Straight-ish (Hwang Hyunjin Fanfic)

39

After an hour or so, Hyunjin woke up from his nap and was immediately hungry. Seungmin had slipped out of the bed just twenty minutes before to start something for dinner. He went simple, making a stir-fry of vegetables and beef and some noodles. Hyunjin had pulled on a set of sweats and a hoodie that looked like it might have belonged to someone twice his size. He shuffled into the kitchen, following the aroma of whatever Seungmin was cooking. "Minnie, that smells so good," he mumbled as he slid his arms around Seungmin's waist, resting his still sleepy head against Seungmin's shoulder.

"Are you actually hungry?" Seungmin asked, genuinely surprised. He usually had to force Hyunjin to eat in the evenings. He had discovered that heavy vegetables got a better response than something that was mostly meat. He had also learned not to ever buy another eggplant if he wanted to keep Hyunjin in the house. Seungmin thought they were pretty good, but Hyunjin likened it to eating Styrofoam peanuts. There were a few other things that didn't fly, but that was the big one.

Hyunjin nodded and watched as Seungmin dished up the noodles and topped it up with the stir-fry. To Seungmin's delight, Hyunjin happily ate a decent sized serving. He still ate nearly half of what Seungmin would, but he was eating voluntarily, so it was a good day. After their meal, they cleaned up together and claimed an end of the sofa to watch one or two episodes of their latest K-drama. Seungmin wanted to go down to the gym for a workout, but Hyunjin was being clingy. He made a deal that if Hyunjin would at least let him do a quick one at home, Seungmin would give him a massage before bed. Hyunjin reluctantly agreed and decided that he would take a bath while Seungmin worked out.

Hyunjin drew the bath, adding a little bath salt he hoped would help him sleep. The closer it got, the more frightened he became. Though their afternoon had been amazing, the things they talked about at the appointment were coming back to haunt him. Seungmin walked in and sat on the edge of the tub, tilting his head to the side a bit and asking, "What's wrong, Jinnie?" he asked, seeing that Hyunjin was staring at the water. Hyunjin lifted his eyes up and grinned half-heartedly. Seungmin recognized fear in his features and slipped down to his knees beside the tub.

"It's not fair that you know me so well," Hyunjin answered softly, avoiding the question. Seungmin reached into the cabinet for a washcloth. He dipped it into the water then added a little body wash. He smoothed the cloth over Hyunjin's back, washing in small circles while he watched Hyunjin draw his knees into his chest and rest his head on his knees. Seungmin thought about their day and what might have set him off.

Seungmin washed over Hyunjin's shoulders and down his arms as he whispered, "Are you upset about what we did this afternoon?"

"No, Minnie. Not at all. It got quiet and started thinking about the doctor today..." he trailed off, laying his head back down.

Seungmin realized then that the nightmare was already eating at him. He softly stroked his fingers through Hyunjin's hair and whispered, "You're safe, Jinnie. I'm safe. It's not real." He pulled up the water with his hands to rinse off the remainder of the soap from Hyunjin's skin and noticed the temperature of the water was dropping quickly. "Jinnie, baby, the water is getting cold. Let's get you wrapped up and in bed," he coaxed, draining the water and reaching for a fluffy towel. Hyunjin stood and allowed Seungmin to wrap him up. Seungmin led him to the bedroom and grabbed one of his own oversized hoodies and a set of pajama pants. He lovingly used the towel to dry Hyunjin's body and helped him put his pants on. He then slipped the hoodie over Hyunjin's head. Hyunjin could smell Seungmin on the sweatshirt and nuzzled into it. Hyunjin laid down on the bed and looked back up to Seungmin. "I'm going to take a quick, super quick shower. Then I'll be right back, and I can give you that massage that I promised," Seungmin offered with a smile. He kissed Hyunjin's forehead and quickly went to take a shower. In less than ten minutes, Seungmin had showered, brushed his teeth, dressed, grabbed Hyunjin's medication, and was back. He was worried that Hyunjin would doze off before he got back, but he was still lying on the bed, eyes wide and looking into the darkness. "How about that massage?" he asked.

Hyunjin smiled up to him but shook his head. "Just come to bed and hold me," Hyunjin whispered. "I need to know you're here with me." Seungmin gave him the medication and a bit of water, which Hyunjin took without complaint. He wasted no time in turning off the lights and sliding into bed, immediately wrapping Hyunjin in his arms. He held him tightly, as though he were having an attack, because he could feel Hyunjin's heart racing.

Seungmin began to hum softly and raised his hand to draw his fingers through Hyunjin's dark hair. Seungmin knew that the longer it took him to fall asleep, the more anxious he would become, and the dreams would be much more intense. After nearly a half of an hour of simply holding him, singing or humming softly and playing with his hair, he finally drifted off. Seungmin had become a pro at staying awake until Hyunjin was asleep a long time ago. When he was certain that his love was asleep and calm, he allowed his own eyes to close and chased after him, though he knew that neither of them would make it the whole night.

---

The floor was cold where they were sitting, the room was dark, and he could hear Maria crying softly beside him. Seungmin was next to her and the two boys each had an arm around her. The man had told them to keep quiet but as he made his way around the room, each shot caused her to jump and cry harder, setting them further on edge. He came to Hyunjin's group and looked him in the eye. Hyunjin felt the anger boiling in him, alongside the fear and he wanted to kill this man for what he was doing. "Choose," the man ordered.

Hyunjin defiantly told him, "Me. Kill me."

"Not how it works, kid," the man sneered and pointed his gun at Seungmin. Hyunjin lunged at him, causing the weapon to fire. Hyunjin looked back and screamed

"Baby! Jinnie, wake up. Wake up. It's me. Wake up," Seungmin shouted, shaking his screaming, thrashing boyfriend to try to wake him.