between us | hyunin

ix | fomalhaut

hyunjin found that he woke up very early on saturday. he hadn't slept well the last two nights, and he was starting to wonder if jeongin was the reason. well, more like if jeongin's absence was the reason. 

you see, jeongin hadn't been at school for the last two days. hyunjin knew it was stupid to worry - the boy might just be sick. but he definitely hadn't looked sick that wednesday afternoon when he'd seen the boy last. 

yesterday, during history, he knew he'd spent most of the lesson looking between the door and jeongin's usual seat, but that knowledge hadn't stopped him for continually moving his head. (in fact, his neck was a bit sore today, but he didn't care.) he'd hoped that each passing moment would bring the boy in, but each passing moment had only bought more disappointment. 

he didn't know why he cared so much. 

like the past week, hyunjin jumped out of his bed at the first light. really, it was annoying that once the sun came up, he could never attempt to sleep. 

so, he headed where he'd been heading almost every morning of the last week - the stream in the clearing. 

he got a massive shock when he saw the back of a familiar mop of raven hair through the grass. 

"jeongin?" the boy was sitting on the same rock that hyunjin had been sitting on the first morning, when jeongin had lent him school stationery. 

"hyunjin?" either jeongin had eyes at the back of his head, or he recognised hyunjin's voice. or maybe he just assumed it was hyunjin because they'd met here before. any of those ways, jeongin's head remained fixed on the water in front of him, at his own reflection. 

"why weren't you at school?" hyunjin felt slightly encouraged by the fact that the boy had acknowledged him, even though his back was still to hyunjin. 

"well-" jeongin turned around to face hyunjin. 

not for the first time that week, hyunjin did a double-take as he stared into jeongin's face. it was bruised in much the same way that kyuri's had been, before he'd sent her to the hospital. except, that his bruises had gone yellow - obviously, they were a bit old. 

he had a feeling that he knew how jeongin had gotten those bruises. 

"yeah." jeongin finished with a breath. 

"did this happen wednesday night?" he questioned the younger. 

"yeah." the younger bit his lip. "how do you know?"

"i think my sister might've been the one who let you escape."

"holy shit, why's your family so nice?"

hyunjin frowned, confused. he'd never considered himself as a particularly nice person, and before kyuri had saved jeongin, he didn't think any of his family had met the boy. 

"i mean - you're the first one to talk to me for a long time." jeongin shook his head. 

"why?" hyunjin asked, although he already knew the answer; bullying. he wanted to hear it from jeongin first, though. 

"one thing at a time. anyway, so someone found me before i met with you on wednesday night, hence why i took so long. the bruises hadn't formed yet when you gave me my books back; bruises usually take a few hours to form. 

"so i'm not sure who it was, it could've been a some random drunk dude, but whoever it was was wearing completely black."

hyunjin's mind implanted a picture of jaehyun under black clothing, but he shook it away. whoever it was absolutely could've been a "random drunk dude".