jaeyong ✧ skindeep

Twenty-five

Jaehyun rubbed his face dry with the hand towel rested on the side of the porcelain sink. He then doused a cotton round with rubbing alcohol and stroked his cheeks and forehead with it before disposing of the cotton and leaving the bathroom. 

He ran his slender fingers through his voluminous locks twice as he entered his room. He knelt down to his dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer, removing a couple articles of clothing and shoving them into his empty backpack. After quickly panning his eyes over everything in the backpack, Jaehyun zipped the bag closed and set it beside his duffel bag at the foot of the door frame before escaping downstairs. 

The brunette walked up behind the Taeyong who had just closed the dishwasher. Jaehyun's arms snaked up the latter's torso, holding him in a secure back hug. Taeyong concealed his heating face with his forearm, his voice slightly muffled through his sleeve,"What time are you leaving?"

Jaehyun responded,"In an hour? So three."

Taeyong removed himself from his counterpart's grasp,"Did you finish packing?"

The younger hummed in response as he reached into the refrigerator, pulling out a banana milk carton, poking a hole through it with the straw and finally sipping the drink. The two stoically stared at each other, Jaehyun releasing a sigh and placing the plastic container of milk down on the island. 

Jaehyun sauntered towards Taeyong, then abruptly swung the latter onto and over his shoulder. The brunette walked over to the couch, dropping Taeyong back onto the cushions and climbing above his body. His hands traveled up Taeyong's slender torso before moving his slender fingers and tickling the older. Taeyong squirmed under the abrupt sensation, euphonious laughs obviously emitting through his cheeky smile.

"Jaehyun- I can't- I can't breathe," Taeyong said, getting cut off by his own laughs or gasps for air.  

Jaehyun halted his own actions, placing his left palm against the latter's forehead and smiling at him, his dimples showing in the process. He moved hand slightly upwards, pushing Taeyong's jet-black locks out of his face and planting a kiss at the center of his forehead. 

Jaehyun pushed himself up off the couch, his attention diverting to the time displayed on the oven and his eyes squinting in the process. Taeyong sat up beside the other, his hands strictly set on his lap while he unknowingly descried Jaehyun's side profile. 

The younger walked back over to the marble kitchen island and grabbed the carton, securing the straw between his teeth. He trudged back to Taeyong before stroking the latter's hair down to his nape and escaping back upstairs.

Shortyly after, Jaehyun returned downstairs, his backpack hung over his left shoulder, duffel bag grasped by his right hand and his basketball secured against his forearm and torso. He set all three objects down at the base of the stairs and listlessly wandered around the kitchen. 

"Are you okay?" Taeyong questioned after noticing Jaehyun's frantic glances at the oven's clock. 

The brunette stopped his continuous peeks at the time,"I'm fine, just excited."

The latter softly nodded and hummed in response. 

Few minutes passed before leaving Jaehyun in a stirred hurry to leave. His hand tightly held the strap of his duffel bag. He leaned forward at his counterpart, placing a goodbye peck on his lips. Jaehyun picked up his backpack from beside him and approached the door, opening the door and half his body peeking out.

"Bye. I love you."

Taeyong didn't respond though or really much attempted to, leaving him in an abyss of deafening silence as Jaehyun shut the door.

~~~~

Jaehyun arrived in front of the temporarily abandoned school that was the set "meet up" spot. Once the brunette spotted Ten, he slightly waved his hand above his head. The shorter male responded with a smile, the two greeting each other with a "bro-hug". Jaehyun set his backpack and duffel bag down beside his feet, his arms crossed over his chest as their coach situated the their teammates in the background.

Jaehyun kept his line of sight between Ten's side profile and the bus present in front of them. An unusual hesitance was present in Jaehyun's tone,"Was Johnny sad or anything when you left?"

Ten stuffed his phone into his back pocket and gazed up at the latter,"Just more relieved that he gets the bucket of licorice to himself for three days. Why? Did Taeyong seem sad?"

The latter's expression marginally saddened and his voice began to drag towards the end of his sentence,"I don't know." 

The Thai assuredly patted Jaehyun's back, "It's only three days. He'll be okay."

Jaehyun just nodded in response, both boys picking up their own bags afterwards as the coach was instructing everyone to board the bus. 

~~~~

Taeyong uncomfortably laid on Jaehyun's bed, music from his phone playing faintly along with the sound of the ceiling fan whirring in the room. Taeyong's fingers tightly grasped the corner of the pillowcase, his eyes heavily closing and his throat aching with every swallow. Not to mention the stabbing pain in his stomach.

He continued to rest until a knock at the front door forced him to get up and answer. He opened the door, seeing a familiar head of black hair.

"Jaehyun told me to babysit you when he left," Doyoung stated as he brought his phone down to his pocket. 

Taeyong's expression flattened,"You have the wrong house."

Taeyong attempted to close the door only for Doyoung to push himself in through the aperture of the door. A relieved sigh escaped Doyoung's thin lips once he was inside the house.

Taeyong fell towards the door when Doyoung moved,"This is breaking and entering."

Doyoung dusted off his clothes,"I have evidence Jaehyun allowed my entry. So, I won."

They remained silent for a prolonged amount of time before Taeyong stated,"Leave."

"No."

"Leave."

"If it wasn't for me, you and Jaehyun wouldn't be dating. And no."

"You're ruining my feng shui. Leave." 

Doyoung plopped himself down on the floor,"No."

Surely, it would be a long night.

~~~~