Either his lie was convincing enough, or his mother was tired of punishing him because nothing came of his fumbled speech when he returned home. She reacted normally to Kkami's fictitious escapade, scooping up the dog and fretting over his muddy paws and bits of grass in his fur. She sounded genuine when she told Hyunjin she was glad he found the dog and that everyone was safe. There was no suspicion in her words at all.
The situation baffled Hyunjin a bit. He wasn't complaining, but her oblivious attitude sent a seed of concern to the pit of his stomach. That's why his homework got done before dinner, he helped with the dishes, and retired to his room early. He wasn't taking any chances on a potential sneak attack.
The night was sleepless. Hyunjin couldn't figure out if it was the minimal dinner he had eaten or the anticipation of an emotional day, but the pitch black room felt more like a suffocating blanket than a peaceful sanctuary of forgotten problems.
The creaking of Hyunjin's bed kept Kkami running into the room to comfort his owner, and at irregular intervals, the light of a phone would pierce the darkness followed by a sigh and forceful roll to the side of the bed. Blind eyes stared at the ceiling trying not to think about reality, but soon it became impossible to not drift into fantasies about the one boy he knew was still awake.
The thoughts that clouded Hyunjin's head reached the point where he would have texted Changbin had he actually taken the initiative to get his number. It was only recently that he felt he could even ask. The mutual sharing of information had increased tenfold this past week. Granted, Felix was still the main topic of discussion and no specifics were ever shared about Changbin's life, but Hyunjin would take anything he could get right now.
It was a strange phenomenon when the sounds of life revived down the hall. Hyunjin couldn't quite recall what had happened in his daydream state. It all ran together in a distressing mix of concern and uncertainty.
Hyunjin dragged himself to a seated position, collapsing forward into Kkami's fur. He groaned and rubbed his face back and forth on the animal's back. An unimpressed Kkami wiggled out from under Hyunjin and plopped down a few feet away. Hyunjin whined, but was too lazy to form the words to articulate his disapproval. Instead he buried his face into the blanket as a substitute for the small dog.
Hyunjin wished he could turn off his brain as there was so much happening today that he didn't want to acknowledge. One last bus ride, one last walk to class, one last normal lunch, a weird Felix-less ride home, no reason to sneak out of the house, no texting Felix about how he was settling into Chan's, no talking to Changbin for any reason.
Would he ever have a reason to talk to Changbin again? If everything worked out with Felix, Changbin could go back in his hole. Hyunjin didn't realize how much he relied on Felix's presence. Felix was the glue that held everything together.
Hyunjin rolled onto his side, head towards the end of his bed, feet curled under his pillow. Was he ready for more change? Couldn't life slow down for a moment?
As much as he didn't want to get out of bed, his obligation to Felix got him to the closet and out of his pajamas. The surrounding air forced a shiver to overtake his body and he quickly put his uniform on before grabbing the blanket from his bed and creating a cape.
His sluggish steps carried him to the bathroom where he managed to splash water all over his shirt while washing his face and get more toothpaste on his chin than his teeth. His bloodshot eyes gave away how his night went, and his slumped shoulders looked just as lifeless as the dull skin on his cheeks. He imitated Changbin and patted down his hair, but all the strands just bounced back into their original positions. He wet a comb and combed backwards. The effect was rather 1950s, but the hairs were straight and that's all he asked for.
When he was done, he wrapped the blanket back around his shoulders to make his elegant debut downstairs.
Taehyuk glanced Hyunjin's way from the couch, but chose not to comment on his appearance. Hyunjin shuffled through the living room, avoiding Kkami's toys, and took a seat at the dining room table.
The light in the room was warm, his mother's paintings and pictures finally on the walls after so many weeks. Little versions of Hyunjin stared back at him, all smiling and hugging something. In some, it was his mother, in others, an animal or stuffed toy. In the one to the far left, he was holding up a toy train he had just unwrapped for his birthday. His seventh.
A bowl of grapes was placed in front of him and despite it being an inferior fruit in Hyunjin's opinion, he popped one in his mouth, cringing at the cold sourness that invaded his senses. Soon after, a plate of pancakes entered his vision. He tilted his head to the side, taking in the colors seeping through the edges of the delicacy and the swirl of whipped cream on top. The maraschino cherry balanced on the tip of the whipped cream matched the red plate that was covered with a pool of syrup.
His mother kissed his forehead and handed him a fork.
"Eat up, Baby. You don't want to be late." She ran a hand through his damp hair, lifting the edges of her lips in a comforting smile. Hyunjin returned the gesture and turned to his food.
Just like in the past, the pancakes were a little too sweet. Sugar on sugar with no escape but the intensely sour grapes and neutralizing milk provided on the side. He finished everything though, just leaving a paint-splash of syrup on the plate. He was too tired to do much else.
After a while of zoning out, Hyunjin noticed his dishes had been cleared. He quickly exchanged his blanket for a jacket and slipped on his shoes. The adults wished him well at school, which he returned with a wave and tight-lipped smile before venturing out into the chilly outdoors.
Thankfully, his sluggish attitude slowed his pace considerably, so he only had to wait a few minutes for the bus to arrive. It was barely enough time to register the light frost on the ground and bare branches adorning the trees. Not that Hyunjin would have noticed as his head was up in the clouds and his eyes were blinking rapidly in an attempt to not close.
The heat radiating through the bus did not help Hyunjin's state, and neither did Felix or Changbin. They both sported Hyunjin's same look. However, Felix only gave it away with his caved in shoulders and messy hair, his eyes glued to the ground and his face dusted with foundation to conceal the greenish yellow bruises still littering his skin, Changbin guiding him with a gentle hand on the small of his back.
Despite the clomping footsteps, Changbin looked put together. Hyunjin didn't want to assume, but that probably meant he wasn't able to sleep either.
Felix snuggled close to Hyunjin the moment he sat down, and Changbin squished up beside him on the same seat just like the day before.
"Binnie, what are you doing?"
"It's your last day! I want to cuddle too!" Changbin pouted and stuck out his arms.
Felix relented, pulling Changbin in with one arm and allowing the boy to hug his waist, head on his chest. Felix scooted closer to Hyunjin, overlapping his legs with Changbin's and putting his weight on Hyunjin, while Hyunjin placed an arm around Felix's shoulders. Hyunjin's hand gently rested on Changbin's head, threading his fingers through the soft black hair. A collective sigh came from the three as their bodies relaxed.
It may not have seemed like much. If anything, the intertwined boys may have been deemed strange, but it was the best way to spend their last bus ride according to Hyunjin.
Sleeping safely in the embrace of the people Hyunjin found the most connection with and keeping them safe in return, that's all he asked for. Just to be in their company. Just to be their friend. Just to protect them in the current moment.
Who knew when he would get the chance to casually be in their presence again. Sure he had lunch and he'd see Changbin just as often as before, but nothing could beat this. The lull of the bus, the idle chatter sending static up to their brains and drowning out all other concerns, the body heat transferring between them, and the feeling of Felix's sweater mixed with Changbin's hair. Nothing could beat it, and Hyunjin was sure.
Unfortunately sleep makes time pass quickly, and before the boys knew it, the bus was pulling into the school parking lot.
Hyunjin woke up first, a bit disoriented and unable to feel his left arm. Without fully opening his eyes, he leaned over and kissed Felix's head.
"Baby, wake up."
"Jinjin, shut up."
"You shut up."
"No, you~" Changbin curled even further into Felix, waking the boy with his loud whines.
"What is happening?" Felix stretched up, disturbing Changbin, who grumbled incoherently.
"We're at school."
"Already?"
"Mhm."
"But I don't want to leave you!" Hyunjin chuckled and patted Felix's head.
"I don't want to either, but I'll definitely see you at lunch."
"See Binnie at lunch too?" Felix looked down at Changbin in hope, Changbin fisting Felix's shirt in indecision.
"I don't know, Lix." Felix nodded sadly, knowing not to push Changbin too far in the morning.
Hyunjin glanced around him for the first time since they woke up to see no one else on the bus. He stood up quickly, eyes wide.
"Dang it! Even the driver's left us!"
"What?" The other two sat up and looked down the aisle to confirm the information.
"She really did..." Changbin trailed off.
"Why are you still sitting there? We're probably late!" Changbin shrugged at Hyunjin's words and slowly stood up, dragging Felix up with him.
"Don't worry, Jinjin. The teachers like you, and I can make up an excuse for Lix and I." Hyunjin relaxed a bit, the panic draining from his eyes. He even managed to smile slightly,
"Thanks, Bin. I trust you."
"Bad decision, really."
And with that, Felix was put in a headlock.
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P.S. This picture is my lock screen, and I think I gave myself a death wish...