love you later | yeonbin ✓

010

It ends up being a lonely afternoon. Soobin doesn't dare knock on the door to the study. First, he feels a little bitter. He had only meant to help after all, couldn't have known Yeonjun was so touchy about his jewelry. It hasn't slipped past Soobin that it was the ring on his pinky Yeonjun was so concerned about. It's enough to keep his mind occupied for the rest of the day.

Many people wear a ring on their pinky nowadays. There are those who lack a soulmate string who use rings to cover up the lack of a mark. Then, some people wear it to cover up their mark because they want a fair chance at dating, don't want anyone to know they have a soulmate out there in the world. Others use it almost like a sign of bonding in replacement for the string. It is a deeply personal thing to many, a touchy subject in general, and Soobin gets it.

He's gone through phases with his mark himself. Tried covering it up at some point, leaving it out in the open for others to see at a different time. In the end, it hadn't seemed to matter much. People still did whatever they wanted to, whether Soobin disclosed the information that he had a perfect match wandering the earth somewhere or not. People still hadn't wanted to stay, no matter what he did.

Yeonjun's reaction makes him wonder what his story is. If he has a mark or not, if the little line has connected all the way or if he's still waiting. His reaction seemed a bit extreme, still does, but Soobin can't really fault him. He doesn't know Yeonjun's situation, and he probably never will. That's okay, he tells himself, as the bitterness fades into worry. He hadn't meant to upset Yeonjun. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought about what he was doing, only wanted to make sure Yeonjun's hands were clean of blood, that they didn't accidentally miss any injury.

It's still all Soobin can think about when he sits down on the small dock at the pond, watching the sun disappear slowly. The door to the study was still shut firmly when he stepped outside. It sent a pang through his chest when he came downstairs, wondering if Yeonjun had eaten anything at all, if he had taken care of his wound properly.

He doesn't know how long he's been sitting out here, but suddenly the moon is high up in the sky, bathing the clearing in a gorgeous silver light. It's quiet, quieter than any place Soobin has ever lived and he has come to enjoy the silence. It used to suffocate him, always feeling like a void, like there was supposed to be more. Now, he knew how to listen closely, picking up on the sounds that permeated even the deepest silence of the night - the soft rustling of the trees and bushes, the soft ripples of the pond in front of him. His ears are tuned to hear the smaller sounds now, the ones he had so often neglected before.

That's why there's no moment of shock when Yeonjun sinks down next to him at the end of the dock. Yeonjun moves quietly, almost like a cat, his footsteps barely audible. But Soobin knows that by now, can hear him wandering around the house quietly in the mornings long before Soobin gets up.

Soobin doesn't turn around to look at him, just keeps his eyes fixed on the pond. He refuses to be the first one to give in because even though he understands that Yeonjun is a guarded person, he has snapped at him twice in the span of two days, both times more than he probably deserved.

"I'm sorry," Yeonjun says softly at some point. His voice is low, but Soobin has been waiting for it so he doesn't miss it over the sound of the woods around them. "I feel like an ass, having to apologize again, but I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Soobin turns his head around to look at him. He doesn't say anything, instead focusing on the way Yeonjun is twisting the ring on his pinky, the way he won't meet Yeonjun's gaze.

"I know it's no excuse, but it's been a really rough few days. Just... mentally, I guess." Yeonjun sighs. "I don't get to see my friends a lot, as I'm sure you must have guessed by now. So I usually just... have to look after myself. I'm not used to anyone caring."

His voice goes quiet, almost inaudible towards the end. Each word pulls at Soobin's heart like a heavy stone, a weight added that drags it down until it's just seconds away from dropping completely.

"I care," he says. "If you will let me."

Finally, Yeonjun looks up at him, and there are tears swimming in his eyes. "I'm not sure I know how."

"That's okay. We can learn together."

Yeonjun sends him a wobbly smile and nods, a lonely tear slipping down his cheek. He wipes it away as soon as it drops off his jaw.

"Yeah okay. I'd like that. Thank you, Soobin."

Soobin just beams at him, but his expression goes a little more somber when he realizes the hand that was covering up Yeonjun's face just seconds ago did not show any signs of bandaids. Soobin frowns, gently reaching for it.

"May I?" he asks, carefully watching Yeonjun's face for any sign of anger or frustration. "I promise I won't touch your ring."

Wordlessly, Yeonjun puts his hand in Soobin's, lets him twist it around until his palm is facing up. When Soobin drags his eyes away from Yeonjun's face to look at his hand, a loud gasp leaves his lips. He had seen the gash across Yeonjun's palm, about 4 centimeters long, oozing more blood than should have been possible. Now, there was nothing left of it. Not even a simple scratch.

"How-"

"I healed it," Yeonjun says quietly. "Magic. It's a simple spell, really."

"Oh. That-" Soobin doesn't know what to say, how to wrap his head around the fact that it probably hadn't taken a lot out of Yeonjun to heal a simple cut like that. "Makes sense."

He cringes when he thinks back to how hard he had freaked out, how he had guided Yeonjun towards the cottage, had tried to clean his wound for him. Turns out, Yeonjun didn't need any help, and yet he had stayed quiet, had let Soobin do his thing.

"God," Soobin chuckles as he realizes how overbearing he had been. "I'm so stupid, I should have known you knew how to fix this."

There's heat creeping up his neck, settling in a bold flush across his cheeks. He hopes that the silver-blue moonlight is enough to conceal it, that Yeonjun won't pick up on it.

"I thought it was sweet," Yeonjun whispers, and when Soobin lifts his head back up to look at him, he can see a blush rivaling his own form on Yeonjun's face. Yeonjun is biting his lip, struggling to hold his gaze, and it's almost enough to rob the air from Soobin's lungs.

"Nobody has ever done that for me before," Yeonjun adds when Soobin doesn't say anything.

It's a sad thought that Yeonjun never had anyone to look out for him. It makes Soobin wonder how he grew up, what happened to his parents. But it's been a long and exhausting day for both of them, and he isn't quite sure he is ready to open that can of worms when they have just established some sense of peace between them.

Instead, he just smiles at Yeonjun.

"Then I'll make it my job from now on."

Soobin knows he can't make any promises so he doesn't. He doesn't know how much longer he will stay, how much more time they will get to spend together. He knows Yeonjun has been working hard, and that he might come across a solution for their problem any day now.

And yet, he means it, wants to make sure Yeonjun is okay for as long as he can, for as long as he will let him. It's hard to worry about what-ifs and maybes when he's rewarded with a smile so bright it rivals the moon high up in the sky.

Soobin has no regrets.