jaeyong ✧ skindeep

Eight

Monday arrived fairly quickly, this time with Taeyong having not received any new bruises as he'd spent most of the weekend out of the house. He continued his regular morning routine, partly enjoying slightly more as his father had left the house earlier for who-knows-what.

The enjoyment of being able to spend his morning slowly and not on edge was rare and something that Taeyong never took for granted. For once, he wouldn't have to rush to the front door through a invisible cloud of tobacco smoke or worry about last minute injuries. He could simply leave the house without accidentally slamming the door behind him, as he did.

The route to school smelt of petrichor as it had silently rained during twilight. Taeyong stepped through the shallow puddles, the patterns of the bottom of his Vans trailing behind him.

His mood slightly dropped upon entering the school; for the main reason he was embarrassed about having passed out during physicals. He ignored the gaze of anyone that looked at, that is if anyone was really looking at him or if he was imagining it. Taeyong made his way to his locker as usual and headed straight to his first class, maybe even slightly earlier than regular.

Though Doyoung was already sitting at his desk, scrolling through his phone, Jaehyun wasn't present. It just seemed abnormal as the two were practically glued together.

Taeyong mumbled a "good morning" to Doyoung which was returned before sitting at his own desk and sinking his head into his folded arms.

The slow morning continued on, making Taeyong realize how early he'd arrived considering the bell hadn't rang yet. He and Doyoung conversed for a minimal amount of time throughout, partly about Jaehyun's whereabouts which Doyoung remained oblivious to.

Barely more than five minutes remained till the first bell rang, at the same time Jaehyun's running footsteps could be heard approaching the door followed by the sliding of the door. He held a small, white box in his hand, the thin handles decorated with a lace-type cardboard. He approached Taeyong's desk and set the box down on the desk. Taeyong sat up, confused at the action. He looked at Jaehyun who only replied to the gaze with a,"Happy birthday, Taeyong."

Taeyong's fingers traced the paper thin handles of the box, he slowly opened the tab revealing a larger sized cupcake, it's lining white and frosting a swirl of a pastel pink and white. It was a more expensive looking cupcake; one that might cost one a decent eight or ten dollars.

Jaehyun scratched his nape,"Sorry, it's kinda bad. I rushed last minute and-," his sentence was halted went he noticed tears streaming down Taeyong's cheeks, the salty liquid staining the cardboard tabs.

Why was Taeyong crying? It was the first birthday present he received. Let alone the fact that anyone remembered his birthday might have made him cry just as much.

Taeyong sniffled and wiped his tears away with his sleeve,"No, thank you. Um, it's perfect. I didn't mean to cry."

Jaehyun ran his fingers through his hair, a soft smile plastered on his face,"We'll talk after class." He walked back to his own desk. Doyoung leaned out of his chair,"How'd you know it was his birthday? I would've gotten him a pair of socks or something last minute."

Jaehyun listlessly sat back into his chair,"Hm? You don't even remember my birthday, Doyoung."

"No, I do. I just don't bother telling you anything."

Jaehyun hummed in response, their conversation being cut short as the bell rung.

~~~~

Maybe the day seemed the past faster than normal because Taeyong wasn't in a specifically bad mood. In fact, maybe it was the happiest he'd been in a while.

He split the cupcake between himself, Jaehyun and Doyoung, even though the two insisted he keep it for himself at lunch. He'd only actually eaten less than a fifth of the cupcake but because of the difficulty it came to throwing up bread, he figured running home and extra laxatives would do the trick. Plus, it didn't stick well with him to throw up his first birthday present.

"See you tomorrow, Taeyong," Doyoung began,"I'll bring you an expensive pair of socks."

Taeyong let a small, perhaps genuine laugh escape his lips. He turned the opposite way after saying his goodbyes to the pair and started to jog home.

~~~~

By the time Taeyong arrived, his father was already home as his car was parked in front of the house. He sharply exhaled before turning the knob to the door and hesitantly walking in. Luckily, the sound of his father's irregular snoring was audible, letting Taeyong know he was asleep.

After noticing an orange prescription bottle on the counter and brushing it off, he silently rushed upstairs. He threw his backpack aside, then quietly walked to the bathroom where he washed his face, took six 'Dulcolax' tablets, brushed his teeth and shortly after, started on his excessive homework.

~~~~

The tune of whatever song came up on Jaehyun's Spotify playlist overshadowed the repetitive tapping of his pen against his notebook spiral. He hummed in response to the indistinct voice coming out of his phone that belonged to Doyoung.

"Dude, are you even listening?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Actually, I'll call you back, Doyoung. Bye."

"Wait, I-" Jaehyun pressed the red button on his phone screen, turning the call off. His rubbed the bridge of his nose and tiredly furrowed his eyebrows. As much as he tried to finish what seemed like an endless amount of homework, his thoughts wandered back to Taeyong crying.

As much as he told himself "maybe he's just an emotional person", the way Taeyong cried seemed somehow different than what would be considered a thankful cry. What ever that is.

Instead of over-thinking about what have possibly been nothing, he closed his language book and went to take a shower. Maybe hoping the worries his brain concocted about Taeyong were false and would wash away with the warm water.

~~~~