Dark to Baby: A Changjin Story

Chapter 23

Felix whimpered as Hyunjin scooted close to him, their knees touching just beyond the door frame.

"Hey, Baby, what's wrong?" Hyunjin reached out to brush away some of Felix's hair, but didn't get very far because Felix flinched away.

It was a little too dark to tell if Felix had any injuries. Hyunjin could see a little discoloration around his eyes, but it could just be the shadows casted by the moon.

"Would you like to come in?" Felix's watery eyes shimmered in the dim light as he minutely nodded, "okay, come here." 

Hyunjin stood up and offered a hand to Felix who hesitated for a second, but eventually reached out to grab it. Hyunjin attempted to pull Felix up, but the boy seemed stuck in his ball. Hyunjin tried again, this time receiving a yelp and a slight tug back that disconnected their hands. Felix slid his hand back over his stomach and caved his shoulders in on himself.

"It hurts, Jinnie." His voice came out weak and broken as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"What hurts, Baby?" Hyunjin crouched down again, trying to keep his own voice from cracking.

"Everything." Hyunjin swallowed harshly and tried to think of another solution.

"Can I carry you?" He wasn't sure if Felix would agree, but it was worth a shot.

"Mhm." Felix wiped his tears with the extra long sleeve of his sweatshirt, his chest visibly tensing up from the small action.

Hyunjin shuffled to Felix's right side, his hands moving aimlessly and his eyes glancing across Felix's body as he let out a few ums of indecision.

"Here." He carefully placed a hand on Felix's back and tried to slide a hand under his legs until Felix let out a strained 'ow.' Hyunjin pulled his hands away and gave Felix a wide-eyed look.

"You okay?" Felix shook his head.

"Maybe the other side?" Felix tilted his head to the opposite side of his body.

"Okay." Hyunjin nodded before stepping around Felix and positioning himself to try again.

This time there was less opposition, so Hyunjin slowly slid his hand under Felix's legs and began to lift. As Felix was tiny, Hyunjin had no trouble picking him up. However, every movement was met with a suppressed whine or a muffled curse word, so as they entered the house, Hyunjin had to be extra aware of his actions. He bit his lower lip and held Felix gently, walking as slowly as possible to the couch.

When they reached their destination, Hyunjin glanced around, unsure of how to put Felix down without hurting him more. After a few seconds of hesitation, Hyunjin squatted down and set Felix down sideways on the couch. He removed his arms tentatively and watched as Felix turned back into a ball.

Hoping Felix had no head injuries, Hyunjin set a hand on his head and gently ran his fingers through his hair. Felix let out a few whiny sounds, but nothing like before.

"It's okay, Baby. I'm here." Hyunjin leaned forward and kissed the top of Felix's head.

"Jinnie?" Felix looked up into Hyunjin's concerned eyes, "thank you."

Hyunjin pressed his lips together and willed himself not to cry as he petted Felix's head.

"You don't have to thank me, Baby. I love you," Hyunjin's eyes started to water, so he tore his hand away, "dang it, why am I the one crying?"

Hyunjin leaned back and pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes, attempting to rub the tears away while a painful chuckle left Felix's lips. Hyunjin dropped his hands and crawled his way to standing before walking a few feet to the side table.