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“Oh, Eunyung! You're back home! I just-” Juwan started as Eunyung burst into their ghost house. It wasn't that scary anymore, but it's what others call it, it makes it stand out more that way. Eunyung ignored Juwan, rushing to his room and slamming the door immediately.
“Eunyung! What's wrong? Don't just slam the door!” Juwan asked, in a somewhat agitated yet still concerned tone. He stared at the blanket, hiding Eunyung inside. He came closer and put his hand on Eunyung's shoulder, not expecting him to lash out. “Just get out! Leave me alone- It's none of your business.”
Juwan almost set his hand on Eunyung's shoulder again but maybe he should just wait.. Eunyung probably didn't want him inside anymore, since they weren't that close. He'll just call Haejoon over to talk it out with him.
-
“Juwan? What happened?” Haejoon asked him, still setting his bag on the couch and taking his blouse off and revealing the top he had underneath. Juwan felt his hands get sweaty as he hurriedly tried to explain it to Haejoon. “Eunyung suddenly went inside and I tried to talk to him but he didn't even look at me and went straight inside of his room..! Honestly.. I tried to ask him but he just told me to get out..”
“I'll go try talking to him...” With a concerned look, Haejoon glanced at the stairs and to the other floors. He somewhat sighed, not knowing what Eunyung could've done this time. He just hopes it wasn't anything bad. Juwan's face somewhat lit up, but it still looked worried. “Thank you...”
Haejoon started to make his way up the stairs, leaving Juwan in the living room and looking at the room sign. 201. He hesitantly knocked, and with no response, he entered anyway. He was worried for Eunyung too, even if he didn't show it most of the time. Well, he worries for all of his friends but somehow Eunyung makes him more concerned than any of them.
“Eunyung?" Haejoon called out to him and seeing him in his bed, blanket covering his whole body. He shut the door, locking it, knowing that Eunyung probably didn't want anyone else to come in. Haejoon stares at him for a little while, knowing he's awake. Maybe he was just waiting for Eunyung to tell him to get out. “Uhh.. What happened?”
It was kind of hard to see, but he noticed Eunyung went tense at the question, and he pulled his blankets closer to cover himself away. Haejoon almost scoffed at the action, but he didn't. He went closer to Eunyung, testing the waters and placing his hand on what is probably his shoulder, trying to comfort him in some way. He expected a yell from what happened to Juwan, but surprisingly he's only met with silence.
“Eunyung, please tell me,” he asked again, giving a small tug on the blanket. Maybe he should just leave? Maybe Eunyung needed some space.. But what if that wasn't what he needed? He pursued on, his hand going to Eunyung's forearm through the blanket, and rubbing it in the most comforting way he possibly could, hoping he didn't seem weird.
Haejoon pondered on what to do next. He knew Eunyung could be kind of stubborn sometimes... usually he gets too annoyed to keep on asking, knowing that they'd probably get into a fight again with each other if he did, but something in his gut told him not to leave. A thought in his mind asks him if he just cares about Eunyung and he tries his best to ignore it, but it seems to linger in his mind.
“Just talk to me, Eunyung,” he tries to convince him again, and he could hear the worry in his voice. He hopes that Eunyung could hear it too. He hopes that it'll make Eunyung talk to him, but he sighs at the silence in the room. Haejoon stills his hand and takes it off Eunyung, stepping away from him and approaching the door.
“Some fuckers ganged up on me.”
Haejoon stops and turns back. He has become more concerned than he was earlier, and came back to the side of Eunyung's bed.
“Why?” he asked, he was anxious on why he was ganged but he felt more anxious if Eunyung was hurt or not.
“They thought I stole,” Eunyung shakily said after a few seconds of silence, curling up into his blanket more. It helped make him feel secure somewhat, like Haejoon couldn't see him. Like he didn't have to face whatever was left in the world.
A door opening and closing noise then soon followed.
Eunyung stayed in his position for a while, then sitting up and checking if Haejoon was still there. He couldn't tell if he was surprised or disappointed to see him gone. He felt waves of guilt and regret crash into him. Haejoon thought he stole too, didn't he? Why wouldn't he? He had already caught Eunyung stealing once. Eunyung knew that Haejoon didn't completely trust him enough to believe he didn't, did he?
His shoulders untensed, and he quickly covered himself in the covers again, hoping that he could just sleep it off, to just forget any of this happened until he wakes up again.
“Go away,” he says to his surprise, as he hears his door open and close again, a lock clicking. He prepared himself to yell just in case it was Juwan. With a yank, his blanket was pulled off from him and he turned to see Haejoon holding a wet rag and a medkit in his hands, his blanket on the floor.
“Where were you hurt?” Haejoon asked, setting the medkit down on the floor as he stared at Eunyung, who hesitantly took his shirt off and presented his hands to him, turning his face higher to show the bruises and other wounds. Haejoon sighed at the sight, but it didn't sound angry at all, and it wasn't a 'looking-at-him-like-he-was-garbage' sigh either.
Eunyung winced as Haejoon started cleaning the more open wounds, softly wiping the wet rag against his skin. It surprised both of them that his wounds usually heal so well. He kneels down to clean the wounds on his torso and his hands, which were placed on his lap.
“Did you steal?” He soon manages to ask, in the most calm and soft voice he could muster. He didn't want to make Eunyung angry, he didn't want to argue with him. They can't fight, not now. Or maybe he just doesn't want to fight Eunyung anymore.
“No. I promise- I haven't even stolen since.. That day.” Eunyung said, hissing as the cloth brushed against his wounds. Haejoon could only whisper a quiet apology and continue attending to his injuries.
“Really?” He asked, kind of more absorbed into cleaning Eunyung rather than talking to him.
“... Yeah.” The question made Eunyung want to scoff, but he was telling the truth, wasn't he?
Haejoon took a glance up at Eunyung, who was staring at him wipe down the blood on his skin, he glances back down, continuing to do so.
“Thank you, Eunyung,” Haejoon simply said, putting the rag down and opening the med kit to take out a disinfectant. He starts to put some of it on a cotton bud and disinfects the open wounds on Eunyung's torso and hands. "You did so well."
He could only stare at Haejoon in shock. Did Juwan tell him to say that to him? Was he joking around? No, Haejoon doesn't joke.. He could just stare and wince as his wounds were cleaned, flinching at the painful sting whenever it was too much. The next few minutes were just simple silence, Haejoon thought that maybe he should disinfect and clean Eunyung's face too, but maybe later.
Perhaps Eunyung wasn't ready to look at him properly yet. Besides, he could probably do it himself afterwards.
“Why would you say that?” Eunyung asked, still confused. There was no way that Haejoon was doing this willingly, right?
“What do you mean?” Haejoon replied, carefully setting the cotton down and grabbing the bandages, they had quite a few because Eunyung getting in a fight wasn't too rare.
“Say... those things,” flustered, his face couldn't express the right amount of confusion and embarrassment he was in.
“You didn't steal even though you've done so a lot in the past. You... held back, didn't you? That's not an easy thing to do, so... You did a good job, Eunyung.” Haejoon simply stated, wrapping his abdomen in bandage cloth.
Eunyung couldn't help but feel his face heat up. Why would he praise him for something like that? No, what was more important is why his praise was working! Why was it making him feel this way?
Haejoon tensed as Eunyung lean his face into his hair, feeling tiny droplets of what he assumes is tears fall on his head. He stiffens, not knowing what to do.
“Eunyung?” He somehow musters up the courage to ask.
“Why?”
“Huh? What's wrong?” Haejoon questions him, and he wants to look at Eunyung, wants to hold his face and ask him directly but he stops himself.
“Why are you so... so nice to me...” Eunyung shakily says, and Haejoon confirms to himself that Eunyung is definitely crying because he has never heard his voice sound like that before. “Why are you making such a big deal about me not stealing-... It's not something to praise me for…”
“Because it's a big deal to me. It must've hurt, to hold back and get ganged like that, didn't it? Yet you didn't do it, Eunyung. You should be proud of yourself too.” Haejoon says, rubbing the bandaged hands of the other. He somehow untenses as Eunyung sobs, obviously hiding his face from Haejoon. It worries him.
“How are you so- so patient with me..? Why are you tolerating me even with what I've done to you...?” He cries quietly, his hands clench into fists and Haejoon keeps on holding them in his own.
“You've proved to yourself that you've changed, haven't you? Otherwise, you would've stolen even after that day.” Haejoon states, shushing him and finally getting Eunyung off him, looking at his face. It's bruised and some parts are bleeding, so he probably has blood and tears on his hair right now. Yet, he focuses on wiping it off his face with the cleaner side of the wet rag.
They stay in silence as Haejoon finishes bandaging Eunyung, barely saying anything to each other for minutes. Eunyung just stares at Haejoon, watching his face and his hands work on wrapping his wounds. Haejoon can feel his staring, but for once he doesn't feel malice from it. He even feels a little content like this.
Soon enough, he finishes, and he leans over and places his forehead softly on the bandaged part of Eunyung's chest and he silently takes Haejoon's hands into his, and he wonders if it'll be like this more often.
“You didn't have to do all that,” Eunyung said, sulking but not that much really. He was still confused.
“I wanted to,” Haejoon asks and takes Eunyung's hand, bringing it close to his lips. “Is it not nice to have someone treat you?”
Eunyung could feel his face heat up but he stops himself and manages to answer honestly. “Yes. It is nice.”
Haejoon smiles at him, watching and staring at Eunyung's face. He couldn't help but lean closer in, but he didn't dare to go closer. But Eunyung did. He finally grabbed a hold of Haejoon's neck, bringing him close to his face and leaning in closer to kiss him. Neither of them was expecting him to do that, but neither of them hated it either. Haejoon couldn't help but smile, his hand reaching Eunyung's waist and pulling him closer.
The moment they part feels like hours, and soon they realize what just happened.
“Right. I'm just going to- leave you alone to rest- Go get some sleep.” Haejoon said, picking up the wet rag and the medkit, walking towards the room of his door.
Eunyung waits for him to leave and close his door again and he quickly goes back to wrapping himself with his blanket, collecting everything that just happened. He couldn't tell if it was bad or good, but what he could tell was that he liked it.
It was going to be like this after all.