrue. "No. No, this can't be. You're not- How, Changbin? I don't-"

Hyunjin quickly wrapped his arm around the younger and guided him to a chair, sitting him down and attempting to calm him down. Felix obeyed defeatedly, like a puppet on a string.

"I didn't move to Japan for my dads job. I went there to seek treatment. Apparently there was a very good doctor there who could cure me... clearly not well enough though." Trust Changbin to make jokes when his own health was at stake.

He continued, "I just couldn't tell you, Felix. I knew how protective you would get and I just... I didn't want to weigh such a large burden on you-"

"So you kept it from me, hoping I would never find out until you started puking out blood huh? Like that would make me worry less." Felix couldn't help but snap and Changbin took it all in willingly, knowing he deserved it.

"But at least you didn't worry for ten years. Look, I know what I did - hiding things from you - was terrible but if I could turn back time and choose to tell you in the beginning, I wouldn't. I'm sorry Felix but I couldn't let you worry over me for so long. I love you too much to do that to you."

Felix suddenly stood up from his chair, gritting his teeth, "Don't you dare pull the love card on me right now."

"Do you want me to lie then? Felix, put yourself in my shoes for a moment. If you're the one that's sick, not knowing when you're going to have fucking pulmonary hypertension and die the next second, would you tell me? Constantly making me worry over dating a ticking time bomb. Making out and then halfway thinking oh shit is his blood vessel gonna pop?"