Island Roommates // Yutae Fan Fic

Chapter Eight

A/N: Feeling much better but still so sleepy. zZzZzZ. I'm updating late. But I did see I have over 100 reads! I didn't expect much in the first week, so thank you. I hope you're still enjoying it if you've made it this far. 😘

Taeyong:

I woke with a gasp and clutched at my chest as I tried to calm my beating heart. It was dark, but the stars were out and the moon was full so the night wasn't black. Just... dark. Yuta stirred next to me and I winced. I didn't want to wake him up. He'd been in the water all day looking for something close to the shore that we could use as bait. I'd made him a small fishing rod with a shoelace and the stitching needle he had found in the first aid kit, but nothing had bitten for hours. He wouldn't listen when I told him my arm was feeling better and I should be helping him. I didn't even use the sling anymore. I rotated my shoulder as my breathing evened out. Yes, it was much better now.

I crawled off the bed and went relieve myself against a tree. My eyes were still sleepy but there was no way I was going back to sleep now. I drifted towards the water and stood with my feet just touching it. It was too cold to go in as deep as I wanted to. I stayed there for a few minutes just watching the small waves and was about to turn around when Yuta spoke behind me.

"Can't sleep again?" He asked and joined me by the water, wrapping the sheet he was using around me as well. I felt warm almost immediately and it wasn't because I was covered up now. I shook my head to answer his question.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He said, quieter. I could feel his eyes on me, and I know he was worried, but there was no way I could tell him.

In the 5 days that it has been since we found the plane I've been having nightmares. Or rather just one nightmare. Even just thinking about it raises goose bumps on my arms.

"Don't worry about it." I smiled stiffly at him and turned my gaze back to the water. "I just need a few minutes."

"Is it about home?" He prodded and pulled the sheet tighter against himself which pulled me closer to him. It felt good, knowing he was warm. And alive. I sighed and dropped my chin to my chest.

Every day since we had found those bodies in the wreck, I dreamt of Yuta. In my head I saw him bent and broken and bleeding and my stomach lurched. I dreamt of him stiff and cold and wide eyed and I was alone. It made me sick. I couldn't stop thinking of how he could have been one of the bodies I found in there; if he hadn't come to the bedroom when he had.

"Why..." I cleared my throat from the tears rapidly clogging it. "That day. Why did you come to the room?"

"The bedroom? In the plane?"

"Yeah." It was hard to tell if the water was rippling that much from the wind or if it was just the tears balancing on the edge of my eyelids. Yuta clicked his tongue and kicked at the sand by his feet.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said.

"You did?"

"Mmm. About the things that had been happening that week. And why you were avoiding everyone."

"I always avoid everyone." I muttered.

"No, this was different. I didn't even see you for 3 days and we sleep in the same room..." He tilted his head as he looked at me. "Was what happened really that bad?"

"Didn't our managers say anything to you?" I fiddled with the corner of the sheet and managed to force my tears back. This story was easier than telling Yuta about my dream, at least.

"No. They said we should ask you." He went back to kicking the sand at his feet and when it was smooth, he used his toes to draw Japanese characters.

"There's really not much to tell. I tried to sell some stuff online." I began. "This one guy, he ordered something from me and I sent it to him. But it was the same week some stuff was going on in my family and I was distracted. He told me some parts were missing. I offered to send them to him, I said I was sorry, but he started swearing at me." I scoffed as I remembered how confusing that situation was.

"He started talking shit about my family, and that just crossed the line for me so I swore back. He left me alone. But he must have found out recently that I was a trainee because he started spreading rumours all over the internet that I was a scam artist." I shook my head and pulled away from the sheet Yuta had wrapped me in. "I don't mind if my past comes back to haunt me. I should have known better. My parents taught me better than that. But it just bothered me that it was starting to affect everyone else. All of you... you've all worked so hard to get where we are at this stage. We're about to debut... I really didn't want to mess it up for everyone."

Yuta:

I had been quiet while Taeyong was speaking but I couldn't keep it in anymore.

"AAAHHHH! Baka! You're an idiot. A moron. PABO!" I scoffed and reached out to poke him in the ribs. "Did you really think something that wasn't your fault would change anything?" I asked. "Really? Taeyong, everyone who knows you, knows that the rumours that guy is spreading are ridiculous. You're the most ... reliable, decent person I know. That everyone in the group knows! That's why you're our leader. You're the glue that holds us together." I flung my arms in the air. "Look! Do you think anything you see here would be around if it wasn't for you? Including me." That made me choke up a little. I don't think there was ever a way I could thank him for literally saving my life.

"You would have been fine." He rolled his eyes but even in the dark I could see his ears turn pink.

"You're a good person, Taeyong. OK? Sometimes good people can have bad days too, though and that's all it was. Don't think about that guy again. He's just an attention whore." I finished off my little rant and saw him trying to hide a smile behind his hand.

"It's also cold. Why didn't you wear your jacket?" I moved forward and covered him in the sheet again.

"It was hot. I was sweating." He mumbled, but he didn't move. I rubbed at his bare arms with my hands that were not really much warmer, but friction was good, right? He was watching me with a strange look on his face.

"What?" I asked, suddenly embarrassed. Did he not want me touching him? He shook his head slowly and spread out his arms around me, then pulled me into a very tight hug.

"Nothing. I just wanted to say thank you. That's all." He tucked his head into my neck and I swear my heart stopped. It took a while, but eventually I had enough sense to hug him back while I had the chance. My arms squeezed his waist and stayed there. He didn't move for a long time.

"You're very warm." He whispered. I chuckled and started rubbing his back this time.

"I'm really not. But if it makes you happy, I'll stay here as long as you need me to." He answered with his own chuckle and his hands locked behind my back. After a few moments though he froze in my arms and his head shot up.

His face tipped upwards and he frowned slightly.

"Did you just hear something?" He said slowly. I looked up with him and realised it had become much lighter while we were standing by the water. Dawn would be breaking soon.

"No..." I untangled myself from his arms and stood quietly next to him. Listening. I was about to shake my head and tell him he was hearing things when I heard it too.

My eyes went wide and we stared in shock at each other. There was no way... Just as the thought crossed my mind, a helicopter appeared on the horizon.