brace yourselves guys... its going to be looong~

<3<3<3

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THIN AIR - CHAPTER 9

Jiyong woke breathless, in the middle of the night to a sharp pain at his side. The blonde cursed softly, quickly turning his attention to Seunghyun who was still deep in sleep before breaking into a run to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. He could hear the trembling in his own breaths as they broke and faltered. Jiyong clutched at his sides, hard enough to bruise, teeth clamping down on his lips to prevent himself from crying out. A painful cough escaped him as he rummaged through the cabinet for the syringe, sinking to the floor when he found it. He knew there was no time for the pressure band when he coughed again, choking this time; the unfamiliar taste of iron rising to his mouth. Jiyong brought a hand to cup his lips, vainly trying to stifle the pained gasps for air.

Through his rapidly fading vision he saw his fingers trembling as he struggled against a swollen vein. "Please..." He rasped, his voice broken, mentally urging his hands to stop shaking and cooperate. He couldn't pass out, not here; not when Seunghyun was around. And Seunghyun couldn't find out. "Please..." He repeated between a hacking cough, blood came through the spaces between his fingers, dripping down his chin. Suddenly he felt strength-less, his head rolling back against the cool tile, the bathroom was growing too humid and too putrid to breathe. He kept his hand clasped tight over the syringe, his conscious mind fighting for dominance over the pressing urge to just close his eyes and give in to the black spots that veiled his vision. 

Please, please, please... Come on, Jiyong... Don't fall asleep... Don't... 

He shuddered heavily, the pressure against his chest tightening with each breath he tried to keep down. Heavy lids focused with difficulty on the syringe and then a pale, sweating arm. In a final effort he forced his hand to move, pressing the tip of the syringe against the vein in his forearm. He couldn't feel the pain as the thin skin broke, spotting immediately; he committed himself to emptying its contents into his bloodstream, dropping the used syringe to the floor as his arms went slack. Jiyong's world whirled by for how long he did not know. Slowly the blackness cleared into a dull fog, and the gasps for air steadied into labored breaths and the ringing in his ears stopped. He let himself suspend in a grey area as the morphine kicked in.

The sharp ring of a mobile phone caught his clouded attention, he briefly registered Seunghyun's throaty voice, speaking in what sounded like English; Seunghyun's voice was slightly raised now and Jiyong could picture the older man pacing. He tried to move, to peel himself off the support of the wall and get up. But he couldn't, he was boneless. Blinking the exhaustion away, Jiyong's mind once again struggled to fight, sending him panicked signals to get up before Seunghyun would come knocking on the door, and from the urgency in the clipped tone of Seunghyun's voice he knew it would be soon. Then Seunghyun was no longer on the phone because Jiyong could hear rushed footsteps ending outside the door. With much determination he tried to lift himself off the floor, but his arms and legs lacked the strength and Jiyong buckled backwards, the fogginess threatening to overcome him. 

"Jiyong?" A rap sounded on the door. 

He parted his flips to speak, but no words came. 

"Baby? Something came up in America, I have to leave on the earliest flight..." Another knock sounded, "Ji? You alright in there?" 

Jiyong fought hard against the tiredness and found his words; the broken crack of his voice. "Y-yes... I'm here... I..." He reached for the sink, straining every bit of his body until he stumbled over it, knees almost caving. There were three things he needed to do, wash the blood from his hands and face, get rid of the needle and open the door before Seunghyun would force his way in. 

"Jiyong!" Seunghyun was pounding on the door. "Open the damned door or I will not hesitate to break it again!" 

Jiyong would have laughed if it didn't already take so much effort to try to stand. He turned the faucet on slowly, first letting his hand run under the tap, watching the red flow out into the sink in a daze. 

"Jiyong, damnit, you're scaring me. Open the up!" 

"H-hyun," his words sounding foreign to him. "I'm fine... Hang on..." 

"Ji!" 

"Please..." 

Seunghyun slackened, pressing his forehead against the door, ceasing his relentless pounding. Jiyong's voice was too small and strained. "Ji... I... I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere." He felt helpless, he had no idea what was going on inside. He wanted to break open the door and rush to Jiyong's side, but all he could do was wait. 

Ten minutes passed and Seunghyun was growing impatient; he began pacing along the corridor, physically restraining himself from knocking again. Finally the sound of water ceased and Seunghyun bolted upright, stepping close to listen for any movement. The moment he heard the door unlock, he pulled it open without hesitation. Seconds passed in a blur as the ghost of a figure slumped into his frame, "Ji!" Jiyong managed a weak apology, thin hands grappling at the hems of Seunghyun's sweater for support before he crumpled. The taller man easily hoisted Jiyong up by the waist, the blonde's hair was dripping wet, and he was barely conscious. 

He sat him down by the corridor, rushing into the bathroom to grab a towel, supporting the back of Jiyong's head as he dried the boy's hair, neck and face before quickly carrying him to the bed, fastening the covers around him. Seunghyun sat by the bedside, his focus shifting between Jiyong and his phone as he typed a hasty message to his secretary. 'Something came up I'm not going. Take care of it for me.' He placed a hand on the boy's forehead, feeling for a fever, thankful that there was none, instead Jiyong's skin was cold to his touch and he was too pale. The shrill ringing of his phone startled him and he broke the contact, cursing as he answered, "What?" His toned clipped. 

"Choi Seunghyun, what's going on?" His mother's voice rang shrilly on the other side of the line. "You know you have to be back!" 

"Mum?" Seunghyun massaged his temples, lowering his voice. "Yes, I'm sorry. I can't." 

"Seunghyun, this meeting is not something you can just sit out on." Her voice was firm and Seunghyun knew she meant business. 

"I'm sorry, but it's important. We can do video, but I can't leave. I'm sorry." 

"Seung-" 

He didn't catch the rest of the sentence the moment his name escaped Jiyong's lips. "Mum? I've got to go okay? I'll call you back." He said, hurriedly silencing his phone and turning his attention to the bed, holding the boy's hand gently. 

"Ji, hey..." 

Jiyong's eyes were half lidded, barely responding to his touch. "Hyun... sorry..."

"I'm here baby," he the cool hand with his fingers. "It's okay..."

"Go..." He managed, his voice dropping to a whisper, slipping back into unconsciousness. 

"What?" Seunghyun was taken aback. "No, I can't leave you like that." 

"S-stubborn..."Jiyong opened his eyes to glance at him before shutting them again, a weak smile on his face. "Important... Go, I'm fine…" 

Seunghyun let out a chuckle, caressing Jiyong's cheek gently, it both pleased and pained him that his boyfriend was so sensitive to him even at this moment. "You're the one that's stubborn. I'm not leaving you for anywhere". 

"Hyu-n... I... don't..."

A shuddering breath passed through whitened lips and there was no coherence in his words but Seunghyun could already tell that Jiyong wanted to insist even as his voice trailed off, unable to stay awake any longer. "Sleep," he said firmly, smoothing out the boy's hair, patiently watching the gradual slacking of Jiyong's form as knotted brows eased under his touch. 

----------

"So, who's the lucky lady that's got my son's glued to Korea?" As soon as they had ended their business talk, his mother's tone had taken a complete turn. She sounded cheeky, matching perfectly with the of her eyebrows and the upturn of her lips. Seunghyun couldn't help but laugh, only hushing himself when he remembered that Jiyong was still asleep. 

"I didn't say anything about it being about a girl!" He shielded his face as he chuckled, putting out his cigarette. 

"Don't lie to me, I know that's not your apartment, or your office." 

He almost forgot that he was on video and still in Jiyong's flat. He quickly glanced around, checking to see if he had disturbed the boy in any way. "Ah, you caught me. It's a... friend. He wasn't feeling very well so I had to stay." 

"I didn't know you made friends easily." She laughed and Seunghyun made a face. "But couldn't you have called his family?" 

"I don't..." He trailed off, a little crestfallen when he realized that he knew almost next to nothing about Jiyong. "I don't know anything about that... We've never... He's never told me." 

"Seunghyun..." He didn't see the momentary panic that flashed across her face nor notice the stutter in her words. "A-are you in love with him, this friend?" 

"What?" He almost yelled, turning around anxiously again. "No! Sorry mum. I just know… he's special." 

"Sweetheart..." 

Seunghyun started to ramble, a blush evident on his cheeks. "No mum, listen... I, he's great, very sweet... A wonderful person, you should meet him... He's perfect." He said, smiling. "I should go now, I need to go check on him. I'll call you again, love you." Shutting his notebook, Seunghyun went to the kitchen for the washcloth he had soaked in warm water. Squeezing it dry he padded slowly to the bed, sitting down on the platform. Seunghyun noted the improvement in the sleeping boy's color as he gently wiped down the boy's face, lips, neck and then hands. He held Jiyong's hand carefully, memorizing every line, every curve of the blonde's smaller hand as he slipped his fingers through, planting a soft kiss on his fingertips. Jiyong had been unconscious for almost a day and a half, and to be honest it was worrying if not for the fact that he did not look as sickly. "You've got to wake up soon baby, I'm fighting the urge to just carry you all the way to the hospital." He joked softly. He was about to return to the kitchen when the hand in his moved, Seunghyun turned his attention back to Jiyong and saw the twitch in the boy's eyebrows. Eyelids fluttered before gradually opening to an unfocused set of brown eyes. "Jiyong," he called, bringing the boy's attention to him, eyes blinking away sleep. 

"Seunghyun..." Jiyong shifted, pushing the covers off by a slight, wanting to sit up. "..." He muttered, sinking back into the pillow, still lightheaded. 

"Lie down!" Seunghyun held him still but Jiyong shook his head. 

"I'm fine. I want to sit up, a little help please?" The boy stretched his arms up like a child asking for a piggyback. Seunghyun gave him a disapproving look and Jiyong pouted, widening his eyes, "please?" 

Seunghyun gave a loud sigh, leaning forwards to lift the boy, supporting his back and underarms. Jiyong let his entire weight lean into Seunghyun, his head resting on the taller man's broad shoulder as he was helped into a sitting position. Seunghyun let them stay like this for a moment before gently letting Jiyong rest against the wall, placing a pillow upright against his head. "You scared me." He whispered as Jiyong's hands slid down, softly running his palms against his arm, settling on his hand. 

"I know, and I'm sorry." Jiyong bit his lip, fingers reaching to thread Seunghyun's hair.  

Seunghyun’s voice fell together with his face, “You know, someone reminded me that maybe I should have called your family… And then I, I realized that you haven’t really shared anything about you with me. And… and it kills me". 

"I'm sorry..." 

"I don't want to hear sorry baby," the handsome man's expression was one of pain. 

Seeing as Seunghyun did not push him away, Jiyong pressed forward bracing himself, palms sweating. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought that he might lose the older man again. "Wh-What do you want to know about me Hyun?” There was a trembling in his voice, “I'll tell you... I'll tell you everything. Please, just don't be mad." 

Seunghyun saw willingness on the blonde's face and he could hear the truth in his words. But he would be lying to himself if he didn’t notice fear and pain in the wavering of his boyfriend’s eyes. He sighed, relenting, he could see that Jiyong was still weak and he didn't want to put additional pressure on him. Wasn't he the one who said they would take it slow? Seunghyun shut his eyes, letting himself calm down from the emotional rush; feeling a little like a creep for not being able to control himself at time like this. 

"My parents..." Jiyong started, taking a shaky breath. "They left me when I was eight. They took my sister."

"Ji, that's enough. Don't." 

Jiyong shook his head, squeezing the hand in his while braving a smile on his face as he continued. "They took my sister and left me. One morning, on a vacation... We were in Jeju and I remember it was Christmas.” His smile widened a little, eyes far away as his mind filled up with choppy memories of him as a young child; a happy toddler on his father’s shoulders, a proud son running to his mother who kissed him when he returned with good grades. He remembered his younger sister whom he swore to always protect but could only imagine how pretty she must be now. He also remembered waking up to snow outside the window and an empty cabin; a silence so never-ending and suffocating that it made him afraid just thinking about it. “I woke up and they were gone." He paused to breathe, eyes opening up to tears as he revisited the old wound, letting it welt and bleed. "I couldn't find them anywhere, they were just gone."

"Jiyong, I'm so sorry." Seunghyun felt a weight against his chest, an ache that rivaled his earlier doubt.

"So I don't have a family.” The edges of Jiyong’s lips were curled in a strained smile, his voice cracking. “I'm sorry you had to worry about that. But it's just me since. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." 

"Why?" Seunghyun didn't want to say anything insensitive, but the words came out anyway. 

"Why?" Jiyong repeated, staring at a spot on his hands where the tears fell. "I don't know. I've been trying to figure out my whole life... And it's not good for me because the only reason I can think of is that maybe..." He paused to shut his eyes, exhaling another shaky breath. "Maybe I'm not good enough... Maybe I did something wrong... Made them angry... Maybe..." 

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Seunghyun looked up from his newspaper, shaking his head as a blonde figure darted past his line of vision, dashing into the bathroom. Within minutes, loud gagging filled the apartment followed by coughing, and then again. He put out the cigarette burning in his idle hand and removed his reading glasses, setting them on the coffee table. The noises from the bathroom weakened momentarily, accompanied by raspy swear words as he heard the flush go, only to die down to reveal another wave of vomiting. Seunghyun sighed, cursing as he made his way to the bathroom. 

"Kwon Jiyong," he addressed the shaking figure slumped over the bowl, "how many times do I have to tell you not to overdo it?" Jiyong didn't answer him, his stomach constricting painfully as he dry heaved over the bowl. Sighing again, Seunghyun crouched down beside him, patting his back and soothing away sweat matted hair. "It’s okay baby, you'll feel better once you get those stuff out." 

Jiyong choked, coughing as he leaned back into Seunghyun's arms, spit and drool all over his chin. He lay there for a while, chest heaving, fighting the urge to go for another round at the bowl. When his body had calmed down, the boy refused to move, shutting his eyes, blinking away tears. 

"Better love?" Seunghyun asked and Jiyong nodded. He grabbed a wash towel and cleaned Jiyong's face. "We're going to get you something to drink okay?" He said, picking Jiyong up and carrying him to the coffee table. Jiyong let out a low groan, burying his head in his arm. Seunghyun knew the symptoms; the lights were way too bright for Jiyong's eyes now. He placed a glass of water on the table, peeling the boy away from his comfortable position much to his protest. "Drink up." He gestured. 

"Don't wanna..." Jiyong whined. "I feel terrible."

"Drink," he lifted the glass to the boy's lips, making sure he drank more than half. He sat down beside the boy, lighting a cigarette and Jiyong made a face at the smell, inching away from Seunghyun. In his hung over and wasted state, the usually comforting smell of tobacco made him even more nauseous. Seunghyun scowled at him, turning to face the TV, "you should have known better than to go on a rampage last night." He scolded, "It's never going to be pretty the next morning." 

Jiyong hummed, leaning his chin on the table, "but I was so happy! It was our first anniversary!”

"Yes, yes, so I threw you a party and that justifies you having one too many drinks and too much in your system?" 

"I only had a couple of joints..." Seunghyun starred at him, cocking an eyebrow. "And some vodka, not too much though. Okay, okay I also had something up my arm" he mumbled, turning away from Seunghyun to look at the TV. 

"Bet you didn't even know who put what in your arm”, He reached over to Jiyong, who was still focused on the television. "Haven't we agreed to lay low on this?" 

Jiyong startled and Seunghyun thought he was going to come up with a smart excuse or at least feel sorry for what he had done. Instead the boy bolted up into a run, heading straight out the door without his shoes on. "What the Ji?" Seunghyun pulled on his shoes and ran after him, worried. "Jiyong!" He yelled, chasing the boy along the pedestrian pathway until a busy street.

Jiyong didn't make any move to slow down, he just kept running, bumping into people and not bothering to apologize. Seunghyun caught up with him, yanking him back by the arm as the boy almost crashed headlong into an oncoming bicycle. The rider swore loudly at them and Seunghyun apologized hastily, steadying Jiyong who tumbled against the sidewalk, bruising his palms. 

"Jiyong! What the ? What's wrong with you?" The blonde’s eyes were red and unfocused, his breathing heavy. "Jiyong!" He called again, smacking the boy lightly on the cheek until Jiyong tried to fight him off, nails digging angrily into Seunghyun's forearm. He pushed himself off the floor, getting up roughly on his feet, wiping fresh tears from his eyes as he broke into another run. "Goddamnit Ji!" Seunghyun swore, chasing after him again. Jiyong came to a stop at the foot of a new five-star hotel where a sizeable crowd had gathered, media and reporters from various magazines, newspapers and television stations. Seunghyun ran up to him, panting heavily, an angry frown on his face. "This isn't funny Ji, lets go home now!" 

Jiyong shook his arm off, taking a shaky step forward, trying to catch a glimpse of something that Seunghyun did not understand. 

"How has your family been?" A reporter asked. 

"My family?" The middle-aged man at the center of attention smiled, "the three of us are doing good, thank you. My wife and daughter will be flying in tonight." 

Jiyong began to wheeze, his chest suddenly tightening. He clutched hard at it, tears plodding out of his eyes. "Jiyong!" Seunghyun held him just as the violent coughing began, watching in horror as the petite boy threw up over the curb. Jiyong's nails dug against the fabric of his shirt, face growing pale as he fell to the ground, unable to bring air to his lungs. "," Seunghyun swore, breaking out in a sweat. He whipped out his cellphone to dial for help, while trying bringing Jiyong up to his feet. The younger boy collapsed again, bringing up another round of vomit. 

"Hey handsome," the female voice on the other line answered in her usual lazy drawl. 

"Noona, I need help."

She immediately recognized the urgency in his voice and sat bolt straight. "What’s wrong?" 

"It's Jiyong, he's having trouble breathing. He’s really sick; h-he's..." Seunghyun stumbled over his words, at a loss, "he's wheezing, throwing up. I don’t know, but I think it might be an asthma attack. I don’t know what to do!" He ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it. "I can't take him to another doctor, we both did some rounds last night. Help me noona!"  

"Take him home Hyun, I'll be right over. Keep him warm." The line clicked shut. 

Seunghyun bent to pick the boy up, Jiyong was now gasping, eyes shut tightly in pain, shaky arms circling around Seunghyun's neck finally acknowledging his boyfriend's presence. "Hy-yun... I can't... Can't breathe... I'm scared..." He trailed off, coughing again.  

"I'm getting you home. Noona's coming to take a look at you, you'll be alright." He broke into a small run despite the aching in his limbs, quickly pressing a kiss on Jiyong's hair to calm him as he hurried them back to the apartment. 

As soon as he had wrapped the shaking boy in jacket, the doorbell rang. Seunghyun turned sharply, but Jiyong would not let go of him. "Hyun..." He was speaking with increasing difficulty, the wheezing growing apparent. "Hyun... Don't go..." 

"It's noona, I'll be right back." He coaxed the boy back to bed and rushed to the door, wincing as he heard another set of coughing and gasping fill the room. 

"Seunghyun," there was no time for polite greetings, the lanky lady pushed past her brother. "Where is he?" Seunghyun gestured to the sound of the coughing and trailed behind his sister, leaning on the doorframe as she set her bag down. Jiyong had curled up under the blanket clutching the bed sheet and biting his lip to stifle the pain.

"Jiyong, it's Yu-Ni," Her voice was soft. "Jiyong, can you hear me?" 

Jiyong eyes opened slightly, before he coughed hard, bringing fresh tears to his eyes, lips parted in a desperate attempt to breathe normally. "Noon-a..." He rasped. 

"Seunghyun, does he have an inhaler?" When she got no response, she turned around yelling, "Seunghyun!" snapping her brother out of shock. "Inhaler, find it." She snapped, "Now." 

"Noona... I don't know, it's never happened before... I don't know if he has it!"

"Then find it! This doesn't happen overnight, not when it's this bad. Find the closet, bags, clothes pockets, everything! And do it fast!" 

The urgency in his sister's tone was ringing in his ears and Seunghyun bounded to the closets, going through all of Jiyong's items, clothing particles and bags... It had to be somewhere. He felt a small pouch inside one of Jiyong's beloved cartoon print bag and pulled it out, feeling the pouch for something cylindrical before extracting it. "Noona!" He yelled, running back to the bed.

"Help me with this," she gestured to Seunghyun to lift Jiyong upright. The boy let out a pained moan, grabbing at his boyfriend's shirt. Yu-Ni checked the content of the tube, before shaking it and inserting it between Jiyong's lips. "Jiyong, sweetheart, I need you to breathe for me okay? I know it hurts, but I need you to take a good deep breath." The boy nodded weakly, clutching Seunghyun tighter. "Okay, on three Jiyong." They watched as the boy took a deep breath, his slight form shuddering as he did so before Yu-Ni pulled out the inhaler and capped it. Gradually Jiyong's breathing began to regulate and he slipped into unconsciousness too strained from the whole ordeal. "Good boy," Yu-Ni coaxed the blonde’s hair, helping Seunghyun let Jiyong lie down. 

Seunghyun watched as his sister did her work, producing a syringe from its packaging and swabbing Jiyong's forearm, cursing when she saw the abrasions on the boy's palms and feet. "He got pretty scratched up." She said, turning to Seunghyun. 

The taller man nodded, his face grim, jaw set tight. "Is he going to be okay?" 

"Yes, I've given him a jab for good measure. He's going to need rest, but he's going to be fine." 

"Good." There was a flash of coldness in Seunghyun's eyes before he excused himself to the balcony for a cigarette. 

The broken skin on the grooves of Jiyong's palm and feet were still raw, she picked out the tiny bits of gravel that lodged in the cuts carefully, before swabbing the wound clean and then dressing them. She gave the boy a final check when she was done, making sure he was comfortable. The wheezing had subsided, replaced by labored breathing, Yu-Ni made a mental note to let Seunghyun call her again should the symptoms persist. Yu-Ni didn't need to see Seunghyun's face to know that he was angry. She knew her brother well enough to tell from the way he gripped the railings and the tensing in his shoulders when he heard her approach. "Hyunnie..." 

Seunghyun flinched at the mention of his childhood nickname. "This isn't the time to baby me, noona." 

"I guess you can't take a little loving now?" she shrugged, letting the crisp autumn air undo her hair as she turned to face him. "Are you mad at Ji?" 

Seunghyun turned to face her about to snap, gritting his teeth to bite down his anger. He exhaled to calm himself, shutting his eyes to block out rational. "Yes, yes I am. Little was trouble from the day we met..." 

She raised her eyebrow; "I hope to remind you that you met him at a crack-den you both visited."

"Of course,” a weary smile graced his lips. "He was in there everyday, always messed up, always on a trip or two. I had to crash in a den with him the first time and I absolutely hated it." He drew in a breath, "What I hated the most was his eyes, every time he looked at me, both fiercely defiant and vulnerable. It was painful to look at him, I wanted to get him out of my vision, out of my mind; this tangled mess of color and bony limbs." Seunghyun extracted a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply, his eyes focusing on the curl of grey smoke that left his hands and lips. "He brought disorder everywhere he went, looking at people like they mattered less to him than the high he was going to have. He didn't care if he was picked on, or if he pissed someone else off; it was always just him, just him in that mad clash of colors and an attitude that was way bigger than his size..." He paused, a small smile playing on his face, "he was so crazy beautiful".

"You didn't know." She affirmed, leaning her head on Seunghyun's shoulders to offer him some comfort in his dilemma. 

His frame shook as he breathed, gripping tighter on the rails. "No I didn't." 

Yu-Ni sighed, turning to leave. "I would suggest not letting the anger get your head Hyunnie. I'll go back to pick up some medicine for Jiyong. Make sure he doesn't get cold." 

Seunghyun made himself coffee and stayed outside for a while with a packet of cigarettes for company. Occasionally he would turn to check on Jiyong, but he didn't want to be in the room, not with him, not now. He needed some time to clear his head. How could he have loved a person so much and yet know so little about him? Were there signs that he did not pick up? He crushed the second cigarette into the glass ashtray, exhaling out the last bit of smoke with a frown. What else did he not tell him? How could he have not told him about something this serious?  

‘How could he?’ 

The handsome man started to withdraw into his thoughts, a multitude of questions rushing to his head; the person on the bed suddenly feeling like a complete stranger, a ghost silhouette too far away for him to reach. He felt too helpless, too estranged. Perhaps it was a mistake right from the start; maybe everyone had been right about Jiyong. Perhaps he was really too complicated to understand, and he should have thought twice and over before he gave his heart to that pretty-faced kid. Seunghyun put out another cigarette, immediately retrieving the packet to light a fresh stick. He wasn’t a chain smoker usually, but today he felt like he needed it more than ever. “,” he muttered when the packet turned up empty, the coffee in his cup reduced to cold dregs that sat in circles at the base. Without second thought, he picked up his phone and sent a quick text to his sister to inform her that he was heading out, asking her to take the rest of the day off and to return to his apartment soonest. ‘Don’t call me,’ he added, ‘I’ll be back when I’m done.’ Grabbing his bag, Seunghyun took a lingering look at the boy asleep in his bed, allowing time to stand still, letting his breath leave him, feeling the ache in his chest grow from longing, desire and want until the pain set in and he could no longer stand being within the same walls as Jiyong. Finally inhaling, he grabbed his coat; the mad rush of oxygen filling his lungs. Seunghyun spun on his heels towards an open door, eyes and mind dropping the last strains of contact with the boy. He needed to get out of here.