Chapter 135

Remembering the earsplitting fragment memory of what happened to him, he was still familiar with the shrill strain of his legs, the twisting feeling of his stomach and guts, and the smell of the sweltering woods of dark forest.

As if he had just undergone the tragedy that occurred to him not too long ago.

The memory of it felt so vivid that he could still hear the void, the eerie whispers of the trees, and the sound of dead leaves rasping beneath his every step. 

His amethyst eyes take a quick glimpse at Hiro's body against his and a helpless sigh leaves his colorless lips upon seeing the subtle trembling of Hiro's wide, enormous, and rugged back, which probably could barely fit their petite bathroom door back in their tiny apartment in Hongwon. 

His heart is glad to have returned safely in one piece, but he could not sit still with the fact that he was not the intended target of the people who held him captive. 

He was sure of it. They were using him to get through something. . .or someone.

Jin buries his nose in the tangibly comforting scent of Hiro's hair as his fingers caress the man's warmth through his shirt.

His eyes stared at the unlit ceiling, his gaze turning sharp. His brows met, giving the unfortunate ceiling a taste of his surprising stomach-twisting fury.

The entities that witnessed and smelled such intense animosity from the young fellow slid a few meters back into the darkness. 

"Hiro." 

Hiro's whispered name fled his lips warmly as he gave the tip of the man's ear a small peck, attempting to relieve him from crying. Jesus. "Dearest, can you lend me your ears and a bit of your attention?"

Hiro's shuddering shortly ceased, and the weight of his head against Jin's shoulder lessened. Hiro turns his head, his lips a centimeter away from the young fellow's pale cheek. 

Relieved, Jin could feel the man's short breaths fanning against his cheek. It was warm against his cold skin. Yes. That's it, darling. 

"I cannot see you," Hiro grumbles.

Jin sighs inside his head in response when he cannot move his head, dismayed. He, too, wants to see him. But even if he did move his head, regardless, it would be impossible in this darkness.

The man's faint, but aggressive sniffing was the last thing that tickled his ear before half of Hiro's room slowly awoken from its deep slumber. 

He blinks.

He had discovered too late that the space beside him had gone cold in what felt like only a second from embracing the man on the bed, but now he could see Hiro's tall stature standing by the nearest shut window that was about three meters far from him. Hiro was there gently pulling the blinds himself while looking back at him at the bed from where he was standing. The blinds are barely lifted, he can hardly take a good look at his face.

Albeit his confusion, it helped him buy time to adjust his vision with Hiro's meticulous care.

When he thought the situation was already odd enough, a very peculiar phenomenon followed. He heard numerous whispering and scraping noises on the walls of the room.

Without moving his head, he shifted his eyes to his feet and saw a figure moving from the corner of the room before it disappeared in the light. 

The hairs all over his body rose. "W-What was that?" He could not help raising his voice as he was alarmed by what he saw.

Kai's senses instantly sharpened. He steered back towards the bed in too much panic, tossing aside his matters with the blinds. "Blinds off." He commanded the voice controls, and the blinds rose and rolled in as short as three seconds, letting natural light successfully illuminate the entire room. His antsy eyes followed his beloved's line of sight.

It could not have been just an illusion. Jin was about to speak about what he had just seen when his eyes naturally drew toward the unrealistic scenery laid for his eyes to see. His lips parted at the high crystal ceiling that directly welcomed him.

He could see the ill reflection of himself from its shiny surface that was as clear as glass. His petite frame looked horridly small in the canvas of the massive bed, but when he shifted his attention again, his soul gradually departed from his body as his mouth fell open upon seeing the remnant of Hiro's quarter in full sight. . .in full light. 

The walls are colored in the deepest shade of titanium black he has ever seen, with pilasters and a flag he is unfamiliar with carved on the walls and corners in a beautiful tint of British racing green. His breath hitched. A column. . .Greek marble columns can be found in his room, four or more, to be exact.

He cannot see the rest from the angle of where the bed is placed. 

His brain shuts down in too much disbelief.

For a minute, he thought he had just been transported to the Parthenon in Greece, but with a ravishing mixture of Western classics and modernity.

Finally, his eyes landed on Apollo himself, who was sprinting his way back to the bed he was lying on, and his jaws gradually fell open. 

Hiro's expression was hollered with fear. His brows churn upwards with his cheeks and nose glowing feverishly. His tussled hair was the messiest he had ever seen, and he was not wearing anything fancy but sweatpants and a plain shirt. The bags under his eyes were swollen red, but that was not the most concerning part of him.

Hiro looked mentally and physically disturbed, but it still bothered him how he could be in a state of hell yet also be a splitting image of an angel from the heavens.

"Mwo?!" (What) whispers Hiro, alarmed.

Hiro was examining Jin from the side of the bed. His tall figure was slightly leaning towards the young fellow with panic in his eyes as he scanned his beloved's body repeatedly. "What hurts?!"

Oh dear. 

Jin realized that his brows were upsettingly crumpled. He blinks his eyes and softens his expression upon seeing Hiro about to lose his mind. "I-I'm fine," he responds to him.

But he meant what he said. Hiro looks like he is more in need of being in this bed and requires immediate care rather than him. 

He heard the man breathe loudly in relief and saw him fall to his knees with a relieved expression on his tired face. 

Guilt pierced his heart.

Pressing one elbow to the mattress, he slowly pushes himself up. He wanted to sit from lying down too long. His waist was simply killing him. Unlike moments ago, when he could only manage to lift a finger and an arm, he bit his lips and managed not to make a concerning sound as he sat upright.

The back of his head throbbed and he winced soundlessly.

Hiro lifts his head to the sounds of sheets moving and instantly jumps to aid his beloved. He goes behind Jin and wraps his arms around his frailness. 

Only after leaning his back against the comfort of the man's rugged body did a delicate groan resonate inside Jin's throat, "You worry me." He shuts his eyes and carefully rests the back of his head between Hiro's chest and cannot help the pink glow on his cheeks after he remembers what his hands had just sinfully touched before passing out. 

Hiro squeezes Jin's body, his embrace tightening and his warmth cocooning him, "Am I such a burden, my dear?"

Jin chews on his lower lip, "No. Have you not gotten any sleep because I am using your bed?" He pauses, hesitating for a minute, but he is upset and so the words slip from his mouth before he can filter them out.

"You look like shit, Hiro." It is beyond concerning.

"..." There was only a long pause. "Shit?"

Jin's lids twitched, "Yes! Ever since we met, I have never seen you as healthy as you were when we were at that restaurant." The tips of his ears were tingling, and he knew that there was no stopping him from nagging now. "Is work really that important for you to put yourself at risk like this?"

Does this man not fear death? Hiro, out of all the people, should know that sleep deprivation could kill him.

A hand slips to his arm and it tenderly slides up to hold his pale palm. A soft voice speaks to him from behind.

"I'm sorry for looking like. . .a shit."

Jin bit his lips when the crease between his forehead disappeared, and an unwanted grin was forced to stretch itself across his lips. Oh dear, who was he kidding? He can never stay upset with the man about something like this.

Hiro's regretful and awkward apology to his honest comment is simply too amusing. Did the point of his nagging even reach this man's sense?

Oh sweet Jesus.

The word even rolled in his tongue as if it was foreign and new to him, and he wondered if Hiro had ever received such a comment from the people around him before.