After Dusk || Im Changkyun

49. Hopelessly In Love With You

Chapter Forty Nine

"I see you both are together again." Was the first thing Jooheon said when you and Changkyun walked into his hospital room. He was hooked up to every machine possible, an IV stabbed into one arm with a monitor and an EKG beside the fluid bag.
Yet despite everything, he still wore a massive grin on his face.
It had only been an hour. How had he already regained consciousness?
Changkyun stared at his best friend in horror, practically throwing his crutches to the side before he hopped over to his bedside. Kihyun stood from the seat beside it but Changkyun shook his head at him, gesturing for him to sit back down. Kihyun pushed his shoulders down so he stumbled into the seat mercilessly.
"Does anything hurt?" Jooheon coughed, the intense beeping of the monitor obviously bothering everyone in the room judging by their expressions.
You were used to it.
"Are you really asking me if anything hurts? Look at yourself." Changkyun choked up, getting emotional just by looking at him. You instinctively took a step closer.
"You really had to jump in there, didn't you?" He glared at the innocently grinning man that was lying in the bed. He looked so... happy?
"I said I'd get run over for you, Kyun."
"That didn't mean you actually had to do it. You should've let me get hit. He was aiming for me anyways."
Now that spiked your attention. You'd assumed that this was all just a freak accident. That one sentence made it seem otherwise.
You weren't going to ask though.
Everyone was already extra stressed.
Jooheon began to cough again, causing everyone to turn straight towards him. Jooheon noticed, seeming slightly bothered by that fact, you could tell by the way his smile became more strained.
"You shouldn't speak too much. It'll tire you out." You suggested, finding yourself leaning your elbow on the back of the chair Changkyun was sitting in, a hand gently palming his shoulders.
"This isn't all that bad, just please. Don't call my mother. She'll baby me for days and I'll be stuck here for a while."
Minhyuk awkwardly chuckled, rubbing his hands together with a sheepish little grin.
"That was the first thing I did. Sorry, Joo."
Jooheon groaned, closing his eyes in distress at the thought. Any mother would want to know if their child was hurt. Even if he never mentioned it, she'd probably have found out.
Shownu placed Jooheon's phone on top of him, turning it on so he could see it. You peeked over Changkyun's shoulder, looking to see what was on Jooheon's very cracked phone.
A whole lot of notifications.
"Three hundred seventy eight. All from your mother."
Jooheon seemed to be in a different sort of pain.
"She'll be here in ten minutes." Wonho chimed, looking down at his own phone. You found it rather funny that they all just had each other's parents contacts and actively used them. You suppose that's what happens when you stay close for almost a decade.
"I'm afraid I'll have to roll down the aisle in a wheelchair. I'm sorry about that." Jooheon rasped out to Shownu, his voice very weak yet he still managed to be audible. It was impressive and very unlikely for someone who was just over a half an hour out of an emergency surgery.
Jooheon really was something.
"Is that really what you're worrying about, Joo?"
"Yes, it is. It's your big day."
Shownu sighed at Jooheon, seeming very disappointed in his priorities. His attention changed, looking to Changkyun instead who was anxiously tapping his free foot.
"Y/N, can you take him back? I'm getting anxiety seeing him." Shownu narrowed his eyes at the boy who was looking at him disapprovingly.
"I want to st-"
"Don't argue with me. Leo will drive you back." He looked to Leo, and Leo nodded back, taking Changkyun by his not injured arm and grabbing his crutches that he'd thrown down and slipping them under his arms. You grabbed the bag of extra bandages as well as the pain killers that he'd been prescribed, following Leo who was dragging Changkyun out as lightly as he could.
"We'll go through the back exit. Press is already outside, the articles came out half an hour ago."
And that's what you did.
The three of you snuck out through the back exit of the hospital while Leo brought his car around. Changkyun gently leaned himself against you, using his crutch to make sure he didn't completely crush you. The car ride was shorter than it had felt when you were getting here, probably because you weren't two seconds away from pulling out your hair due to your raging nerves.
Once Leo had pulled into the garage, you both took the elevator up to your apartment. You had far more things related to health than he ever would in his residence.
Changkyun threw himself onto your bed, making your heart race at how he landed, just barely an inch award from crushing his arm. You glared at him but he seemed to just be grinning, patting the bed beside him. You shook your head, turning his smile into a frown in a matter is seconds. You took one step back and he instantly perked up, looking as if he was going to jump out of the bed but you stopped him with your palm.
You skipped into your kitchen, opening your first cabinet and grabbing a glass, filling it up with water. You opened the medication bottle with ease, pouring out a pill before making your way back in the room, Ollie at your feet.
You were about to hand the pill to him but then it struck you,
"Have you eaten anything today?"
It was only two in the afternoon so you weren't sure. You couldn't do the math to calculate when the accident happened.
"I haven't eaten anything in the last few days, Eggo." He responded, only to make you scoff.
"What an idiot."
"Why. Have you?"
"Not at all."
Changkyun scoffed back.
"What an idiot."
You placed the glass and bottle on his side table while Changkyun pulled his phone out of his pocket, groaning as soon as he saw how completely destroyed it was. It looked like it had just fallen from heaven and went straight down to hell.
Ollie waddled out the room randomly, returning in a matter of seconds with your phone resting gently in his mouth. He jumped up onto your bed, curling into your lap while you held your phone in awe.
You definitely didn't teach him that.
"Should I order something? What do you want to eat?" Changkyun shrugged and you narrowed your eyes at him, waiting for him to agree. He narrowed his eyes back at you while you both fell into a silent and unusually long staring contest.
Eventually, he blinked and you victoriously pumped your first up, high fiving Ollie with his paw.
"Here, give me your phone. I'll do it." Changkyun reached out for your phone, ignoring the fact that he'd lost your mini game but you just swatted his hand away. He reeled back, yelping at the feeling.
"You have a concussion. No looking at screens." You scolded, rolling your eyes at the lack of common sense. This wouldn't have been the first time he'd gotten one. Changkyun pouted, pressing his hand gently against the bandage that was wrapped around the side of his head. You scooted closer to him, pulling the blanket back and patting the pillow. He watched you skeptically but slipped himself in. You grinned in satisfaction, getting up and very tightly tucking him into the bed. You placed the back of your hand on his forehead for a few seconds, just to check.
No fever.
If anything, he felt a bit colder than usual.
"Are you not joining me?" He looked to the pillow beside him, trying to move around but he could only move so far with how tightly you'd tucked him in. You'd mastered the art a while ago.
"I'll place an order and then get you something to eat in the meanwhile so you can take this." You pointed to the pill bottle that you'd placed on the dresser.
"But-"
"No buts." You cut off, jumping to your feet while Changkyun longingly looked up at you. You raked your fingers through his hair, placing a hand over his eyes.
"Rest your eyes. Relax. I'll take care of you. It's my job, after all."
You left him there, rummaging through your cupboards to find anything at all. You weren't one to keep snacks in your house so there wasn't much. You quickly ordered a pizza on your phone, not even really paying attention to what kind. You'd just clicked the buttons. How you loved technology. When you opened your fridge, your eyes landed on the only thing that you could give to him with zero preparation,
Strawberry Yogurt.
You grabbed the first one you saw and made your way back into the room. Changkyun had managed to get himself out of your little swaddle and was sitting up with his head resting on the headboard and his left elbow resting on his lap.
He seriously had to damage the leg he'd sprained twice and then the arm that he got stabbed in, which was also his dominant arm.
How these things only managed to happen to him was beyond you.
You slid, sitting on the edge of the bed opening the yogurt and taking out the little wooden spoon and dipping it in, holding it in front of his lips.
"What exactly is going on here?" Changkyun questioned, seeming very satisfied with himself.
"I'm feeding you. It's not like you can use that arm. Now say ah~" you cooed, tapping his lips with the spoon. He grinned, opening his mouth and closing onto the spoon happily. You repeated the same process, making sure to brush his hair out of his face whenever it fell into his eyes.
It was like you were taking care of a baby.
Not to jinx that again.
Changkyun grabbed the pill bottle after he'd finished eating, and you'd snuck it out of his hands, opening it for him. You leaned over to take the glass of water, trying your best to give it to him in his right hand but he kept shaking. You weren't surprised that he was entirely weak. You'd be more surprised if he was at full strength.
You held the glass at his lips while he swallowed the pill and you pat his head as a reward, patting Ollie's head too after since he seemed to be looking at you longingly.
"Sit up for a bit, the food will arrive soon. You can eat and then you should sleep for a few hours. Or for the rest of the day."
You pushed his shoulders down gently, his head resting back down on the pillow while you adjusted it, making sure he wasn't completely lying down but still comfortable.
"You chill too. It's been a long day for you as well." Changkyun insisted, patting the spot next to him and urging you to be more comfortable. You scoffed at him, rolling your eyes.
"Yes, Kyun. I was totally almost run over by a car this morning."
"Eggo, I'm fine."
"You were in the hospital." You argued back, making him frown.
"Why did you even go? You don't like hospitals." He used his functional arm to forcefully pull your entire self onto the bed, leaning his head on your shoulder.
"Because you were in there." You sighed, trying not to think about it as much. Your father had passed in the O.R right next to it. You hadn't realized until you'd finally calmed down and it just brought back the painful memories.
But it was okay.
He looked at you, simply nodding as soon as he examined your expression. He understood.
"I tried calling you." Changkyun blurted, his eyes fluttering close,
"I left you a few voicemails. That's what I was doing before almost getting mauled." He chuckled casually, making your eyes widen.
How did he say that so easily?
You looked down at your phone, opening the app and slapping yourself internally as soon as you saw the nine missed calls and the three voicemails you'd received from Changkyun.
You never got the notifications.
Also, your phone wasn't even on.
You'd turned it off only a few minutes before the first call.
"I'm never turning my phone off ever again." You gasped, clutching onto your phone.
You had the urge to throw your phone into the wall but one of you needed a device that wasn't completely cracked. You suppose you could throw yourself into a wall but Changkyun seemed far too comfortable propped up against you. The least you could do was let him have that.
"How did you find out?" Changkyun asked lightly, peeking your interest. He was really switching between in topics today.
"Find out what?" You felt him shift closer, pulling you by the wrist as if you two weren't already stuck together.
He was so clingy sometimes. It was kinda cute though.
"How did you find out my mother was my mother. It was one of my best kept secrets, you know?" He straightened himself, wanting to put his arm around your shoulder but you were sitting on his left side. He quietly groaned at that.
"It's not very hard to find a Korean fashion designer that was married to a revolutionary scientist. It took a few google searches." You admitted, feeling the guilt all over again. You act in one too many action dramas and suddenly you think you're a detective.
"I saw that they got divorced. Just barely a year after I left." Changkyun chuckled bitterly but not with the spite you'd expected. It was bitter but it was relieved.
"I'm glad they did. My father was only a hindrance to my mother. They gained nothing from their relationship. I guess it was just a coverup for a past mistake anyways." Changkyun shrugged, smiling while uttering the simple word.
Mother.
You knew he cared for her still. He just couldn't accept it. It was still nice to know that he cared. He wanted the best for his mother.
"You know, when I was little, I really didn't want to get married." Changkyun laughed out loud, his finger happening to brush against your ring.
You were certain that was intentional.
"My parents marriage were all I knew of married life. I didn't want to live like that. I guess that's why I had such a distorted view of love." He pulled the covers up more, burying himself as much as he could without accidentally suffocating you. It had happened before.
You rested a hand on his neck, gently massaging it when you felt how tense he was. He muttered a quick thank you before falling into your lap, making you giggle.
"Eggo, you're stupid and you really don't think anything through."
"I know." You sheepishly grinned down at him, playing with your hair awkwardly. He couldn't help but smile back.
"But I need your love. So, please start being less of an idiot, babe, okay? You can always talk to me." Changkyun sighed, nodding at you while holding his functional hand out for you to shake. You happily obliged, clasping your hand over his, feeling him swiftly lace his fingers in between yours
"I understand, sir." You playfully joked, squeezing his hand gently.
Changkyun helplessly used his other hand to clutch onto the fabric of your shirt like a baby, getting more than comfortable against you. His surprising warmth lulled you to calmness, you both falling silent as you simply enjoyed each other's presence for the first time in a while, feeling the misunderstandings dissipate with each new breath you took.
You twirled strands of his hair around your self-manicured finger, hearing him hum in delight at the feeling. You danced your hand gently on his cast, making sure not to hurt him but you couldn't help but feel the rough texture of it on your fingertips.
You didn't know how he wasn't screaming in pain. Everything must hurt so much. His strength and ability to hold himself back was something you admired, yet it was something that also worried you.
There was only so much those painkillers could do.
"How bad does it hurt?" You finally broke the peaceful silence between the both of you, watching Changkyun's eyes flutter open while his head shifted on your lap.
"It hurts but it's not excruciating." He simply responded, his hand still clasped onto yours, his finger tracing circles on the back of your hand.
"Anything I can do?" You asked quietly, only for him to smile back up at you,
"Your presence is more than enough, Eggo. I've missed you." He only stayed in that mood for a few seconds before you heard the familiar whine return to Changkyun's tone.
"My shoulder is killing me though. He pushed me hard."
You giggled, caressing his cheek with your thumb while rocking him back and forth,
"You poor thing."
He loved being coddled more than anything else in the world. You'd never let it go but he was quite literally a massive toddler. For a rather independent man, he sure loved being babied.
You tried to untangle your hand from Changkyun's but his grip was surprisingly strong. He couldn't hold up a glass of water but he could clutch onto your hand like there was no tomorrow.
You heard the doorbell ring.
Food. Oh, sweet sustenance.
Changkyun's grip on your hand tightened, whining while he nuzzled closer into your side. You giggled, lifting his head up carefully and resting it on the mattress so you could answer the door. He made grabby hands towards, making you roll your eyes before skipping out into the living room, Ollie following behind you since he seemed to have ditched the little complainer that was curled up under the blankets.
You slightly cracked the door open, dragging the pizza box that was lying on the ground into the house. You guess you both could eat on the bed. You didn't have the energy or the will to try and pick a whole man up and onto a chair.
You flopped onto your pillow, Changkyun, who had found solace buried alive arose from his self made coffin, perking up at the smell of food. You opened the box, smiling as the smell of deliciousness wafted through your apartment. It had been so long.
You grabbed the biggest slice, holding it in front of Changkyun, poking his lips with it as you had done with the spoon.
"I am capable of holding a slice of pizza, Eggo." Changkyun argued, going to reach the slice in your hand with his casted arm but it simply fell to his side as soon as he had attempted to lift it up. You snorted at that, continuing to poke at his dark pink lips.
"Stop being stubborn and just accept some help for the first time in your life."
You scooted closer to him, your free arm wrapping around his back and continuing insisting and coaxing for Changkyun to open his mouth until he took a timid bite of the tip of the slice. You glared at him, about ready to shove the entire thing in his mouth and move his jaw manually so he'd chew it.
But he seemed to notice your frustration, taking a far more acceptable bite a few moments after. He eyed the rest of the pizza and then looked at you, raising his eyebrows as if he were telling you to eat.
"After." You responded to his telepathic message, continuing to feed him like a child. He was kind of cute though.
"Maybe I should get hurt more. I like this motherly side of you." Changkyun suggested jokingly but you glared at him, not finding it funny the same way he did.
Or finding it funny whatsoever.
"I swear to god, if you get hurt again I will not hesitate to finish you off myself."
You had the urge to wrap your hands around his neck and slowly choke him to death but you couldn't do that to an injured man. Also you could be arrested for murder.
Oh, and you'd probably die without him.
Can't forget about that.
"Did you get hurt anywhere else, Kyun?" You asked curiously. It would be very unlikely that he escaped that with just a broken bone, a sprained one, a bandaged temple, and a concussion.
Changkyun shrugged, lifting up the edge of his shirt gently to reveal the start of what seemed to be a cloth bandage wrapped around his waist.
"How are you still in one piece?" You let out a tired breath, finally taking a bite of food for yourself, the arm that you'd wrapped around his back falling off. He whined. You rolled your eyes for the umpteenth time today.
"Don't be sassy with me missy. Eyes straight and don't give me that attitude." Changkyun scolded, making you scoff. He looked even more unimpressed, though easing a bit as you took another bite. He still didn't look very happy.
Who knew the king of sass would get annoyed at your typical sass. You'd inherited it from him.
"Look who's sounding like a parent now. Our poor kids. You're going to be so bothersome."
Changkyun's eyes lit up at your words, his head tilting slightly in interest while he gazed at you. You were taken off guard by the sudden affection in his eyes, tilting your own head back at him but with confusion instead.
"We just ended the biggest fight of our relationship and you're already talking about kids, huh? This seems to be a reoccurring topic for us lately."
You slapped your own face, not believing the ego of this kid. He was unbelievable sometimes. He drove you crazy. The good kind of crazy. Sometimes.
Emphasis on sometimes. Heavy emphasis.
"Shut up and eat please, Changkyun." You picked up another slice and shoved into his mouth like you had wanted to do a few minutes ago but he didn't argue, casually eating it while still staring at you lovingly. You snapped in front of his face a few times but then stopped because it might hurt him.
For a man with a mild concussion he sure does talk a lot.
"I love you too, darling." Changkyun grinned while chewing, making you cover his mouth with your hand, muttering a small "manners" while he shook his head at you. You both finished the food rather quickly, seeing as you both were famished from your dual starvation.
A bad idea on both of your parts. You tried to stop yourself at two slices but Changkyun disagreed, channeling his strength so he could feed you two more slices, though you took over after he struggled to feed you half fo one. You fed yourself while making sure that he was eating as well.
You split the small pizza in half, sharing equally.
Changkyun was completely tuckered out after filing himself senseless, you could tell by the way he was gently leaned back on the headboard and his hands were neatly tucked into his lap.
You adjusted the blankets around him again, feeling anxious every time his upper body was exposed to the actual air. You didn't want him to get colder than he already was. He chuckled as soon as he noticed, gesturing for you to come next to him rather than in front. You obliged, copying his stance and leaning his head back in the board.
"I'm glad you came to the hospital today." Changkyun started, holding his right hand out for you to take. You did as instructed, looping your fingers through his, feeling an instant shock of warmth.
He was cold yet he was still warm. It amazed you.
"I know your father passed a few rooms down, and it must have been hard to come back after nine years but I'm really grateful that you did. I probably would've lost it if you weren't there." He laughed softly, the sound of it ringing through your ears. You didn't know how he knew that but you weren't going to question it. You were just going to take in the moment. You instinctively squeezed his hand, but gently just in case it hurt.
"If I'm being completely honest with you, I wasn't even thinking about that." You admitted, being completely truthful with him,
"I was just going insane because I didn't know if you were even alive. I couldn't lose you too. Not like that."  Changkyun turned to face you but you couldn't muster up the courage to meet him in the eye. Plus, he couldn't lift his hand up high enough to do his typical turn of the cheek thing.
"I can't tell if life before meeting you was easier than it is now. You helped heal my mess of a self and you fixed every problem I ever had." You said honestly, cracking a small smile before finally turning to meet his gaze, returning the loving one he had with one of admiration.
"But now I don't think I'll be able to live without you." You giggled at the bright smile that spread across his face, beaming from ear to ear. You poked one his dimples quickly before retracting your hand. Changkyun squeezed your hand back, his eyes shining under the light of your room.
"Don't worry," he comforted you, that grin of his sending your heart into overdrive,
"I'm not going anywhere."
You nodded in agreement, watching Changkyun throw his head back, immediately triggering your instincts and slipping your arm underneath his neck, bringing it back up straight. He had that bandage wrapped around his head and that meant that there would be no sharp and sudden movements.
Unfortunate for him since he had moments where he became very jumpy. You'd have to keep your eyes on him 24/7.
"Despite it all, just know that I'm hopelessly in love with you." Changkyun sang, his lips ghosting your ear, sending shivers down your spine.
You found solace in his warmth, gently leaning against his side, minding the cast that was only a few centimeters away from your own leg. You gently snaked both your arms around his one, hugging it gently while your eyes fluttered close, finally feeling fully at peace.
"I am too. So hopelessly in love with you."

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

happy birthday @/rislynr
you're my favorite human