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After rereading the same paragraph of words three times and not absorbing any of them, Minho lowered the novel and rubbed his eyes.
He picked up his phone that he had left on the bed right next to him, checking for new messages even though he had just checked it again five minutes ago. It was already past 2am and the manager had texted them more than thirty minutes ago in the group chat to update them on the situation and let them know that he would be returning to the hotel with the other right away.
So why exactly hadn’t his boyfriend come to him or texted him to announce his return to the hotel?
The heaviness in his heart grew and grew, swelling in his heart and solidifying into a stone of significant proportions that weighed his chest down, making it harder for him to breathe.
Tossing his phone back down on the mattress, he made a decision then and got up from his bed to exit his hotel room.
Despite the late hour, the corridors were still vibrant with life. Doors opened and closed as their staff members walked from one room to another, working into the night to finish preparations for their next concert and other schedules. Even the doors that remained close had voices originating from behind them, letting him know that their occupants were still up.
Everyone was still hard at work, pushing on despite the fatigue that must have been weighing them down after the long, exhausting concert of the night.
But right now, for Minho, his own fatigue had been swept to the back of his mind because he had something else to worry about.
Someone else, to be exact.
The carpeted floors of the hotel corridor made each step that he took feel heavier than usual and the resulting thumps of his footfalls echoed the nervous pounding of his heart.
Minho came to a stop in front of the room door he had memorised, pausing and hesitating before it as he licked his lips.
In the end, he pushed through with his earlier decision and unlocked the door with the spare card key he had, opening it quietly just in case the other had indeed returned and fallen asleep. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him just as quietly.
The only lights in the room that had been left on were the bedside lamps on either side of the hotel bed, their soft glow straining against the darkness. Minho’s gaze swept the dim room, instinctively going towards the hotel bed which was decidedly vacant.
But then he realised.
There was a motionless figure sitting in the chair before the desk tucked in the corner of the room. Because the other hadn’t reacted at all when he entered, Minho had made the mistake of not noticing him on his first glance around the room.
He approached his boyfriend with slow steps while the other was either oblivious to his presence or choosing to ignore him.
And honestly, with Hwang Hyunjin, both were a possibility.
The younger was curled up in the chair, his folded body making him seem even smaller than usual. His shoulders were hunched and one of his arms was draped loosely over the opposite shoulder like he was hugging himself as his other hand, wrapped in a cast, rested limply on his lap. On the desk in front of him was a piece of drawing paper, his watercolour palette and several paint brushes.
As he got closer, Minho caught a glimpse of the harsh, aggressive streaks of blue paint that marked the piece of drawing paper and noticed how the paint brushes were scattered at random spots around the table like they had been tossed across the wooden surface in a fit of rage.
“Hyunjin?” Minho called out quietly, crouching down next to his boyfriend’s chair so he could see the other’s face.
Hyunjin turned to look at him with a blank expression.
It was the expression that hurt Minho the most because he would rather be able to see his boyfriend’s emotions written across his face than have to look at this careful mask the other had donned. He was willing to shoulder his beloved’s frustration, anger, sadness and pain together with him but when the younger closed himself off in this manner, it only made him feel helpless and fearful.
Terrified that if he only made the tiniest wrong move, he would accidentally shatter his entire world into pieces.
Because right now, this Hyunjin was as vulnerable as glass and needed to be protected as such.
Lifting his arm, Minho gently covered his boyfriend’s uninjured hand with his own, rubbing the pad of his thumb soothingly over the soft skin on the back of the other’s hand. It was a silent reminder that he was there for the other no matter what.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He said I’ll need treatment and that I should avoid using this hand to give it time to recover.”
Hyunjin’s eyes slipped away from his face after those words to return to the blank space on the wall where he had been staring at, lips pressed together. Minho got the message and didn’t press for further details even though he anxiously wanted to know more about the other’s condition.
Even so, he didn’t remove his hand and instead, settled down cross-legged on the ground next to the other’s chair to give his boyfriend the time he needed. He would be there for his boyfriend regardless of what the other needed, even if it was just a comforting, quiet presence at his side.
Eventually, when the red digits on the hotel room clock told him that it was 3.34am in the morning, Hyunjin’s head dipped slightly and his eyelashes started fluttering in his attempt to keep his eyes open.
It was then that Minho climbed to his feet gingerly, fingers closing around the other’s wrist. “Why don’t we go to bed, love?”
There was no response from the other but when Minho gave the younger’s wrist a gentle tug, Hyunjin let himself be guided from the chair towards the bed. Once they were in front of the still neatly-made bed, the older released the other’s wrist for a moment to pull down the bed covers and rearrange the pillows.
As Minho was fluffing one of the pillows, a heavy weight pressed against his back.
He froze as his boyfriend inhaled deeply before saying the words that he dreaded hearing so much from the other.
“I’m sorry.”
Minho’s heart broke in that instance and he turned around to draw Hyunjin into his arms, taking care to be wary of the cast on the younger’s hand.
“Don’t say that. There’s no reason for you to be sorry,” he murmured into the other’s ear, rubbing the other’s back with one hand in reassuring motions. “Why would you apologise when you’re the one hurting?”
Hyunjin leaned further into their embrace, melting into Minho’s arms. “But everything’s a result of my carelessness. I caused trouble. Now the concert won’t go perfectly and our Stays will be disappointed. No, they’re probably already disappointed in me after last night’s concert.”
“That’s not true at all. I’m sure that our fans are proud of you for continuing to perform so passionately despite your injury. There’s no way they’re going to be disappointed in you for something like this,” Minho stated firmly as he planted a soft kiss on the side of the other’s forehead. “Besides, accidents like this happen and it’s not your fault that it did. It’s no one’s fault.”
“No.” Hyunjin shook his head stubbornly. “It’s my fault.”
“Fine,” Minho declared in exasperation. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine then. It’s my fault for not protecting my boyfriend and allowing him to be hurt by a door. Which door was it that hurt you? I’m going to destroy it. And to prevent you from getting hurt again, I’m not letting you touch any doors from now on.”
“How am I supposed to get in and out of places if I can’t touch doors?” Hyunjin asked, a hint of amusement creeping into his tired voice.
“Hm, I’ll just have to open and close all the doors for you from now on then. Lee Minho, boyfriend extraordinaire and personal door opener.” As the younger lifted his head up from where it had previously been resting on his shoulder, Minho cupped the other’s face in the palm of one hand to hold him still as he brushed their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss. “I’ll protect you from all the extremely dangerous doors.”
Letting out a snort of amusement, Hyunjin chased the older’s lips for another sweet kiss. “You’re being ridiculous, hyung.”
“As ridiculous as you insisting that everything’s your fault?”
They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment before Hyunjin gave a wet chuckle, moving forward to cling to his boyfriend again.
“It’s okay. Everything will be fine, love.” Minho pressed another kiss to the side of the younger’s cheek, hand gently petting the other’s head. “Don’t worry about anything. The only thing you need to focus on now is resting well and getting better.”
Hyunjin nodded, arm tightening around his boyfriend’s torso. “Will you… stay here tonight with me, hyung?”
“I never planned on leaving," Minho smiled.
In the dim room, their warmth intertwined with each other’s, their hands clutching onto one another firmly. They held each other close enough that their shadows became one.
“Hyung, thank you.”