Between Us, The Darkness | JaeChan (Omega X)

Chapter 5

The sterile scent of antiseptic and the distant beeping of machines were the first things Yechan became aware of as he blinked his eyes open. His body felt heavy, like he was moving through water, his limbs unresponsive, and his throat dry as sandpaper. Everything seemed blurred, but the faint light filtering through the curtains told him it was day.

He shifted slightly in the hospital bed, trying to sit up, but a sharp ache in his neck stopped him. It was then he noticed the bandage, tight around his throat, and the IV line attached to his wrist. Confusion clouded his mind, memories just beyond reach, fuzzy and distorted like a nightmare he couldn't shake.

As he groaned softly, the sound of a chair scraping the floor made his gaze shift. Jaehan, sitting by his side, was instantly alert, his face pale with exhaustion anf a hint og sleepiness but his eyes filled with intense relief. He shot up from his seat, reaching for Yechan's hand, holding it gently but firmly as if afraid to lose him again.

"Yechan..." Jaehan's voice trembled, but he tried to steady it. "You're awake... Thank God, you're awake."

Yechan blinked at him, still disoriented, his head swimming with fragmented memories. He stared at Jaehan, his throat tightening, though not only from the wound—something deeper. Something he couldn't yet find words for.

Jaehan knelt beside the bed, his hands trembling as he clutched Yechan's. His eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep and silent crying, scanned Yechan's face, searching for a sign that his Yechan was still there, still fighting.

"Don't try to speak," Jaehan whispered, his voice barely holding together. "Just... rest, okay?"

Yechan's gaze wandered across Jaehan's face—his disheveled hair, the tear stains on his cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes. The energy in the room was thick with unspoken words, but all Yechan could do was squeeze Jaehan's hand, his mind too scattered to speak yet. Jaehan squeezed back, his lips quivering as he fought to hold in his emotions.

Minutes stretched into silence, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the machines around them. The weight of everything that had happened hung between them, unspoken, too overwhelming to address just yet.

But Jaehan couldn't hide the desperation in his eyes. "I thought... I thought I lost you," he admitted in a whisper, his voice breaking as he spoke. "You lost so much blood, you almost... but thank god, some of us have the same blood type as you..."

His words trailed off, the memory too raw, too painful to continue. His eyes were teary and he sniffled, trying hard to hold back the tears as he buried his face in Yechan's hand, clutching it like a lifeline.

Yechan's heart ached at the sight, his foggy mind beginning to piece together the events that led him here. The video. The shame. The unbearable weight of everything that came crashing down on him. He looked down at Jaehan's shaking form, guilt gnawing at him. He wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that he didn't deserve this pain—but the words wouldn't come.

Jaehan lifted his head, tears still brimming in his eyes as he searched Yechan's face again. "You have no idea how scared I was," he choked out, brushing a strand of hair away from Yechan's forehead. "Please... please don't ever do that again. I need you here. I need you with me."

Yechan trembled, his fingers twitching against Jaehan's grip as his chest tightened, a sinking dread settling in. He shifted slightly in the bed, his body protesting every movement, and tried to turn away, as much as his stiff and aching form would allow. It wasn't much, just a small tilt of his head to the side, but it was enough for Jaehan to feel it—a retreat, a pull into himself.

"... should've... died," Yechan's voice was barely a whisper, broken and rough, as if each word was tearing its way out of him. His throat, raw from the wound and from whatever emotions he'd been suppressing, struggled to form the words, but the weight of what he was saying was heavy and undeniable.