NINETEEN | CHANGLIX

YEAR FOURTEEN [II]

Suddenly, he remembered Felix's warning and as much as Changbin wanted his brain to stop thinking about anything relating to the boy at all, the more he hoped to forget the more the warning nagged at him; worse than the pent up words at the back of his head.

He shook his head; dismissing any feeling of being irrational. He often went to the park when he felt like he belonged nowhere else, he was going there because it was his safe place —not even Felix's jealously would take that away.

Walking through the black gate a smile of too-soon-satisfaction rose to his face as he saw the same evening scene play out in front of him. How dumb would he have been, to have given into Felix's words during his moment of hesitancy?

Making his way to the same old bench Changbin sat down, taking a deep breath he tried to reason with himself. He should be happy he was right.

However right didn't seem particularly comforting when his heart beat was on the left side of his chest.

Squinting towards the basketball court, Changbin leaned forward upon realising how oddly empty it was, making him even more confused as to why Felix had been concerned about a group of people meeting. However his confusion was cut short when he heard loud voices behind him; the sort that made his anger look like the drizzle before a full blown storm.

Unlike the rest of the park, that particular area was covered in dense trees, untamed grass snarling in all directions as Changbin watched a group of kids trample all over it with an ignorance that made him wince.

The left side of his chest froze as he watched the group surround the all too familiar blonde, who looked utterly defenceless and for the first time since Changbin had seen him; scared.

"How brave of you," one of the boys near the front smiled cruelly. He was much smaller, the type Chan easily could've sent scurrying away. However at that moment he seemed far more confident than his frame seemed able to carry, "Taking a beating for your boyfriend."

"L-leave him out of this," Chan stuttered slowly while backing away. His breath hitched as he stumbled across a twig, causing Changbin to hold his own,  "I don't care whatever shit you tell me — throw me at a wall for all I care — but leave him out of this."

A moment of silence followed, Changbin nearly releasing the breath he had been holding in relief. However it was at that moment when the laughter started, malicious, spiteful shrills that meant the ice spread down from his heart and made its way around his body.

With no time wasted the boy who had first spoken, pushed Chan forcefully back, causing him to hit the hard bark of the large oak behind. Groaning in pain, the boy ignored it, "Just because you're taking his beating too, doesn't mean we've forgotten about yours you gay piece of s—"

Changbin was a coward, he knew it deep down before and knew it then when the moment he heard the slurs of hatred he ran for cover behind another tree, panting in terror as he had hoped to escape it all. However no covering of his ears was enough to hide the noise of bones colliding with bones, cackles and curses of a gang beating that he thought only existed in newspapers.

He squeezed his eyes tight, so tightly shut that he only saw the black that looked better than any colour, better than any tree that could be tainted with blood, better that their fists covered in the sticky substance, better than Chan who he should've helped rolling helplessly on the floor.

He didn't open them for a very long time, not until they had walked off shouting curses with their hostile laughter and a violent silence had replaced it instead. Even when he did, it took him a while to move. He was positive he wouldn't have for the entire night had he not heard a timid call.