Love the Way You Lie
Love the Way You Lie
It's only been a few minutes, but hues of blues and purples already begin to surface, a stark contrast against the pale skin of Hakyeon's cheek. Above it, a shallow gash oozes blood, leaving a line of sticky warmth trailing down to his jaw and onto his chin. But he's not worried about it; he's tended to worse, stitched his own wounds, splinted broken appendages.
An eerie silence filters in from the other room. Wonshik is undoubtedly tending to the wounds he had recieved when Hakyeon had shoved him down into the coffee table. He'd seen the blood dripping down his arm, so he knows he has a few minutes to himself before it all starts over.
When nothing comes from the living room, no shuffle of feet, no angry out bursts, Hakyeon gathers what's left of his confidence and ventures out of the bedroom. The first thing he takes notice of is the way Wonshik paces the other side of the room. The stance is familiar, and so is the way his skin glistens with a thin sheen of sweat. His gaze shifts to the small eating table off to the side where an assortment of instruments lies, opened and used. There's no doubt of it now - Wonshik used again.
"You pomised!" Hakyeon screams at him and tears flood his eyes, stinging his cheek when they streak into the gouge. "You promised me, no more!"
Wonshik whips around to face him, fury lining his expression. To Hakyeon, who has seen the other at his worst, thinks nothing of this look; it's normal, something he's seen on him a thousand times or more. "Shut up! You don't get to say that to me! You made promises, too, and you broke every ing one of them!!"
His shouts are followed by a swift turn and Wonshik lays his fits into the drywall. Hakyeon flinches then, because he knows that when he throws punches, it starts with the walls and usually ends with new wounds to fix up. He knows better than to move, but the throb in his cheek pulls him and he takes a step backwards. Not far is the door to the bedroom, but he's not sure if he can make it inside before Wonshik gets to him. At this point, he figures the consequences won't be any worse than remaining out in the open.
Another measured step back and Hakyeon has a little more hope that he can escape this time. A third step shatters it all as the back of his knee hits a small table, knocking over the lamp that had been perched on the edge. It crashes against the floor, shattering over the hardwood. Hakyeon doesn't even take a glance at the other male before he's scrambling across the room, reaching for the bedroom door. Behind him, he can hear Wonshik stumbling over furniture to get to him.
The door slams shut at the last moment and after sliding the dead bolt into place, Hakyeon presses his weight against the wood for reinforecement. He feels the initial force of Wonshik's shoulder ramming against the door, followed by furious demands to let him in, demands which are denied. Pounding shakes the door for a time before silence takes over once again. It's just as eerie and frightening as it had been, and then it's disrupted when shattering glass rings in Hakyeon's ears.
In an instant, Hakyeon knows that he's throwing things, breaking anything that can be broken because he can't break what he really wants to. It goes on for nearly half an hour and by the time it's quite, the male has sunk to the floor and tears stain his cheeks. He sits there a while longer before deciding that he's had enough, that he's done with living like this, living in feat. It's a dangerous decision but he needs to leave before he gets in too deep.
Slowly, he rises to his feet and pries the door open carefully, just enough so that he can slip out. His plan is to sneak out as quietly as he can, to leave before Wonshik can catch him. He doesn't have anything with him, but he doesn't need anything but a key so that he can come back when no one is home to fetch his things. But glass crunches beneath his shoes and when he lifts his eyes he catches the hard gaze of his boyfriend. He ignores it and steps carefully over the broken glass.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm leaving."
Hakyeon isn't sure how he manages it, but in a few simple strides Wonshik is standing between him and the front door. He's not much taller, but the younger male's form has a menacing touch to it, a strong build that the elder knows all too well.
"You're not going anywhere unless I say so," Wonshik grinds out. "Now get your back in that bedroom and stay there until I say, or else I'll tie you to the ing bed and leave you there."
Hakyeon ignores the threat and moves to step past the taller boy but a hand comes up and grips his arm. The hold is quick to make him bite on his tongue to stop the cry of pain that catches in his throat. After a moment, he tries to shake him off but all he gets is a tighter, unrelenting hold.
"Stop this, Wonshik!" He screams in his face as he struggles to free himself from the grip he now has on his shoulders. "Stop! I can't do this anymore! Please, just let me go!"
"You want to go?" Wonshik spits out at him before turning with him in his grip. "Go then." Hakyeon stumbles into the door frame as he's pushed. "Go! Leave, and don't come back! And you better hope I don't ever catch you around here again."
It's not an empty threat and Hakyeon doesn't plan to take it lightly. Even so, he doesn't give Wonshik a second glance before pushing away from the wall, yanking the door open, and storming outside.
Hakyeon only makes it to the end of the driveway and stops. Frustration boils just beneath the surface. He needs to walk away, to leave this destruction behind and make a better life for himself. But he can't. He doesn't know why, but he just can't. A strangled cry tears from his throat as he sinks to his knees, rock, gravel, and concrete biting at his skin through his jeans. His nails dig into his thighs, threatening to tear through the denim just as he teeth are on the verge of breaking the skin on his lips.
Minutes pass and he doesn't move, he can't bring himself to, not that he wants to move because his whole body aches with bruises, visible and not.
"Hakyeon..."
If the male didn't know that voice so well, he wouldn't have known who it belonged to by the tenderness of the tone. The feeling of fingers on his shoulder makes him flinch, but he doesn't pull away. It's a crucial moment of silence, he knows that. For the few seconds that remain, he knows he has the chance to pull away, to leave, but each minute he doesn't move is another chance lost. Before long, he knows it's all gone.
"Come here," Wonshik says softly and helps Hakyeon to his feet.
Hakyeon meets his gaze for a moment and only a moment, because after that Wonshik is leaning in, pressing their lips together. A familiar warmth floods his chest. He has an important decision to make and only a few seconds to make it before things explode again.
He makes his choice and he moves. His lips part against Wonshik's and he kisses him back. A quiet response to a silent request. Hakyeon knows what this could mean, knows that it could kill him - that it may very well be the end of him one of these days - but he can't leave. He won't leave, because as much as Wonshik hurts him, they need each other.
Little does he know that this is his last chance. Next time he tries to leave, he won't make it past the front door.
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