Part 20
Hyunjin pressed Felix onto the treatment bed in the infirmary. When he gently laid him down, Felix's eyes squeezed shut tightly in pain and his lower lip trembled from the deep ache still radiating from his lower back. Felix's hands instinctively remained clasped around Hyunjin's neck, clinging on for support as his body was unable to sit up properly. Hyunjin's gaze remained intensely fixed on Felix, their breaths mingling in the charged space between them
"What happened?" the doctor asked immediately, his eyes moving critically between them
Hyunjin pulled away abruptly. The doctor looked at him, and a flicker of doubt crossed his face was this an accident, or something worse? He couldn't be sure. Felix stared at the floor, too ashamed to look up
"Both of us slipped on wet soap during cleaning and got injured" Hyunjin said smoothly, his voice low and steady, trying to calm Felix down a bit
"You go sit on that chair, a doctor will come to medicate your head" the doctor instructed Hyunjin, pointing to a seat nearby
Before complying, Hyunjin approached a guard and whispered something urgent in his ear. The guard immediately turned and left the room
Hyunjin then sat on the designated chair and another doctor approached, beginning the process of cleaning the bleeding wound on Hyunjin's head
Hyunjin's eyes never left Felix. He watched Felix's eyelashes fluttering and his strained attempt to appear normal despite the immense, visceral pain
It was the first time Hyunjin had felt a peculiar sense of softness not that he regretted what he did to Felix, because if he hadn't done it yesterday, he would have done it today and if not today, he would have done it any other day. But another sensation drowned out all others. Felix had said his name. Hyunjin realized it was the first time he'd ever heard it on Felix's mouth
Then, after approximately seven minutes, the guard returned. Hyunjin immediately stood up
"Your wound still isn't properly..." the nurse began to speak but Hyunjin didn't listen
Hyunjin approached the guard and took a fresh shirt from him. Prisoners always have a few extra shirts for changing after exercise or work
"You can leave" Hyunjin commanded, his voice brooking no argument
The doctor treating Felix knew exactly what kind of person Hyunjin was and understood that he did not like to repeat himself. He quickly signaled to the other nurse to gather their things and go outside
Hyunjin approached Felix
"Let me take your clothes off," Hyunjin said, reaching for Felix's jacket
Felix said nothing, his body yielding as if a puppet in Hyunjin's hands
Hyunjin began removing the torn shirt, his gaze fixed on all the bruises and harsh marks that were starkly imprinted on Felix's body
He then put on the fresh undershirt and the clean uniform shirt over it
"If you don't want the marks on your neck to show, keep this buttoned" Hyunjin said calmly, his fingers efficiently securing the top button
He then knelt down and slowly began pulling Felix's pants up from his knees. His hands paused slightly, A brief internal struggle passed over his features, but for now he pushed the dark desire from his mind.
He gently pulled the pants fully up and then sat on the other side of the treatment table
"Let me bandage your hands" Hyunjin said, extending his hand
The doctor had only been able to clean the wounds on Felix's torn hands not bandage them
Felix hesitantly extended his right hand and Hyunjin took it, bringing out a white bandage to wrap the raw wounds
Hyunjin looked at Felix's small, fragile hands, which were so much smaller and more delicate compared to his own large hands
He finished bandaging the first hand, gently cleaned the other and finished the job
"So you finally... did what you wanted" Felix said weakly, his voice barely a rasp "Are you satisfied now?" Tears pooled visibly in his large, exhausted eyes, reflecting the dim light of the infirmary
Hyunjin raised his head and looked directly into Felix's accusatory gaze. He couldn't answer, a strange, heavy silence trapping his reply. He didn't even understand why the words wouldn't form
The silence was abruptly shattered by a loud commotion at the door. It was Jae-bum's voice, raised and furious, fighting with the guard to force his way inside
When Jae-bum burst through and saw Felix lying on the treatment bed and Hyunjin standing near him, he fell instantly silent. Hyunjin slowly stood up straight and placed the finished white bandage roll back in its container
Jae-bum immediately rushed to Felix's side and gently examined his bandaged hands
"Are you feeling better now, Lix?" Jae-bum said, his voice thick with anxiety as he placed a large, gentle hand on Felix's cheek
Hyunjin moved away and leaned against the wall, his arms tightly crossed, watching the intimate exchange
"I'm fine, Hyung....don't worry" Felix managed, forcing a strained smile through his exhausted eyes
"I'm... so sorry" Jae-bum suddenly whispered
Felix looked at him in shock "Why ... are you apologizing?"
Jae-bum gently and carefully placed his hands on Felix's hips, his concern palpable "I said I'd protect you from everything but I failed again. You always end up in trouble and I can never seem to help you"
"Don't blame yourself, Hyung....How could you have ...p ... possibly known I'd slip and get injured?" Felix insisted, desperately clinging to the false narrative
Hyunjin let out a sharp click of his tongue in blatant annoyance, pushing himself off the wall and then walked out without a word
"If you're feeling better, let's go to our cell and get some rest there" Jae-bum said, his focus immediately returning to Felix
Felix nodded, and Jae-bum stood up to help Felix to his feet. Felix's legs were in so much pain it hurt to even attempt to stand and his lower back felt like it was on fire but he had to maintain the charade that his injuries were only from a simple fall. He knew things would escalate and get infinitely worse for Jae-bum if the truth of the assault were ever exposed
Jae-bum carefully guided Felix back to their cell. Felix looked at his bunk, calculating the painful effort it would take just to sit down and then lie back
"You don't want to lie down?" Jae-bum asked, noticing his hesitation
"Huh... Y-yes, I'll lie down now" Felix stammered. He placed his hands on the edge of the bunk and slowly tried to sit, his entire body trembling as he suppressed the flare of pain in his back
"Just rest. I'll go and take care of your chores for you" Jae-bum said gently
"I don't ... know what to say. Thank you so much, Hyung" Felix managed, his gratitude genuine.
Jae-bum smiled warmly and left. At first, a nagging doubt remained in Jae-bum's mind he still suspected the injury wasn't just from a fall. He decided to go straight to the secluded room Felix had mentioned. What shocked Jae-bum was that Felix's story appeared to be true, the floor was very wet, and lying near the supposed spot of impact was a small rock with a bit of blood on it
"Jae-bum?" Si Hun approached him with concern, carrying a bucket "Is Felix okay?"
"He's better now, Si Hun" Jae-bum smiled, reassured by the physical evidence and touched by the boy's concern
"I've finished my own chores and I know you've finished yours too but if you're doing Felix's, I want to help" Si Hun smiled earnestly
"No, you don't have to—" Jae-bum started to say
But Si Hun had already started cleaning the nearest section of the hallway
Felix was now lying on his left side on his bunk, his eyes closed. He just wanted to sleep for a moment or do anything else to numb the overwhelming pain
A single tear escaped the frantic flutter of his eyelashes, tracing a hot, silent path down his cheek. It was the only response he could muster Hyunjin had assaulted him so harshly that words had died in his throat, leaving only this quiet, searing pain
"I hate ... you so much" Felix whispered weakly and bitterly to the silence of the cell
Meanwhile, Hyunjin was sitting in the library, utterly unable to focus on reading. He had told the guards to thoroughly clean the training room and leave no evidence and to later deliver clean clothes for Felix. He couldn't stop thinking about how much Felix cared for Jae-bum and how Jae-bum felt the same possessive attachment
He closed the book harshly and left the library, his obsession fueling his next action
Later, when it was nearly 7:30 PM, Felix had finally fallen asleep after insisting to Jae-bum he didn't want to eat dinner.
Jae-bum came back to the cell later, visibly exhausted from covering both men's duties and sat heavily on his bunk
"You must be very tired right Hyung?" Felix asked, waking slightly
"Huh? No, actually, Si Hun was very helpful too" Jae-bum smiled, grateful for the help
Suddenly, a guard entered the cell. Felix and Jae-bum looked at him in confusion
"Jae-bum, you won't be in this cell anymore" the guard announced flatly
Felix and Jae-bum looked at each other in shock, the implications hitting them instantly
"What do you mean?" Jae-bum raised his voice slightly, his concern turning to defiance
"From now on, you'll move to another cell because someone else..." the guard trailed off, unable or unwilling to finish the sentence
"I'm not going anywhere!" Jae-bum shouted, standing up
Suddenly, Hyunjin entered the cell, carrying a small bundle of personal belonging
"Wow, your voice is so loud" Hyunjin said, his tone a lazy drawl that didn't match the sharpness in his eyes "Hurry up and leave my cell, I'm very tired" A smirk played on his lips as he leaned against the doorframe
Hyunjin's gaze shifted, landing directly on Felix. He took in the wide, glassy eyes, the parted lips frozen mid-breath, the sheer paralysis of fear. Seeing the profound shock he'd caused, his smirk widened into something cruel and satisfied
"Hello, my new cellmate"