Hoodie Hoodie | Changjin

Chapter 17

"I'm in love with you."

Hyunjin loved Changbin. Like some kind of soulmate love story he could feel all the pieces slip in place, like the earth finally settling on an ellipse around the sun, like the ocean responding to the moon and understanding. But wait – did he just say that out loud? Oh.

"Huh?" Changbin promptly walked into the wall next to the kitchen door, producing a few concerning thumps and then crumpling to the floor.

Oh no. "Binnie!" Hyunjin nearly stumbled over his own feet as he ran to Changbin and fell to his knees beside him, barely avoiding the shattered remains of the mugs. Hot coffee drenched his sweatpants.

Changbin was groaning, pressing a hand to his forehead and trying to keep the coffee stained hoodie off his chest with his other hand, the hot contents all over him, porcelain shards around him like fallen leaves gathered around their tree in autumn.

"Binnie, are you okay?" Hyunjin very carefully tapped his hyung's shoulder, eyeing him up and down for any sign of blood.

"'M fine," Changbin whispered. "It's just – what did you say? I think I just hallucinated. You said you loved me. Maybe I'm not fine."

"What?" Huynjin furrowed his brows. "No, no, you heard correct. You're not hallucinating, so that's good! Don't worry about the shards, I'll help you stand."

"What? No, I mean –" Changbin shook his head, wide eyed, "I mean what? Can you repeat that?"

"Repeat what? That I'm in love with you?" Hyunjin smiled when Changbin nodded. "I love you! I just realised. But hyung, you're great, you must know that. Honestly, you've been so nice to me you can't blame me for falling in love with you, it's definitely your fault for giving me coffee and food all the time. And you're you, you know? We've been living together for a year. I want to like, get on my knees for you –"

Changbin blushed, clamped his eyes closed and winced, hissing in pain. He unclenched his fist from around a piece of shattered mug, blood welling up from his hand.

"–and propose to you because I think – oh, shit, hyung, are you okay, oh my god," Hyunjin stared at the blood and swallowed slowly. His mouth was suddenly dry but not in a good way. "I'm not good with blood, hyung," he said faintly.

"Me neither," Changbin replied, but at least it didn't sound like he was in any pain.

"If you faint because of blood loss I will faint, too, and then who will call an ambulance?" Hyunjin wondered. He mentally punched himself in the face. He had to do something. He only just realised his feelings, and Changbin was literally bleeding on their kitchen floor, soaked in rapidly cooling coffee. "Come on."

Hyunjin gently and carefully grabbed Changbin around the waist, pulling him to his feet. Being taller than Changbin had many uses. He managed to get Changbin's good arm around his shoulders and half carried half dragged Changbin to the couch.

"There you go," Hyunjin murmured, "I'll be back in a second, please don't bleed out."

He sprinted to the bathroom, quickly locating the small first aid kit and a clean towel.

Clenching his jaw and trying very hard not to flinch and hurt Changbin more, Hyunjin got to work carefully dabbing the blood away around the cut. The wound didn't seem deep, but it was right in the center of Changbin's palm. That was bad, right? The good thing was that there were no shards still stuck in there. Hyunjin resolutely tried not to think of the traces of blood sticking to his own skin.

When the cut stopped bleeding a few seconds later, Hyunjin mumbled an apology and sprayed some disinfectant over it before carefully wrapping Changbin's hand with a clean bandage. Firm around his hand but not too firm. He used a wet wipe to clean his own hands and the tips of Changbin's fingers where he'd accidentally left some red traces. When he looked up, he found Changbin looking at him.