Straight-ish (Hwang Hyunjin Fanfic)

26

"Holy crap... I knew he could get wired up, but I didn't know it was like that. Is it only at night?"

Seungmin shook his head. "He has a lot better control during the day unless he's already upset or extremely tired. Nothing really has to happen to set them off. Sometimes he just gets locked up in his head and it's over. He generally just breathes through it, or he might call me if he needs to. The night-time ones, though. Those are freaking scary to watch. He comes apart. It's almost always after a nightmare, night terrors, really. He screams, acts them out... He's terrified when he comes to, and it usually sends him into a tailspin."

"How long has this gone on?" Changbin asked, sad that he didn't know his friend was suffering so badly.

"Literally, since high school. He was on medication for a little while, but his dad didn't think he needed it, so they took him off of it. It wasn't really working well for him, but I've never been able to get him to talk to anyone about it. I just told him one day to call me if he feels one coming at night. I'd seen a few during sleepovers and stuff. I helped him calm down then, but I was there when they started. The first time he called me, I came to his dorm and he was crawling to open the door. He couldn't breathe and had gotten sick. He was crying so hard I couldn't understand him. I just held him, scared to death. After that, if he called me, I hauled ass. It's why we live in the same building." Seungmin actually felt a little relieved that he was able to tell someone. It lifted some pressure off of his shoulders. Changbin took note of his change in posture and the way his shoulders relaxed after explaining.

---

Seungmin gave the staff all of Hyunjin's information, explained that they were boyfriends and that Hyunjin didn't have any local family. The nurse agreed to treat him as family because someone needed to be able to answer the questions. Hyunjin had x-rays done to make sure there were no fractures, and an MRI to check for internal injuries before his immobilizer was taken off. The guys, as well as Isa and Amy, were all there in the waiting room when Seungmin finally came to tell them what was going on.

"There are no serious injuries aside from a bad concussion. He's going to be upset that I got you all here. He didn't want anyone to know about all of this. You guys know he's anxious, like all the time, but it's really a lot worse than that. He has a sleep disorder that causes night terrors and he has a serious anxiety disorder that causes frequent panic attacks. I've been trying for a few years to get him to go to a doctor for help, but he just wouldn't. He won't have a choice now. I'm going to need help convincing him that he needs to do this," Seungmin explained. He was exhausted and looked so defeated in the dimly lit room. Changbin had stayed in the room with Hyunjin while Seungmin went to fill everyone in. Hyunjin began to whimper in his sleep and Changbin was worried it was a nightmare starting. He ran out in the hall and called Seungmin's name. Seungmin ran back to the room to find Hyunjin swinging his arms. It was the falling dream again. He gently scooped his arm under Hyunjin's body and wrapped his other arm around him, pinning his arms and squeezing as tightly as he could in the awkward position. Changbin watched as Hyunjin calmed, turning his head into Seungmin's neck. He took a deep shaky breath and slipped back into a hopefully peaceful sleep. Everyone had followed them back to the room but didn't want to crowd in, in case nurses needed to get in.

Changbin rested his hand on Seungmin's shoulder and smiled. "You're amazing with him. He's lucky to have you," he said softly.

"I'm lucky to have him," Seungmin whispered, pressing a kiss to Hyunjin's forehead. Changbin carried a chair over for Seungmin to sit in right beside the bed. "Thanks," he smiled. The medical team had made certain that Hyunjin didn't have any serious injuries and then agreed to let him sleep. Everyone was hopeful he would wake in the morning. His friends couldn't be convinced to leave, so they all slept in the family waiting room for a few hours.

---

When the sun finally peeked through the windows, the rays fell over Hyunjin's eyes, prompting them open slowly. He blinked one eye, keeping the other squinted shut. He instinctively tried to reach the painful spot on his head but couldn't lift his arm because Seungmin's head was on it. "Minnie," he whispered, slowly bringing the room into focus. He realized they were in the hospital, but he was completely lost as to why. He assumed it had something to do with his excruciating headache. He raised his other hand to Seungmin's hair, stroking it softly and said, a little louder, "Minnie."

Seungmin woke and sat up, smiling so brightly he rivaled the sun. He stood and kissed Hyunjin gently, then sat beside him again. "Good morning, sunshine," he whispered. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a truck. What happened?" Hyunjin asked, having completely lost the events of the previous night.

"Baby, I honestly don't know. I think you got up, then had an attack. You passed out before you could get back to me and you hit your head, hard. You've even got a few stitches." Seungmin grinned and added, "I told them not to fuck up your hair because I value my life."

"Thank God. I'd have been pissed," Hyunjin laughed then laid his hands on his head. "Oi... it hurts."

"Let me go get a nurse," Seungmin whispered. He kissed Hyunjin's forehead before he left. Hyunjin laid back against the pillows and tried to remember anything from the previous night.

Seungmin went to the nurse's station to let them know he was awake and see if he could get something for the headache. The nurse nodded and headed down to his room while Seungmin went to the waiting room to let everyone know he woke up.