congratulations || jeongchan

- 27 - Emptiness -

Just knowing that I could be with somebody new

Voices echoed around in Jeongin's head, "The bus comes in five minutes, Channie, go with Hyunjin and we'll be there as soon as we can." He allowed his head to loll back, attempting to shake the weight that seemed to be pushing down on him. He was wet. Wet to the skin and then some. 

The engine sputtered into life, doors slammed and the unmistakeable whine of seatbelts breached the silence. The silence seemed to suffocate Jeongin, his eyes strained against the darkness but he couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

"Stop it." 

"Sorry." A tapping that Jeongin had only just picked up on stopped immediately, it was a dull tap. The kind that shifted in pace and almost seemed to grate at times. Probably because the person in question had haphazardly bitten nails that were catching on every little notch in the surface.

The silence pushed down on him. 

His mouth felt like glue, "I'm sorry," he tried to whisper, "Chan, I'm so sorry," all that came out was a nearly silent whimper. They couldn't hear him. He wouldn't have been able to hear himself if he hadn't known that he was trying. His mouth tasted like rust. 

The car came to a halt and there was more shuffling, more door slamming. Cold air stuck the wet strands of his fringe to his forehead. He tried to manoeuvre himself but couldn't move. It was like his brain was taking everything that he was attempting to do and forcing it away. Away from any semblance of hope.

And then the silence was gone.

Buzzing and beeping and hushed chatter filled his ears but it hurt so much. Too much hit the boy at once and he wanted to scream and thrash, but there were hands holding him tightly to a warm chest. A gentle twitch of his foot hit the arm of the person in question. They didn't notice.

He wanted the silence back.

Then his mind went blank.

He awoke in a white room. White walls, white ceiling, white floor, white bed, white windowsill. His fingers fisted into white bedsheets and the thin shift covering his body was white cotton. A figure in a pink sweatshirt was curled up on the floor.

"Jinnie?" His voice seemed to large for the confines of the hospital room, it swelled and tumbled ridiculously. Everything felt out of proportion. The figure sat bolt upright, immediately turning to Jeongin.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" His voice was frantic, terrified even. 

The boy shook his head slightly, "Why are we here?"

"You and Chan's soul bond has had what the doctor's are calling a seizure of sorts. It's incredibly rare. It occurs when the owners of the bond repress emotions and fail to support one another. Effectively it's your body telling you to reciprocate your bond. Also, because you haven't been taking your medication; your back went into spasm when it happened. So you passed out from accumulative pain."

"But a bond isn't tangible, how can it have a seizure?" The younger boy sat up, wide eyed and more alert than he'd been for a while.

Hyunjin sighed softly, "I dunno, bubs, Chan's just getting checked out so that they can give you both the best advice. Apparently you have to talk to a bond specialist about why this potentially occurred."

"But-"

The elder boy held a finger to his lips, "There's no but about it, I'm afraid. This is for Chan just as much as it is for you, I'm not letting you hurt yourself anymore."

"You hate Chan," the younger boy deadpanned, staring directly at the elder who attempted to avoid his gaze.

"You matter more to me than a petty dislike." He finally murmured, "You need this."

A knock sounded against the white door, before a head of fluffy blonde hair poked around. Chan had red eyes, bruising on his cheek and an ice pack on his arm. He looked awful. Gorgeous. But awful.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have to talk to the specialist now." He avoided Jeongin's searching gaze, instead tracing the flower marking at the base of his thumb. The younger boy pulled himself out of bed, using the wall as a support.

"Good luck," Hyunjin mumbled.

They made their way through excessive corridors before finally reaching another white door. Dr Hyo, it read, soul bond specialist. 

Chan turned to Jeongin, "Look, whatever happens, please pro-"

He was abruptly cut off by the door opening between them, "Boys! Please come in."

A/N - Happy New Year !!