For You and Me

Chapter 23: Honey

Jihun's consciousness returns to him as he is being pulled out of Seungjun's arms.  

"Hey!  Let go of my cousin. Who the hell are you?"  Charlie's voice sounds close to his ear.  His eyes flutter open to see Charlie is supporting his weight.  Seungjun is standing in front of him glaring at Charlie.

"His boyfriend, who are you?"  Seungjun's voice is the harshest Jihun has ever heard it.  Charlie missteps backwards into his truck and glances back and forth between Jihun and Seungjun with wide eyes.  

"I-- I'm his cousin."  Charlie says.  He looks back at Jihun and notices his eyes are open.  "Jihun is he telling the truth?  You're gay?"  Charlie asks.  Seungjun leans closer to Jihun and places the palm of his hand on Jihun's forehead.  

"Jihun, what's wrong?  Are you hurt?  Do you feel sick?"  Seungjun's words are a flurry of sound and move faster than the world is seeming to, definitly faster than Jihun could move in this moment.  Jihun pushes himself away from Charlie, or tries to.  His limbs barely move.  His body is exhausted.  His mind is exhausted.  Tears quickly prick his eyes.

"I'm so tired."  The words are a rasp ripped from his throat.  The floodgates to Jihun's tears break as the small amount of strength his body had left dissolves and he tries to collapse in on himself.  Charlie grunts under his full weight and Seungjun grabs his other side to help keep them both standing.  

"Shh, shh, Jihun, shh.  It's ok.  You're ok.  Come on we're going to tuck you in bed.  It's this way."  Seungjun coos over Jihun's head.  Jihun lifts his head enough to see his apartment in front of him.  Seungjun and Charlie try to shuffle him forward but his legs feel too heavy to help them.  He just drags behind.  

"Come on Jihun."  Charlie's voice is strained.  

"Jihun where is your house key?"  Seungjun's voice sounds much softer on his other side and he leans closer to it.  

"Bag."  There is no sound to his words.  Just the all too familiar tightening in his stomach and the uptick of fear and panic in the beat of his heart.  

"Oh wait, maybe still in the truck? He usually throws everything in his lunch bag.  Can you hold him while I grab it?"  Charlie asks.  

"Yeah, here, help me a second."  Suddenly Jihun feels the sensation of being swept off his feet and he gropes for something to hold on to.  His arms grasp around the warmth of Seungjun's neck as he buries his face into the warmth of him.  Honey fills his every breath and becomes his amber stepping stones to a dreamless sleep.

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Honey is still invading his nostrils when his consciousness returns to him.  His arms move to squeeze the owner of the welcoming scent in his arms.  That's when he realizes what he's holding isn't solid enough to be the person on his mind.

His eyes flutter open.  Morning sluggishness grips him in a cage of it's own making and it takes a few moments for his nerves to spark to life.  As if going off one by one the feeling of pins and needles invades his limbs.  His eyes flutter open to see a familiar jacket squished and wrinkled in his arms.  He turns his head to look around the room just as Seungjun walks out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl in hand and a gentle smile on his face.

"Morning sleepy head."  He says.  Jihun untangles an arm from the jacket and rubs at his eyes as he swallows suddenly aware of how dry his mouth is.  Seungjun crosses the rest of the room to be at Jihun's side.  He sits down on the edge of Jihun's bed and sets the bowl on his lap so he can reach out and run a hand lightly through Jihun's hair.  

His touch is gentle and his movements are slow as if Jihun's body is glass set to shatter, and in need of comforting.  A smile tugs at Jihun's lips and he feels it warm it's way to his center before his heart reaches its boiling point and his feelings spill over and collect in his expression.