Winter Falls, Summer Springs

Bad Habits Die Hard

Trigger Warnings : arguments, talks of toxic family traits. 

"It was an accident, I swear !"

"How can it be an accident ? You were literally against the door Hyunjin," Changbin replied with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

Jeongin and Chan looked at him with boring eyes.

Hyunjin squirmed, looking down to avoid their gazes, "I— I wanted to talk with Chanie hyung but then he talked with Inie and... and—" his shoulders slumped in defeat, "— and I followed them."

"Hyung," Jeongin called with a sigh, "you're falling back into your bad habit."

"I know," He replied with a whine while the youngest patted his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

He hesitantly looked up but was startled by the look Chan was sending him, "You said it's a bad habit," the oldest trailed, "have you been eavesdropping on us before ?"

Hyunjin's expression crumpled. He looked away, ashamed, "Not— not on everyone."

Changbin stilled, Jeongin stared at him, while the tension started boiling up again.

"Have you been eavesdropping on me before ?"

Hyunjin swallowed the knot in his throat. It felt uncomfortably dry on his tongue despite the sweat gathering on his palms.

His silence answered for him.

Chan exhaled slowly as if to... contain his anger ? Hyunjin couldn't tell.

"You two go back downstairs, I'll talk with him."

Oh wow, he sounds really upset.

"I just— it's why I wanted to talk to you—" he tried as he looked back up, but Chan's icy gaze cut any words from leaving his mouth.

"Hyung, don't be harsh on him, there's a context you don't know," Changbin told him softly, "I'll come back up in ten minutes."

They started walking downstairs, leaving them both in the insufferable silence. Hyunjin couldn't even find anything to say to appease the tension. He was always awkward in this type of situation, and he did not want to worsen it.

"Let's go here."

Hyunjin followed him inside a bedroom, heard him close the door. He couldn't let the silence suffocate him more, so he blurted out the first thing he could, "I eavesdropped on you yesterday."

Chan froze.

He didn't let him talk as he added in desperation, "I just— you barely talk about yourself to us, it's mostly to Jisungie, Binie hyung or Minho hyung," he ignored how his hands were shaking, because he still hated conflict despite growing up in a place full of dramas. "You don't talk to us."

He looked up at the oldest, and the cold eyes he once met, softened a bit, "There's things I don't tell you for a reason."

Ouch.

"I— I mean you're— you're right," he winced, looked down again in shame, like a pup being scolded, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."

Another unsettling silence filled in. Hyunjin didn't know if Chan was upset or not, didn't know if he'd ever forgive him because the topic seemed to have hit a nerve.

The older sighed, "What did you hear yesterday ?"

Hyunjin swallowed thickly, "You— you were on the phone."