imagine: hyunjin didn't expect his hiatus to go on for so long, so he felt alone thinking his members no longer needed him
the first day...
he stared at the still unpacked bag lay on his bed, he lowered his head shamefully thinking back to the situation. hyunjin had no intentions of hurting his friends, yet he was punished for it either way. it was harsh to watch his old friends turn on him so quickly, was this really going to be the outcome of his actions? he thought to himself that it just wasn't fair.
jeongin sat just a distance away from his hyung, eyes teary as he bowed his head down to prevent further eye contact with the boy he already started missing. although hyunjin was the one being punished, it felt like jeongin was being punished, too. he'd already started to question how long it would take for him to come back...
"h-how long will you be?" the younger stuttered, watching hyunjin pack his bags so quietly.
he dropped the jacket from his grasp, taking a seat on his bed whilst he glanced down at the furnished floors, "i don't know."
of course he wanted to reassure jeongin that he wouldn't be long, but he didn't know. it wasn't a matter of when, it was a matter of if.
"just wait a little while, okay?" he regretted looking up to jeongin the second he spoke, watching how he sniffled and lowered his head. "i'm sorry."
the first week...
7 days, 7 nights. they'd gone by so slowly, and hyunjin could only think about the days left before he could go back, although he didn't know when or if he would. he'd thought back on his actions everyday, but still got distracted by the members' voices in the back of his mind. no matter how hard he tried to distract himself, he was always dragged back to them.
"don't worry," seungmin smiled sadly, nodding to hyunjin with his hand resting lightly on his shoulder, "it won't be long before you come back, okay? we'll make sure of it. just take a break, and when you come back everything will be back to the way it was, but better."
"can you really promise something like that?" hyunjin blinked away the tears in his eyes, grinning at the puppy.
he nodded, reassuring himself as well as hyunjin. that was all he needed, he just needed to be told that it would all be okay in the end. the only thing he'd felt was guilt; guilty for leaving his members alone for so long.
"i'll be back."
the first month...
hyunjin stared blankly at the screen, holding kkami in his arms as he brushed back his fur, his eyes dazed by the dark room and thoughts clouding his mind. "i miss them, kkami," he hummed, looking down to see his baby whining at him, "do you miss them, too? do you miss felix's cooking?"
felix jumped up at him, his arms wrapped tightly around hyunjin's neck. "are you leaving without saying goodbye to me?"
he wanted to... he was desperate to just walk away so he didn't have to shed any more tears, he already felt hurt enough. "no," he lied with a smile.
"here," felix handed hyunjin a box he pulled from the table, nodding for him to open it, "you'd miss my cooking, right? i knew you would!" he chuckled, "i cooked your favourites. don't get sad when you eat it and think of us," he went in to hug his hyung, humming and smiling so widely at the warmth of hyunjin's body, "don't be long, come back soon."
the second month...
it was already two months and hyunjin was still finding things to do, he was constantly bored and lost motivation to do anything. he'd thought about how jisung would be entertaining him right at this moment, probably annoying him slightly but mostly entertaining.
"shall i send you some food? or some things to do?"
hyunjin sniggered, "are you planning on sending me your laundry, too, while you're at it?"
"i didn't think of that." jisung clicked his fingers, winking at the older boy. "just don't leave forever, got it? alright? we still need you."
the third month...
everyday he watched his phone, staring at the calendar and marking off the days that went by. how much longer would he be kept from his friends? you'd think he would have found things to do or hobbies in the past few months, but he could only think about how his friends were doing and how much longer he'd have to stay away.
changbin stared for some time, wondering why hyunjin refused to look back at him. he didn't know how many more goodbyes he could handle, he'd already struggled enough with the other members. he didn't always seem it, but changbin was so soft, hyunjin was worried about letting himself go in front of his hyung. it wasn't that he was embarrassed, but he felt ashamed to be saying goodbye in the first place.
"hyung-"
"will you be okay?" changbin shuffled further towards hyunjin, resting his hand on his back, "it'll go by quickly."
"will it?" he rubbed his eyes, trying to catch his breath so he could speak in a normal tone. "i don't want to go."
changbin didn't think that he could admit it, but he was happy when he finally did - he knew hyunjin didn't want to leave, he knew how scared he was and he needed that bit of reassurance. "you'll be okay."
the fourth month...
he'd waited day after day, and he was finally able to sleep with a smile on his face. he was finally going back. the days didn't go as quickly as changbin said they would, but hyunjin didn't seem too bothered - he'd been waiting too long to even think about anything else.
"don't cry," minho knelt down in front of him, his hands pressed against hyunjin's knees whilst he tapped him, "why're you crying?" he smiled, trying to comfort him. he brushed away the tears from his face, lifting his chin to meet his eyes, "you'll be back before you even know it. don't worry."
"can't i stay?" he wiped at his eyes, breathing out deeply.
"it's for your health, nothing else. go home to take care of yourself. spend time with your family, eat a lot of good food, and come back happy."
going home...
hyunjin pushed open the door, dropping his bags to his feet to see chan stood in the doorway with his arms folded and a smile on his face.
"how've you been?" he grinned with open arms, glad to be seeing his friend with a relieved look on his face.
he was finally home, and he felt so happy to be back with his friends. "i can stay, right?"
"your bed's just as you left it."
