The Safety Of Your Cruelty × [JiCheol]

chapter one

Oh, darling.

My darling.

To think that you would have me here, wrapped up in the safety of your cruelty.

To hold me so close I'm suffocating. To caress me so gently you leave bruises. To love me so dearly you break me.

Break me into a hundred pieces so that when you lay hands on me, tiny shards made up of me dig into your skin, so that when you leave me, I don't leave you.

Oh, darling.

My darling.

To think you'd have me here, wrapped up in the uncertainty of your love.

-

[February 1, 7:50 a.m.]

He's making breakfast when he hears the door to his apartment open. There's the jingle of keys that reassures him that, yes, it's his boyfriend and no, it's not a burglar breaking in.

"Baby, I'm back."

Jihoon smiles to himself before he stomps it down into a fake scowl. He turns off the stove and steps around the corner to face Seungcheol.

"Who are - oh, my God, Seungcheol - " Whatever Jihoon was going to say to Seungcheol dies off at the tip of his tongue when he sees blood staining his shirt.

Seungcheol only winces when he tugs his shirt off and then has the audacity to shrug casually, like it's just a scratch and not a wound big enough to stain his shirt down to his chest, "I'm fine."

"Like hell you are!" Jihoon screeches, hands hovering awkwardly because he doesn't know what to do. He settles on taking the bag holding a milk carton from Seungcheol's hand, "What the fuck happened!"

Seungcheol shrugs, trying not to wince again, and trails after Jihoon as he all but throws the milk onto the kitchen counter.

"I dunno. A, uh, this guy just like..." Seungcheol makes vague motions with his hand like it'd help Jihoon understand. Jihoon scowls, leading Seungcheol into their bathroom and rummaging through the cabinets to find the cotton balls and alcohol.

"This guy just what, Seungcheol?" Jihoon asks a little harsher than he means to, gently pressing a wet cloth to the... bite mark? On his shoulder. A bite mark on his shoulder, what the actual fuck, "He just came up to you and bit you?"

No response.

"No way - "

"Yeah." Seungcheol blurts out in one breath, "That's - that's legit what happened."

Jihoon doesn't say anything else, just cleans his boyfriend up and debates whether he should take him to the hospital or not. His shirt was practically soaked but the wound... the wound is not deep. The depth is that of a paper cut, teeth marks visible and skin pink with irritation but it's not bleeding.

"We should go to the doctor's or something."

"Nah." Seungcheol says, "I'm fine. It's not that serious."

"What do you mean? You were drenched in blood!"

"Well, I'm not passing out from blood loss. And it's not bleeding anymore which means it's not that deep. I'm fine now."

Jihoon frowns. "Fine. But I'm checking on that thing hourly and if I see the slightest sign of infection, I will drag you to the hospital."

Seungcheol only smiles and kisses him in response.