Dark to Baby: A Changjin Story

Chapter 49

"Oh wow, I think you should hold the parties from now on."

Hyunjin side-eyed Changbin. "I think not."

"But look at this place!" Changbin set down the box he was carrying and marveled at the two-story ceilings and the wall of windows that looked out onto the backyard.

"Yeah, no need to mess it up by inviting all of you around." Hyunjin dropped his box to the ground, ignoring Changbin's gasp.

"Excuse me! What have I ever done to you?"

"I'm pretty sure you're not the one he's worried about," Chan called from the doorway as he shoved some shoes to the side with his feet. He looked pointedly at the sight of Felix in front of them, making a pattern of handprints on the pristine window.

"I did wake up to Nutella covering the kitchen floor one morning...maybe he has a point," Changbin agreed.

"Wasn't really talking about Lixie, but okay."

"Oh, no. That was the point. That was Jisung." Hyunjin wasn't going to ask. He had heard enough weird Jisung stories in his life.

"He was in your house?" Chan knew as well as anyone that Changbin didn't like others in his space.

"He was in your house. I just happened to be the first one in the kitchen on a Saturday morning," Changbin said with a weird bite. "I don't know if you even know Saturday morning exists."

"You're right. I do not." Chan took the joke well before focusing back on Felix. "Alright, Baby, time for another load!"

Felix turned and grinned, then skipped toward the three and out the door.

"How can he have so much energy still?" Changbin asked, still out of breath from the last load.

"Because Jinnie is nice and only makes him carry pillows."

"It would give you anxiety if I let him carry anything else!" Hyunjin protested.

The two parent figures shrugged as they exited the house to gather more of the Hwang's belongings. They were on hour number three, and the boxes seemed to have no end. Hyunjin knew his mother had many things, but this was ridiculous. All he wanted to do was lay down, but here he was hauling yet another box back to the house. However, he was glad he didn't get drafted to take everything down from the truck. Taehyuk had taken that job. Perhaps he wanted to make a good impression since they were only in their first week of marriage. He had definitely won Felix over with all the sweet gestures and an abundance of fuzzy things to carry. Hyunjin shook his head as the boy skipped past him with yet another bundle of blankets for the living room.

"I'm so glad he's happy," Hyunjin murmured.

"Me too," Changbin said, box in hand, "he deserves it."

"Do they have a trial date?"

"Not yet, but he's getting ten years regardless. There's too much evidence against him," Chan huffed, shifting a box in his arms.

"Thank God. Get the man in jail already." Hyunjin accepted a box from Taehyuk, continuing to lament to the others about how horrible Felix's father is. Even if he regularly got annoyed at Taehyuk, that was nothing compared to what Felix faced. Sometimes Hyunjin had to remind himself that he had it pretty good. One indication of that was the boxes piled in the kitchen, stacked throughout the living room, and crowding the bedrooms. Too much to know what to do with.

Hyunjin flopped on the mattress that was dropped in the center of his new room, his three friends doing the same now that they had unloaded everything. Random items surrounded them, but they had no motivation to put anything in its proper place. All they could do was stare at the high ceilings and bask in the open space that far exceeded his last room. There would be plenty of room for Lix to play with Kkami now. And he wouldn't have to pick and choose from his posters. The walls could easily accommodate all his favorite artists and maybe a few random additions. It would be perfect!

If only Changbin weren't so far away. That was the only downside. Sure he was closer to Chan, but Changbin, and Felix once he returned to his Mom, would no longer be a simple walk down the road. He supposed it was just an excuse to get his license, but he'd have to visit. There was no way he would let Minsoo annoy Changbin all on her own.

Hyunjin smiled at the thought of another night at the Seo residence. Those were fun times.

It was better than listening to Chan talk about paint colors and abstract designs. All Hyunjin wanted to do was sleep.

To get his point across, Hyunjin turned over and rested his chin on Changbin's head. Changbin immediately turned and cuddled into him, wrapping his arms around Hyunjin's middle and stuffing his face into his chest. The pair closed their eyes and quickly heard Chan sigh. Hyunjin's face sported a light smile as he felt Felix scoot closer. It was like this that he drifted into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, a shuffling broke into Hyunjin's dream. It was like a bunch of small rodents moseying around the room. Hyunjin scrunched up his nose and stretched out his arms. A fluffy head was to his right still, but the body to his left was missing. He whined and squinted his eyes open.

The room was a bright white with the lights on now that the sun had started to set. Felix was curled beside him, his blond hair standing on end due to static. Hyunjin grinned and patted it down before hauling himself up.

To his surprise, the boxes were neatly lined up along the wall. On further inspection, many things, like his trash can and laundry basket had already found their home. As he continued to scan the room, he spotted Chan and Changbin whispering at the entrance to his closet. Hyunjin walked over to them, catching sight of the inside of the closet. As he got closer, he marveled at the organization. He pushed past Chan to see the neat lines of shoes, the color-coded shirts, and the coats all hung up in one place to the right.

"I hope you know this won't last a week," Hyunjin said to his two friends.

"No big deal, we tried. Should we wake up the baby? It's almost dinner time," Chan asked, glancing back at the cozy Felix.

Changbin stuck out his lower lip. "Do we have to?"

"He'll be grumpier if we let him sleep through dinner," Hyunjin countered, knowing how Felix gets when he's hungry.

"Okay, fine." Changbin shuffled to the mattress and sat on the side. He softly ran a hand through Felix's messy hair and rubbed slow circles on his earlobe. "Hey, Baby, it's time to get up," Felix whined and flipped over to his other side. Hyunjin took this chance to lean close to his ear.

"I hear there are brownies~" He sang softly.

Felix jerked up, sending Hyunjin backward and onto the floor. "Did you say brownies? What are we waiting for?" The three older boys watched their baby tumble out of the room, amused smiles on their faces.

"Dinner?" Chan motioned to the door. Changbin stood up and helped Hyunjin stand.

They all left the room, hoping brownies were actually on the menu.

________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Life has been very busy, but I hope you're doing well!

The next chapter will conclude this story☺