Flowers

Chapter 3

Wooseok wakes up feeling like he has a desert in his mouth and his head pounding. He opens his eyes immediately regretting it when the bright light that comes from between his curtains hurts his eyes and he quickly closes them. It takes him a couple minutes to get used to the lighting and then he notices that on his bedside table lays a glass full of water and an aspirin close to his phone that he grabs to read the time, 11:30am. Seungyeon always takes care of him when he has an "episode" like the one last night and if he didn't feel so sick he would have smiled to himself.

Thankfully it's a Saturday so Wooseok won't have to suffer through his classes with a hangover, he can just grab something to eat from the kitchen and lay in bed, taking a shower before that sounds great though. He stands up and after taking the pill and downing the whole glass. He picks up from the floor near his bed the jeans he had worn and puts them on without buttoning before, grabs a new change of clothes from his dresser and exits his room heading into the bathroom.

He's brushing his teeth after his quick shower when he hears the front door open and close, his eyes naturally glancing at his flower on his reflection on the mirror that's hanging above the sink. He finds himself once again wishing he didn't have that mark, that he could just have a completely platonic friendship with Jinhyuk instead of hiding this one-sided affection. Wooseok dresses and exits the bathroom, his hair still wet and he follows the noise that comes from the living area or more exactly their makeshift dining area where Jinhyuk is setting a bowl of food in front of Wooseok's usual seat.

Jinhyuk turns around to face him with a gentle smile on his face and he waves to the bowl "I went to get you some bean sprout soup to help you with your hangover, I know you may not be hungry yet but you should eat something, it's still hot!" Wooseok's heart flutters even when he tries to internally scold it. Jinhyuk is this kind to everyone, there is no reason for him to feel special about it yet reason doesn't matter, does it? He thanks his friend and gives him one of his small smiles before he takes his seat and digs in. Jinhyuk sits down with him and does the talking for both of them as Wooseok keeps eating and listens to him.

Wooseok likes listening to Jinhyuk talk -be it about a funny thing a friend of his had done or something about the latest anime he had picked up- he has a nice voice, especially when he's more relaxed and his voice becomes deeper, soothing. He had blurted out he liked his voice once when they had been sharing childhood memories over a rerun of an old movie a week before winter break was over. The way Jinhyuk had stopped talking and turned his face to look at him, making eye contact with Wooseok's slightly wider than normal eyes, had made Wooseok stop breathing fearing he would be questioned but it lasted only a moment before Jinhyuk gave him a surprised but pleased smile as if he couldn't believe the sudden compliment.

Wooseok feels a waterdrop slide from him behind his ear down his neck reminding him he didn't properly dry his hair. He's about to stand up to go grab his forgotten towel when he's stopped, frozen in his seat as Jinhyuk reaches across the table with his hand, his fingers pressing against his left collarbone as his thumb brushes away the small waterdrop. Wooseok feels like time has stopped as he stares wide eyed at Jinhyuk, the skin that is covered in red and white thanks to his mark is tingling, the skin underneath Jinhyuk's fingers burns and Wooseok is sure its just his imagination but that doesn't stop him from having the irrational fear that Jinhyuk may feel it too.

Jinhyuk's gaze is focused on his thumb that follows the outline of one petal and then the one next one to it making a shiver run down Wooseok's spine, his face flushing. Jinhyuk's touch is gentle and careful, seemingly unaware of how this gesture is not a usually platonic one. Its common decency that only the person responsible for the flowers to bloom may touch them, especially like this but Jinhyuk had always been a little odd. It is not the first time he has done this to Wooseok -he can't assume he has only touched his either- but it doesn't mean Wooseok's heart is not screaming at him to make Jinhyuk stop or beg him to never stop, his heart has not decided it yet.

But his brain has and so Wooseok mutters his friend's name and that does the trick, Jinhyuk's eyes flying towards his and moving his hand back, his smile turning a little bashful. A soft apology leaves Jinhyuk's lips followed by a comment that makes Wooseok's heart ache and stare at his friend trying his best to not show how it hurts.

"It's such a pretty flower, it looks nice on you" Jinhyuk's tone is light but serious, clearly meaning what he's saying. Wooseok looks away towards the soup he still has on his bowl. It's not often but Jinhyuk has already made that comment before, one Wooseok receives plenty of times by strangers too but of course when it hurts the most if when the cause of it says it.

"I hate it, I wish it was gone," The taller male frowns and stays quiet as he considers his next words mulling them over careful to not say the wrong thing. He hooks a finger under Wooseok's chin to turn him to face him and lets him go quickly after but his touch still remains on Wooseok's skin, the younger finding himself too aware of the places that Jinhyuk had touched him the past couple minutes.

"I think you should confess to them, with such a flower and your pretty face I doubt they won't be interested," His voice sounds confident in what he is saying as if the probability of Wooseok being rejected was simply impossible. Wooseok's head starts pounding and he wishes he could blame it sorely on the hangover.

With a weak attempt of a smile, Wooseok shakes his head, Jinhyuk opening his mouth to say something else, surely to try to reassure his friend but Wooseok doesn't want his reassurance because it means nothing "They won't Jinhyuk, there's a reason I have not told them don't you think?"