STRAIGHT | hyunin

we will stay forever

the other boys sat on the bench could only smile, relief finally washing upon them. they all stared at hyunjin, who was now hugging his knees, a smile crawling up his face as he covered his mouth to prevent a whimper from passing by his lips whilst his eyes were filled with orbs of his tears. "you made it, love."

felix leaned on changbin's shoulder, a small smile plastered on his lips. "he made it, hyung." felix looked up at changbin who had been staring at him. changbin only nodded, nuzzling his face on felix's hair and kissing the top of it. "our jeongin is strong, lix."

seungmin could only sigh in relief, running a hand through his hair as he ruffled it. his stress had already gotten the best of him and everything on him was disheveled, from his hair to his clothes — he was the whole definition of 'mess'. 

"finally," he looked to his side, with minho and jisung uncomfortably cuddling on the small bench. minho looked at him as he rolled his eyes. "you need a hug, minnie?" seungmin only stared at them both, his lower lip sticking out as he nodded, the tears of joy finally coming out as he jumped on minho and jisung, a tight embrace filling him with warmth.

chan stared at hyunjin who was now smiling. he might look crazy but chan found it endearing. that despite the chaos that hyunjin had running through his head, he was still able to smile.

chan kneeled in front of hyunjin, tapping on his knees to catch his attention. it took a lot of tries before hyunjin could finally look at him. "hyung, he made it." hyunjin smiled through his quiet, short laugh. "yes, he did, hyunnie. would you want to go and see him?"

hyunjin looked at him, mouth slightly opened, as his puffy eyes widened to the very slightest. "r-really, hyung?" chan responded with a nod, ruffling hyunjin's hair as he stood up.

"the door's free for you." hyunjin stared at the door, with the numbers 372 carved on a wooden nameplate.

hyunjin stood up, his shaking legs not going unnoticed by his friends. he walked slowly, assuring his mind that it was fine and jeongin is finally safe. his hand gripped on the doorknob, twisting it with a click, the usual smell of lavender hitting him almost immediately from the air freshener.

the more he walked, the more he saw jeongin's condition. there was a bandage wrapped around his head and a few disinfected wounds and slits on his face. only that was what hyunjin could see as the lower half of jeongin's body was covered with a blanket. the heart rate monitor was also beeping in a normal pace, enough to make him anxious and calm at the same time.

his feelings were all clashing, crumbling to mass pieces once he saw jeongin in that state.

he took a chair from the side, pulling it near jeongin's hospital bed. he stared at jeongin. he was still the pretty boy that hyunjin stumbled upon instagram. the fennec fox like boy that he found adorable despite him insisting he was straight. the boy whom he spent endless nights with at the rooftop of park jisung's café. this boy.

this boy is yang jeongin.

the boy he had fallen in love with. and he didn't really know how to deal with the situation. the fact that hyunjin was only having fun during a normal afternoon with his close friend lee chan then the chaos of now had happened – it was almost a joke.

but it wasn't.

though, the whole 'car accident' still had hyunjin shaken up, he just can't help but smile. the fact that jeongin was strong enough to withstand something that tested his strength, it added more to the list of why hyunjin had even fallen in love with this boy laid in front of him.

yang jeongin is strong.

"hey..." hyunjin's voice was merely a whisper. his voice was hoarse despite it being quiet as a result of his endless crying. "thank you for coming through,"

"you know, you really scared me. just the thought of you in danger already put me into tears." it was quiet. no response at all. the sound of hyunjin's words and breaths, plus the monitor beeping was the only sense of sound ringing through the room.

"seungmin told me everything and why you went here to busan in the first place, and i-" hyunjin paused with a sigh. "i guess i understand that you at least wanted to see your father... you know, before it's too late."

"but- uh, don't you hold any grudges? that he made you suffer all those years when you were still with seungmin? just so that he could get the money you got from seungmin? you know you deserve better, right?"

hyunjin looked down, with jeongin's hands being frail, cold, and pale – he took jeongin's hands and interwined it with his.

"i love you," the words were shaky, as if hyunjin still hadn't got enough of crying that his throat still closed up, ready to release another river of tears. yet it was also vulnerable. like he was hanging on such a thin thread that he could barely hold onto but he still refused to let go. 

but it seemed as though everything would be fine if he said those three words. that he finally let go of the resistance that was holding him by the neck for so long.

"so much. i love you so much, jeongin."