[M] Chapter 1 (1/1)

Gikwang groaned, arching his back from the overload of pleasure Doojoon was giving him. The older boy covered his mouth gently to muffle the sound. It wasn’t the first time they had spent the night together and they had managed to control the noises to a fine art so that no-one would catch them. Their bodies slid together, perspiration causing a beautiful sheen to collect on their pale skin. Doojoon’s chest heaved as he pushed in for the last time, dealing a meaningful and accurate thrust right to the younger boy’s sweet spot. Gikwang closed his eyes and let out a soft moan as he came undone in his lover’s hand; they had to make sure they didn’t leave any remnants of their lovemaking behind. Doojoon panted as he too released, pressing a gentle kiss on the corner of Gikwang’s mouth before pulling out and holding his short love in his arms. It was a pleasure they had learned to depend on in the monotonous four walls they had known as home since they could remember.“I love you, Gikwang.” Doojoon whispered, tears in his eyes. He always felt emotional professing his love to the younger, as loving had eluded every child in the institution. It felt good to be able to interact with someone not quite so insane with the perpetual nothingness of the building like every other child was. It was part of the curse that came with being an orphan, Doojoon supposed.“I love you more.” Gikwang replied, allowing a small genuine smile to form on his lips. Doojoon shook his head, bringing his hand up to stroke the bony cheek of his younger love.“Not possible.” He whispered lovingly. Gikwang blushed, his pale, sickly face lighting up and looking a little healthier. “You’re so skinny, Kiki.” He noted sadly, running his fingers through the wiry strands of black hair on the shorter boy’s head.“I’ve always been skinny. So have you, Doojoonie. It’s not like we get a ton of food, is it?” Gikwang answered glumly. Doojoon kissed his lips softly again, smiling.“No we don’t, that’s true. You’re still beautiful, anyway.” He said, his voice positive and sweet. He always managed to cheer Gikwang up, no matter how annoyed or down he felt. Sometimes, the short boy thought that without Doojoon, he would’ve tried to run for it a long time ago. Doojoon had always been there to make him see that it would never work on his own and that the punishment for being caught would be worse than just staying. “Besides, when we get out of here, I’ll get that job and I’ll buy you all the food your heart desires.” Doojoon continued in a wistful voice as he thought about their shared dream.“I can’t wait to get out of here with you. In a few more years we will have the plan finished! Then we can start our big adventure.”  Gikwang said dreamily. Doojoon nodded.“Someday soon, Kiki, someday soon.  We just gotta wish hard enough!”Suddenly, the bell rang. It was eight o’clock, time for the nightly room check to make sure each child was properly asleep and all the lights were out. If any child were to be caught out of bed past this time, they would be punished with eight lashes of the whip or time in solitary confinement, depending on the reason they gave and the mood of the warden on duty. Gikwang’s eyes widened.“Shit.” Doojoon hissed, hopping up from the bed and pulling his clothes on hastily. Gikwang did the same, both boys silently scrambling around to get dressed so they could run back to their rooms and hope to God they wouldn’t be caught. They shared one last lightning-quick kiss before darting in opposite directions from the spare room they met up in after work. It was a good place for these escapades, because no-one ever went there due to the fact that it was being saved for other children to join in the future. There was never any reason for the wardens to wander around there. Only problem was, it just happened to be quite far away from both of their own rooms.Gikwang’s heart hammered in his chest as he ran as fast as his legs would let him. They had fooled around almost every night for a year, but this was the first time they had let it get so late. He cursed himself for talking so much before they started and skidded into the room, dashing over to his bed and clambering in. One of the little children in the room gave him a worried look, but he just gave them a reassuring smile and gestured for them to get to sleep quickly. The child squeezed his eyes shut and sucked his thumb. Gikwang then pulled the sheets over his head and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. His head pounded with worry as he hoped with all his being that Doojoon had made it back safely. He crossed his fingers and whispered all the prayers he had learned into his own skin.Doojoon had further to go. His room was quite a long way down the hall. He swore under his breath as the dark building was difficult to navigate. He just simply couldn’t remember which one of the endless doors down the long corridor was his room. It all looked exactly the same. He slowed to a jog, desperately running his eyes over each door to find something that would set it apart from the rest of them. His breath hitched in his throat.“Come on.. come on! For the love of-“ Doojoon’s panicked whispers were cut off as he noticed a light at the end of the corridor working its way towards him. “Shit, shit, shit..” He closed his eyes and pressed his back to the wall in a vain attempt of being unnoticed. The warden stood in front of Doojoon and held his lamp up, smirking.“Ah, Yoon Doojoon, not in bed, I see.” The warden drawled. Doojoon trembled, bracing himself for the beating. “So, why might that be?” he carried on. Doojoon hated this warden the most. He was the type to appear cocky and teasing to begin with and then thrash with the most force when he felt like it. Punishment was this man’s favourite pastime. Doojoon straightened up, keeping silent.“Defiance? Well, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the likes of you.” The warden spat cruelly. The boy ground his teeth together to stop himself saying something he would regret. His thoughts went back to Gikwang and he held his tongue. He knew if he said anything that he would risk getting his boyfriend in trouble and if he spoke back to the warden his punishment would be horrific, causing Gikwang to worry. Just imagining the short boy’s anxious frown made him want to glue his lips together. The warden sneered.He grabbed Doojoon by the collar of his mucky shirt and dragged him down the corridor. “If you won’t tell me why you are not in bed then I will have to force it out of you. Wretches like you deserve to be beaten within an inch of your life. Worthless runt.” He spat.When they reach the room used by the institution as solitary confinement, Doojoon was shoved hard against the wall. The warden slammed the door behind them and cracked his whip on the floor. Doojoon flinched but made no sound, willing himself to be strong for Gikwang. The man growled at the lack of reaction and pulled off the boy’s shirt, turning him around.The first strike stung. It sent a burn that crawled all over Doojoon’s back. He bit down hard on his lip and scrunched his eyes up, but still he made no noise. He had never been hit so hard in his life and he knew he was going to have to hide these wounds from his boyfriend for a long time. The warden sensed that the boy was distracting himself and dealt another three skin-breaking lashes to Doojoon’s skinny body. Blood dripped from the boy’s ripped skin at the sheer force of the whip and he dug his finger nails into his palm to control himself. He wanted nothing more than to cry and scream at that moment, but one short black-haired boy kept working his way back into his mind. Doojoon took the next four beatings without so much as wincing. With the last extra six strikes, the young boy could barely feel his back due to how numb the pain was making him.“Straighten up, boy.” The warden barked, wiping his blood-covered hands on his dirty trousers. Doojoon’s bent back ached. The pain was blinding. He straightened up silently, defiantly taking each new order as if it didn’t affect him although the blood dribbled down the back of his legs and pooled on the floor.“You’re spending the night in here for not answering your elders and betters when they ask you a question. Count yourself lucky it’s only for one night, boy. You had also better be ready for work immediately in the morning.” The man commanded, picking up Doojoon’s shirt that had been tossed to one side.“Can I have my shirt back, please?” Doojoon asked, his voice without a trace of anguish. The warden stared at him in disbelief.“Are you asking for another beating, boy?” he threatened. Doojoon held his gaze as if challenging him. The warden smirked. “You won’t be needing your shirt. Find another way of staying warm.”With that, the cruel man turned on his heel and left the room, the sound of the door forcefully shutting resounding around the small lonely room. Doojoon sat in the dark and crumpled, his knees giving way. His back positively throbbed , the open wounds losing so much blood that he felt dizzy. He didn’t have the energy to move despite being scared of the dark, so he curled up on the floor and wept, not caring that the position was putting his back under strain.