Work Text:
A warning hum leaves Joshua’s lips, Vernon rolls his eyes.
“I know, I know, hyung..”
Vernon sighs heavily, frustration curling in his chest. He doesn’t mean to take it out on Joshua—it’s just the embarrassment of his earlier fall still stinging. The bruise on his knee isn’t even that bad, but every limp makes it throb more, and leaning on Joshua with every step only fuels the heat in his face. The nurse’s office, his second home at this point, feels miles away.
Joshua stops midway; Vernon looks at him with a sense of confusion. The older gently tugs at his arm, and before Vernon can protest, he’s already being sat down on one of the benches that were usually used for parents who were picking their kids up.
Joshua doesn’t sit down next to him, instead, he goes onto one knee, pulling his bag off his shoulder and onto the ground, unzipping it. Vernon raises an eyebrow, “... Why’re you making me sit here?” He asks. Joshua shrugs, not looking up at the younger, rummaging around for something—until he finds it with a satisfied, soft smile, pulling out bandages.
“Do you carry everything around with you, hyung?” Vernon asks, chuckling softly and unable to stop the soft smile growing on his lips despite himself. Joshua only giggles, almost bashfully, “It’s.. it’s just practical.” He whispers, voice so soft and fragile it was almost caught in the wind—slow in a way that sounded like Joshua was testing the waters with what he was saying.
He taps Vernon’s leg lightly, on his calf, asking for permission silently, to which he nods in reply. Joshua unwraps the bandage, lifting Vernon’s leg slowly; eliciting a whimper or two from him, he rubs the others calf apologetically. He starts to slowly dress the wound, a moment of quiet between them; the only noise being the distant sounds of kindergarten students screaming and giggling giddily and loud chattering of teachers and students alike in the hallways, muffled by the confines of the square white building.
Vernon’s eyes flicker from his wound to the other’s face, taking in how Joshua’s lips are pressed into a thin line; his doe eyes drooping just a bit in focus. His golden honey skin is deeper in the warm sunlight. Vernon hated being in the sun—due to his condition, he was sensitive to sunlight and often got fatigued quickly… but he’d take it all if it meant seeing Joshua like this, all beautiful and radiant.
He wonders how the older can still be so radiant; even after he stopped speaking almost completely after the incident… Vernon still thinks that he’s brighter than the sun.
“.. You saw me get hurt.” He states, the words spilling from his lips before he could stop them.
There’s another pause—and Vernon’s about to apologize for being so rude earlier, and so, what he assumes to be, accusatory in his tone right now. But Joshua hums, a noncommittal sound.
“Of course I did,” He murmurs, words that are barely above a whisper once again, but they’re laced with a warmth that energizes Vernon more than it drains him, “I just didn’t want you to get embarrassed if I was staring at you like everybody else.” He looks up at Vernon, and suddenly, it feels like Vernon’s breath is snatched away from him.
Dark brown eyes look into his hazel ones, he doesn’t know what to say. He forced himself to tear his gaze away, hyperaware of the way his heart races in his chest and how his cheeks are flushing. Joshua rubs his calf again, tilting his head slightly and humming again, this time in confusion and panic, as if he was afraid that he hurt Vernon or did something to him.
“.. How stupid.” Vernon whispers, instead, voice weak, the smile on his lips betraying him. Joshua pauses, taking a moment to process what Vernon said, huffing out in response, getting up—trying to act irritated, even if he was smiling softly too. He taps his arm with two fingers; like he usually does when asking for permission. Vernon nods, and the older helps him up, shifting toward the shade of the trees so he could be more comfortable.
.. All of it doesn't seem so embarrassing anymore.