i know i love you | jakehoon

𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙴 --

chapter
— 3 —

Sunghoon looked down at his leg and then back up at his little sister who was overlooking him. He was now 14 years old and didn't get to see Jaeyun after that day at the ice rink. Four years later and he still didn't see him. He was very disappointed that Jaeyun didn't attend his competition but it was no use now, he can't compete anymore with these useless legs.

"Does it hurt anymore?" Yeji signaled down to his knee, frowning a little bit. Torn ACL, he tore it one day during his practice and was unable to attend numerous competitions. It was nothing too serious but still, his parents as worried as they were, were still pissed off. It was already healed enough and wasn't swollen anymore so he was able to function and go around without the help of others but he decided to quit skating, for good. He was already mentally exhausted. "It hurts a little bit today but I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm just going to stay in bed for now..." He paused for a bit to let out a sigh. "Do well in class today, okay?" Yeji nodded.

— ❀ —

With both of his parents at work and his sister at school, he had the house to himself most of the time. School was still in session but he was excused from school for a little bit while his leg healed. His father looked irritated whenever he walked out of the door to go to work as he bid his son goodbye but he still kept a straight face. His mother was beginning to warm up and began to actually act like his mother. After seeing him hurt he guessed that it sparked something in her, she began to care a little more for Sunghoon and didn't push him too hard.

Sunghoon stood up from his bed to open the curtains, taking in the morning scenery. Actually, it wasn't too new to him anymore, he saw this every day whenever he would stare outside, bored out of his mind. It was nice staying home and binge-watching shows—besides the homework Jay dropped off—and all but it began to get boring after the days passed by. He got bored of staring at a screen for hours at a time and would often just stare out of his window.

"What am I going to do today..." He whispered to himself, walking over to his dresser to brush down his hair. His black locks were pointing in all directions and would only tame once he brushed at them. Sunghoon hummed softly, gently running the comb through his hair. He was devastated when he got injured and even more angry at himself when he was told not to skate for a while. But he was also glad it happened, a lot of his stress went away. At least he could skate for fun again when he completely healed.

There was a sudden knock on his window followed by a little muffled "hey!" Upon turning around, ready to defend himself, there Jaeyun was outside of his window, waving at him. "Jaeyun?!" He yelled and walked towards the window as fast as his knee allowed him to, grabbing his hand and pulling him into his room. "Well hello, Hoonie!" Jaeyun gave him a short hug, smiling.

It was obvious that Jaeyun had grown since the last time he saw him. His fashion sense was now much more mature and his color choice was much darker. Though Jaeyun wasn't taller than him, he had a good amount of height. He was handsome, very. "What were you doing just outside of my window? How did you get up there?" There was a little platform of roofing under his window and a tree beside his house, he could already predict that Jaeyun went up that way.

"Avoided the little doggy by the front door, climbed the tree and here I am" He opened his arms with a smile. His smile didn't change whatsoever, Sunghoon was glad it didn't. Jaeyun's smile was the most charming part of him. "Your leg healed right? Are you going back to school soon?" Jaeyun grabbed his hand and guided him to sit back down on the bed, sitting close beside him. Sunghoon found it odd how Jaeyun would just disappear suddenly and reappear as quickly but he didn't complain, he was great company and they got along just fine. Plus, it seemed Jaeyun knew exactly what to say to make him feel better.

"Yeah, I'm going back next week Monday. I'm a bit scared something may happen again but I'm sure I'll be fine. If anything I'm excited to get out of the place, tired of seeing the same things every day" Sunghoon leaned against the wall behind his bed with a little frown. Jaeyun pat his lap and signaled for him to lay down. Carefully the younger rested his head on the older's lap and closed his eyes, head facing upwards. "Is the situation with your parents better?" He asked.

Sunghoon had to think for a few seconds before he answered. He didn't hate his parents, he knew his parents wanted the very best for him and they showed they cared. The only thing he hated was how hard they pushed him. "It's getting better. I'm getting along with my mother much better than before... Hopefully, I'll fix things up with my dad soon," The other hummed and went to play with Sunghoon's hair, his back pressed against the bed frame.

"How about we stop talking about it for now? You seem a little uncomfortable" Sunghoon was always uncomfortable when talking about his family life but he relaxed at Jaeyun's next sentence. "But don't be afraid to talk about it whenever you're ready. I'll be ready to listen, whenever." Sunghoon opened his eyes to see Jaeyun smiling down at him. "Now let's talk about the little doggy, they were adorable!" Sunghoon laughed and went to sit up straight.

"I'm going to call her over—Gaeul! Come here, girl!" He stood up to open his room door, waiting for the white fluff ball to run up to his heels. She sat at his heels until told to follow him to his bed. After closing the door again, Sunghoon lifted Gaeul onto the bed to show Jaeyun. "This is Gaeul," Jaeyun squealed and opened his arms up, waiting for the dog to enter his hug. But she didn't, Sunghoon thought that maybe she was too shy to go to him. "She doesn't like new company but I'm sure she'll warm up to you! What about you? Do you have any pets?" Sunghoon sat beside the older again, resting a hand on his lap.

"I have a dog named Layla. I wish I had a photo of her on hand but hopefully, you'll get to meet her one day," Sunghoon smiled looking at how excited Jaeyun got while talking about his dog. "So where have you been this whole time, where were you in the past four years—" Jaeyun stood up from his spot to fix his jacket before sitting back down, the action catching him off guard. "Hey Hoon, let's do something fun. How about we watch a movie... oh oh! Or okay a game!" Jaeyun clapped excitedly. Sunghoon forgot about his question and went to sit beside him again, Gaeul laying on his lap. "Let's play a game,"

— ❀ —

Sunghoon took a deep breath, feeling his lungs fill up to their max capacity before letting out with a loud noise. His hands were shaking as he looked down at his right knee, the injured one. It was Monday—the day when he would finally go back to school after being injured—and he was already panicking. He walked slower than usual, though he got some weird stares on his way down the hallway, and it felt his knee would give up on him anytime. His teacher saw his panic and excused him to the bathroom.

He was currently by the sink, leaning against the wall. "It's okay..." He whispered to himself, feeling tears in his eyes. The male tried his very best to calm down but it scared him whenever he felt his legs wobbling. Sunghoon was always afraid the torn ACL would lead to worse things, which hints why he was freaking out greatly right now. His legs nearly gave out when he was talking with his classmate. "I'm okay..." He whispered to himself, closing his eyes now.

Sunghoon felt arms wrapped around him as his eyes flew open. "What are you—" There Jaeyun was, looking up at him with those beautiful eyes. "I'm here Hoon, don't worry," He whispered, pulling Sunghoon even closer to him. This only made Sunghoon cry harder, hiding his face in Jaeyun's shoulder. "I'm sorry, can we please stay here for a while? Just please don't leave my arms," Sunghoon pleaded and Jaeyun could feel his tears falling onto his shirt, didn't mind one bit. The older backed away and grabbed onto Sunghoon's face, making him look at him. "I'm here right here okay? I'm not going anywhere, just—just cry until you feel better and we can talk about it after," Jaeyun wrapped his arms around Sunghoon again.

"Th—Thank you,"

——

{ 060721 | 11 : 47 }

early post for today because guess who decided to take a college level class during her first year of high school :) anyways, i hope you guys have a good day <3

- JAE -