Meridian ◈ Seungjin

34 ◈ Carnivorous

Jeongin curled into his side, peering lightly over Hyunjin's shoulder at the older vampire's active phone screen playing whatever new video they could come up with to pass the time. Occasionally, he would hear the younger snort puffs of air from his nose, the one or two gentle huffs ringing as loudly in his ear as the smile he sustained when around the older. Seemingly, each time he did, coming to slump farther into his friend's side as he found a comfort in the poor connection. And Hyunjin, chose to focus on everything else in the immediate outdoor area. The awning's shade above them, the metal pillars protecting them, the hum of the vending machine underneath the sound of the idle video pouring from the older's phone speakers, their usual spot, this time devoid from the others who often came to torment them.

At some point, Jeongin must've leaned his head onto Hyunjin's shoulder. When he did so, why he did so, how he did so without alerting the older to his movements, remained completely unknown to the older vampire himself; Instead coming to pass the noncommittal friendliness as Jeongin attempting to get a better angle on the phone screen as they sat together on the wooden bench. That, or it was his way of soundlessly spouting thank you's, for one reason or another. Keeping him occupied, giving him the missed company, allowing the younger to shift into him, permitting the gentle strands of his dark hair to tickle into his neck and cheek, possibly even the simplicity of a basic appreciation. Not entirely swaying into one reason or another, but, grateful nonetheless for the brief moment together.

At least, he thinks.

He thinks that's why the younger leaned into him.

He thinks that's why the younger oozed into his side.

He thinks that's why Jeongin let his eyelids slot close in the heat of the afternoon sun.

He thinks, because he hoped it wasn't the alternative answer.

His head snapped up at the sound of footsteps tapping against the concrete sidewalk, the sound barely audible for normal senses painfully flooding his eardrums. In an instant, his eyes landed on a set of shoes. Green converse. And the smell of pine. It took him another second to process the pieces, another moment to fit them tightly together into a coherent idea, another fraction to realize the other two familiar faces accompanying the vampire, another last blink awakening him to the conscious world from the digital reality as he could hear nothing but the overwhelming blare of their tones coming in hushed as they approached the pair wasting their afternoon away on the bench.

Chan was the first of the three to break the comfortable atmosphere, a perplexed rise fluctuating his tone as he crouched down in front of the bench and lightly tapped the youngest's cheek. He continued the minor shock, turning the expression toward Hyunjin putting his phone away in his pocket, to interrogate, "Did he fall asleep?"

"No, I'm awake," Jeongin protested with a grogginess shackling the brightness in his voice before the other could give his input, a tiny sneeze coming across him as his nose scrunched and flexed in strange ways at the unwanted disturbance. He finally came to sit up off the supportive beam of Hyunjin, hands rubbing the tranquility from the corner of his eyes as he sent his temporary pillow an apologetic expression, one which the older vampire gladly shrugged off without much other thought besides that the few minutes of rest was the least he could provide for the younger. A gentle sigh spilled from Jeongin's chest as he brought his hands to cup his own face, fingertips rapping against his slightly swollen cheeks to check the intruders, Changbin, Chan, and Felix, watching them with curious eyes, "What are you three doing here?"

"They wanted to say hi and I wanted to apologize. I feel like we haven't had much time to talk," Felix told. He nearly bumped Chan out of the way to grab the younger's hands in his own with an excitement Hyunjin rarely had seen from anyone, holding the slender fingers as delicately as one would hold the hands of royalty. His eyes suddenly softened as he stared down Jeongin, "I'm sorry, I know you were the first one to greet me on my first day too."