Mixed Up | Yeonbin

9. bare

Soobin groaned as the sensation of his brain being replaced by rubble and bricks greeted him. He tried to sit up, only to be met with a chill against his bare chest.

What? Bare—

He looked down, seeing that he was shirtless. A quick flip of his duvet confirmed that, at least, he still had his jeans on.

Thank god.

He took in the familiar surroundings of his dorm room and sighed in relief.

Wait—how did I get back?

Soobin's eyes wandered to the other side of the room. Yeonjun was sprawled across his bed, barely on it, with one arm dangling over the edge. His clothes were disheveled, and his usually neat hair was messier than ever.

Did he bring me back?

As Soobin tried to move, a sharp pain shot through his temple, forcing a loud groan from his lips. The sound was enough to stir Yeonjun, who shifted slightly before fluttering his eyes open, the light slowly seeping into his consciousness.

"O-oh... you're awake," Yeonjun mumbled, slowly getting up and stretching with a yawn.

Soobin didn't reply immediately, his expression flat as he observed Yeonjun from across the room. He glanced at the purple spots speckled all over the older's neck, stirring something inside Soobin that he didn't quite enjoy.

Yeonjun didn't seem to notice Soobin's cold demeanor at first, too preoccupied with shaking off sleep. "You were pretty out of it last night," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I had to half-carry you back here."

Soobin simply nodded, his face betraying nothing.

Yeonjun stretched again, then leaned back against the wall, looking slightly amused. "Man, that girl—Yuna? She was something else last night. You wouldn't believe it. She was... well, let's just say she knows what she's doing."

There was a brief pause, heavy and suffocating, as the words hung in the air between them. Soobin's fingers clenched the duvet slightly, the bitterness from last night bubbling up again.

"Good for you," Soobin finally replied, his tone so neutral it almost sounded like he was commenting on the weather.

He didn't look at Yeonjun, instead staring at the ceiling as if it held something fascinating.

Yeonjun blinked, not expecting that response. "Uh, yeah... I guess."

Silence filled the room again, but this time it was different—tense and awkward.

Soobin could feel Yeonjun's gaze on him, but he didn't return it, keeping his eyes fixed on anything but the boy across the room.

"I, uh, hope you're not feeling too bad today," Yeonjun ventured after a moment, attempting to break the ice. "I can get you some water or something."

"I'm fine," Soobin said curtly, finally swinging his legs out of bed and standing up, albeit a bit unsteadily.

His mind was screaming at him to act normal, but the image of Yeonjun with Yuna kept replaying in his head, making his stomach churn.

Yeonjun watched him, the smile slowly fading from his face as he picked up on the distance in Soobin's voice. "Are you sure? You don't seem—"

"I said I'm fine," Soobin cut him off, sharper this time. He grabbed a shirt and quickly pulled it over his head, not even glancing at Yeonjun. "I'm going to take a shower."

Yeonjun sat there, momentarily stunned by Soobin's tone, but he didn't press further. "Alright..."

As Soobin walked to the bathroom, he could feel Yeonjun's confused gaze boring into his back, but he didn't turn around.

The moment he shut the bathroom door behind him, he let out a shaky breath.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, his own eyes looking back at him with a mix of confusion and hurt.

The memory of Yeonjun's nonchalant mention of Yuna cut deeper than it should have. But all he could do was push those feelings down, bury them under layers of indifference.

At least, that's what he told himself as he turned on the shower and stepped under the spray, hoping the water would wash away the ache in his chest.

What's wrong with me? Why do I care so much?

____________

a.n.

This poor boy is struggling, so oblivious 😔🤲