Chapter Text
“Hyung!”
Yeonjun turned around with an exasperated sigh, but nevertheless, when he saw the Oreo-haired boy in front of him, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Beomgyu-ah, who let you in?” Yeonjun chuckled, walking toward the younger boy. Beomgyu stood in front of him, wearing a yellow and brown beanie and graphic tee with a bright design, contrasted by black shorts and chunky platformed boots. His typical outfit, of course. He seemed to wear that a lot these days.
“I let myself in.” Beomgyu grinned mischievously, digging around in his pocket until his hand emerged with a spare house key. “Found it under the welcome mat.”
Yeonjun lowered his head, laughing to himself. Of course he did. “Well, you should know better!” Yeonjun aggressively began to ruffle Beomgyu’s hair with his fist, causing the latter to whine in protest. “What if I had just come out of the shower? You would have seen me in all my naked glory–”
“STOP IT,” Beomgyu screamed, covering his eyes as if Yeonjun were actually bare before him. He shoved the older to the side, grimacing. “I don’t even wanna think about that happening.”
“You would be a very lucky guy,” Yeonjun replied snarkily, wiggling his eyebrows. “Not many people get the–” He paused, gesturing dramatically to his entire body. “-full Yeonjun experience.”
Beomgyu shrieked in horror, ducking his head. “You’re so gross, hyung!”
“Aw, don’t be like that, come here~.”
Yeonjun went towards Beomgyu with a jokingly flirty grin, puckering his lips and making kissing sounds. Beomgyu pushed him away, running away from him and shielding himself with the coffee table that sat in the center of the room. The pursuit continued, with Yeonjun making a dive for Beomgyu again but ending up spilling over himself onto the floor. The man he was chasing stood over him, sticking out his tongue mockingly. That is, until Yeonjun swept his feet out from under him and forced the younger boy to join him on the floor. Beomgyu cried out exaggeratedly, causing the two to dissolve into hysterical laughter.
Once they calmed down, there was a brief minute of silence. The two of them stared up at the ceiling, content smiles laced across their lips and their giggles still echoing through the empty air. Yeonjun turned his head to look at his friend, whose dark eyes seemed to be filled with so much brightness. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, and Yeonjun couldn’t help but feel as though time was frozen. As if Beomgyu was some kind of painting or statue, forever solidified and yet not in the present.
Suddenly, Beomgyu grabbed his hand, causing him to jump as he was jolted out of his thoughts. “Yeonjun-hyuuuung~” he drawled, shaking Yeonjun’s hand all over the place until he was smacked away. “I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten in so long.”
Yeonjun’s expression softened, and he looked at Beomgyu with a slightly concerned yet intentional stare. He looked the boy up and down, and he couldn’t help but notice how painfully thin his friend had gotten. Yeonjun was never the type to bodyshame someone over something like that. He just couldn’t help but worry. Especially if he was altering his body on purpose.
“How long has it been?”
Beomgyu’s face dropped from playful to somewhat guarded, as if there were something Yeonjun didn’t want him to know. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, his eyes becoming unfocused and hazy. As if on cue, his stomach gurgled quietly, and Yeonjun felt something in his heart shatter knowing that his body was crying out for help.
Beomgyu clenched his jaw, squeezing his body even tighter. “...if I tell you, do you promise not to be mad at me?
Yeonjun’s eyes widened, and he began panicking at the thought. “No, no, no, Beomgyu-ah.” He took Beomgyu’s hand in both of his own, gripping it reassuringly. “I would never get angry with you over something like this.”
Beomgyu’s gaze met his, only for an instant, and then he shifted his eyes to focus on the wall. “Two days.”
Yeonjun involuntarily took a sharp breath, not sure what to say. What was he supposed to do, give him the same old ramble of sympathy? He knew that that was the absolute last thing Beomgyu wanted to hear from him right now.
So, he decided not to say anything at all. Instead, he grabbed Beomgyu by the wrist and stood up, dragging the younger with him.
“Hyung?” Beomgyu muttered, confused. “What are you doing?”
Yeonjun began walking, holding tightly onto Beomgyu’s wrist to make sure he followed him. “Just trust me.” He dragged Beomgyu into the kitchen and began digging around in the pantry. His friend just stood there, watching hesitantly.
Eventually, Yeonjun found a bag of chips, a discovery which made him exclaim in triumph. “Found them!”
Beomgyu walked over to him, looking over his shoulder. “What are those?”
Yeonjun lifted the bag slightly so that Beomgyu could see the brand. “Doritos. The spicy ones.”
Beomgyu’s face lit up, and his mouth opened a little. “I haven’t had these in forever!”
Before the two could dig in, the sound of the front door being opened caught Yeonjun’s attention. He whipped his head around and saw his mother, her hair slightly disheveled. She threw her bag on the floor near the doorway and leaned against the back of the couch, letting out a groan of pain as she took off her heels.
Yeonjun would have approached her, but he decided to give her a minute. He knew to allow her some space when she appeared to be struggling. So he watched her as she took a few breaths, wiping her face and the back of her neck with a blanket as if she had run back home. When she eventually raised her head, it took a second for her gaze to fall on her son. But when it did, her lips instantly twisted downwards into a frown, looking him up and down with a disapproving expression. Yeonjun suddenly felt very self-conscious, as if he were a lab rat being scrutinized by a scientist.
“Are those the same clothes you wore yesterday?” she asked bluntly, straightening her spine and crossing her arms. Her straightforward question was nothing Yeonjun wasn’t used to, so he was able to quickly reply to her.
“Yeah. All my clothes are dirty.”
“You’ve worn the same shirt for four days in a row,” his mother continued, taking a couple of steps towards him. Yeonjun felt his muscles tighten, as if his fight or flight was kicking in. “Maybe if you did your laundry every once in a while, you’d actually have clean clothes. Or if you did anything but sit on your ass, for that matter.”
Yeonjun had to fight the urge not to roll his eyes. Same shit, different day. He took a deep breath in, trying to maintain his composure. “Eomma, I can see that you’re a little stressed, but I don’t think that that provides a reason to-”
“Are you talking back to me?” she retaliated sharply, her expression becoming more and more intense with each passing second.
Yeonjun clamped his jaw shut, eyes tight. “No, eomma.”
His mother huffed, placing her hands firmly on her hips. “Good. And this place is a fucking disaster, too. Have you even done your chores?”
Yeonjun’s patience was growing thin. He could feel the tips of his ears turning red, and he began to clench his fists. “I haven’t yet, eomma. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t enough!” His mother stormed up to him, getting right in his face. “You’ve been like this for months, and it’s unacceptable. You’re almost an adult, Yeonjun. Get your act together, or the second you turn eighteen, I’m kicking you out.”
Yeonjun’s skin was writhing. He was so pissed, he was stewing in his hatred. “Why do you treat me like this?” He was surprised he even had enough control over himself to speak. His mother reeled back, looking offended, only to be replaced with absolute rage.
“What the fuck did you just say to me, Choi Yeonjun?”
“I said…” Yeonjun took a step forward, and since he was much taller than his mother, he loomed over her. “Why do you always find the need to treat me like shit even when I’ve done nothing wrong? You don’t even ask me if I’m okay! You never ask why I’m behaving like this!” His chest was heaving with all the pent-up emotion he had been holding in during the past few minutes.
“You never ask me if I’m okay, either!”
The words rang through the room, and suddenly, everything fell still. The only movement that Yeonjun could see was his own tears swimming through his vision. When he blinked them back, he noticed that his mother’s eyes were glistening as well. They looked at each other, an unspoken apology exchanged between them.
She cleared her throat, looking away. “So, uh, why are you holding the Doritos like that?”
Yeonjun looked down, realizing that he had the Doritos in one hand. They were probably crushed because of how tight his fist had been gripping them. He chuckled a little. “I dunno. They’re for Beomgyu, though, so it’s not my problem if they got a little crushed.”
His mother tilted her head, looking at him strangely. “Who’s Beomgyu? He sounds familiar.”
Yeonjun hummed in realization. “You may have met before, but I don’t think I’ve properly introduced him. This is…” He trailed off, looking over his shoulder to realize that the younger boy had vanished. He knitted his eyebrows together, pouting his lips in confusion. “He was right here,” he murmured. He set the chips down on the kitchen counter and looked at her one last time. Then without another word, he turned on his heel and went to go find his friend.
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