[ dream ] | heejake FF

chapter 2

the next morning, jake woke up with the sound of his alarm going off in his ear. he groaned, slapping the snooze button, but jungwon was already up, pulling on his uniform.

"rise and shine, hyung! we can't be late again," jungwon chirped, way too cheerful for the early hour.

jake rubbed his eyes and sat up. "why are you so happy in the morning? it's unnatural," he muttered.

jungwon laughed, throwing a pillow at him. "because we have another day to make memories! now get up before i drag you out of bed."

"ugh, fine," jake grumbled, dragging himself to the bathroom. as he brushed his teeth, he thought about yesterday. playing basketball with heeseung and the others had been... nice. he hadn't felt that comfortable in a long time. maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

they walked to school together, jungwon chatting away about some new anime he was watching. jake nodded along, half-listening, his thoughts drifting to heeseung. there was something about the older boy that made him feel safe, like he didn't have to pretend to be okay all the time.

as they entered the school gates, they spotted heeseung waiting by the entrance. "morning," heeseung greeted, flashing them a bright smile.

"morning, hyung," jungwon replied, while jake gave a small nod.

"ready for another thrilling day of high school?" heeseung asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"oh, absolutely," jake replied, matching his tone. "can't wait."

they all laughed, and for a moment, jake felt like he was just a normal teenager.

...

(IM SORRY FOR HOW LONG THESE TIME SKIPS ARE 😭😭)

at lunch, they all gathered in the cafeteria again. the conversation was light, everyone sharing stories from their summer break. jake tried to join in, but his mind kept drifting.

"so, jake," sunghoon started, leaning back in his chair, "are you joining us for basketball again after school?"

jake hesitated. he had enjoyed it yesterday, but he wasn't sure if he was up for it today. "i don't know... maybe."

"come on, it'll be fun," jay encouraged, nudging him. "you were really getting the hang of it."

"yeah, and it's a good way to blow off some steam," heeseung added, looking at jake with a knowing expression.

jake considered it. he didn't want to go back to the dorm and be alone with his thoughts. "okay, i'll join."

"that's the spirit!" sunoo cheered, giving him a thumbs up.

after school, they headed to the basketball court again. this time, the game was more relaxed, everyone just goofing around. jake found himself laughing more, the weight on his chest feeling a little lighter.

as they wrapped up, heeseung walked over to jake, handing him a water bottle. "you did great today."

"thanks, hyung," jake said, feeling a bit shy under heeseung's gaze.

heeseung sat down next to him on the bench. "you know, you don't have to go through things alone. we're your friends. if something's bothering you, we're here to listen."

jake looked down at the ground, his chest tightening. part of him wanted to tell heeseung everything, to let it all out. but the fear of being judged, of seeing pity in heeseung's eyes, held him back. "i... it's just stuff from the past. nothing worth talking about."

heeseung didn't push. "well, whenever you're ready, i'm here."

jake nodded, grateful for heeseung's understanding. they walked back to the dorms in comfortable silence, the evening air cool against their skin.

back in the dorm, jungwon was waiting for him. "how was it?"

"good," jake replied, a small smile tugging at his lips. "i think i'm starting to like basketball."

jungwon grinned. "see? told you it'd be fun. and... you seem a bit better today."

jake nodded. "yeah, i think i am."

"good," jungwon said softly, patting jake's shoulder. "i like seeing you happy."

jake's smile widened. "thanks, uwonie. for everything."

they settled in for the night, the dorm quiet except for the occasional rustle of sheets. as jake lay in bed, he thought about heeseung's words. maybe one day, he'd be able to open up, to share the things that haunted him. but for now, he was content with the small steps he was taking.

[ 💭 ]
js a filler chapter cuzz why not 😻
<3