Grounded and Wounded

[X]

Barom’s eyes widen as Sungjong’s expression changed. Quickly he began to shake his head, reaching out to hold the man’s shoulders. “No! No! I didn’t mean to make you upset. That was a terrible choice of words. I’m so sorry....” He chewed on his bottom lip, rubbing Sungjong’s shoulder’s slowly. “No, you didn’t take advantage of me. I’m gay. I just..haven’t had sexy with anyone in years. You are the second person I have had sex with.” 

The mechanic took a small step back, his bottom lip still between his teeth. He was beginning to feel like a crappy person for what he had said to the smaller male. Conversing was something he genuinely needed to work on before he got himself into any more trouble. Maybe staying quiet was the best way to do things. Awkwardly, he reached out and patted Sungjong’s head. The whole time his expression was twisted in uncertainty. 

Patting someone’s head was like treating him or her like a child. Sungjong was not a child and Barom felt like he messed up again. “You aren’t a kid,” he mumbled out loud, feeling even dumber than he had before. “I....” Again he sighed, stepping away completely to hop up on the counter. Barom sat there, staring at the ground as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I’m really bad with conversations. I should probably just shut up and let you go, right?” He looked up, bangs in his eyes. 

“Come on. Would I allow you to get hurt? I am very responsible person. Plus, whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” He skated towards the doubtful looking Barom. A small girl, no older than 8 years old, zoomed past them.

[X]

“I have to be able to work to walk...” he mumbled, clinging to the smaller male for dear life. Sungjong was much tinier than him, but he still felt more comfortable knowing the boy was there to help him. “I’m...sorry that I....cannot...skate...I’m ruining our outing.” Barom holding the boy firmly, tucking Sungjong’s head underneath his chin. 

[X]

“This isn’t a good idea, Shinwoo,” the mechanic hissed. Something was telling that there was something wrong.  There was something sinister jut beyond the last group of trees. He didn’t like it and he didn’t want the young child anywhere near it. 

“Something is wrong, Shinwoo. Sheis better off with you. I don’t...I don’t know what you are, but I know YOU can protect her. She is happy with you...Do you really want to uproot her from everything she knows?” He did his best not to sound like he was pleading, but he was.  Barom had never been good with words and even know he was failing to convey what he was feeling. 

Even as a kid he was terrible as speaking so he just remained mute. Right now the young male was wishing that he had learned how to communicate better. At the moment he was a worried father that was trying to stop a young man from doing something he was going to regret. “Shinwoo, ple-” He paused, eyes darting around the dark scenery.

[X]

Barom felt his fingers twitching and his muscles twitching. In his mind he could picture his hands on Sungjong’s thighs, traveling to caress ever inch of the smaller male’s body. Quickly, the mechanic shook his head as if it would help shake the thought from his brain. Another tense roll of his shoulders then the feeling was gone, temporarily. Sungjong seemed to have a strange power over him. He didn’t know what it was and he was still trying to find out how dangerous it was. 

Obviously it could do some harm or at least motivate Barom to do things he normally would not. Sleeping with Sungjong had been jarring enough, but maybe it wasn’t so bad. The two of them knew nothing about each other. Sungjong didn’t know about his life and that was good enough for Barom. 

“I’m not upset.” He wasn’t upset. Anymore. “I just don’t do this kind of thing. I don’t sleep with anyone. I’m not a people kind of person. I usually just go to the bar to drink...so I can relax a little.” The mechanic rubbed the back of his neck, hopping up on the counter. Standing there like an idiot was making his back hurt. Maybe that was something else though. 

[X]

He hadn’t been asleep long when he heard it. Silence. Silence buzzed against his eardrums violently. It stung and pinched at him. The only people in the cabin were Isabella and himself. Like the shutter of a camera, Barom’s eyes opened, adjusting to the darkness around him. The clothes he had laid out for Yunji were untouched. The rest of the cabin was undisturbed. Untangling himself from the sheets, the mechanic went to the window to the see the car still sitting there in the dark. 

His lips pressed together firmly as he thought about all the possible things that could have happened. With Shinwoo anything was possible. All of Barom’s worries were on Yunji, not the emotionless rock that was her caretaker. “The fuck is your problem, kid....” Isabella remained asleep as he got dressed. Never would he ever leave her alone, but his daughter was safer in the confines of the cabin. Taking the girl with him would slow him down and put her in even more danger. 

Whatever Shinwoo was up to with the child that he carried with him put a knot in Barom’s stomach. He didn’t know if it was the father in or not but he couldn’t help but want to stop Shinwoo. He was going to stop Shinwoo. 

[X]

When he re-entered the hotel room he noticed more tears were running down Yoongi’s face. “Hey....” he spoke softly, afraid to speak any louder than a whisper. Rabbits ran when they were startled. “What’s wrong? Huh? You don’t need to cry. Things can only get better from here on out. I promise.” The mechanic smiled as he held the boy’s face in his large, rough hands. Yoongi was like a small child and Barom wanted to hold him, soothe his hair, and whisper fairy tales in his ear. Yoongi wasn’t a child and he was not Barom’s child. He was a college student, a stranger that the mechanic was helping out. Acting too friendly would really run him off despite all the help Barom was offering him. 

[X]

Barom frowned when he saw that Yoongi’s face was covered and something in his voice seemed off. Without a word, he stepped in, reaching up to touch the slightly red cheeks, feeling the soft skin. “Were you crying? Did something happen?” The mechanic closed the door to the hotel room with his foot. It was starting to get chilly outside. All the heat would leave the room if they left it open. 

It felt strange to be caring for a complete stranger, but Barom had a certain weakness that once exploited, was hard to control. Yoongi was cute and gentle. In Barom’s mind that translated into a fluffy white bunny. Yoongi was Barom’s bunny now and he was going to take care of the boy. Isabella was going to adore him. She had always wanted a rabbit. 

[X]

Barom’s day finished at 1:40 that afternoon. The old man had let him out early so he could get Yoongi all settled. Depending on how much stuff Yoongi had, it would only take a little while. Plus there was the lunch that they had planned. Barom’s favorite pizza was the meat deluxe or the seafood meat one. The seafood pizza was a little more expensive, but if Yoongi wanted it Barom would get it. Yoongi was the one changing his life so this would be Barom’s treat for the college student. 

On his way back to his apartment, Barom grabbed a new heater for the room so Yoongi wouldn’t be cold. It was small enough to fit in the corner; the device would be out of the way so the other male could put his belongings where he wanted within the room. Fifteen minutes later the mechanic was in his car with the heater, headed to the address Yoongi had given him.