gone days| jeongchan

two

silence.

after the short greetings from each other, the two young men were enveloped by deafening silence, yet it was neither comfortable nor awkward; it was empty. aside from the occasional chit-chats of the other people inside the café, nothing else was heard in their table, both boys being lost in the vast void of not knowing what to say.

jeongin badly wanted to initiate a conversation, but he was afraid he'd stutter once he talks, as no coherent words were forming in his mind as of the moment. chan, on the other hand, was trying to suppress his enthusiasm, trying not to overwhelm the younger.

the silence between them lasted surprisingly longer than they both expected it to, and san was sure it was going to stay that way if he wasn't going to say anything, so he puts the cup back onto the table as he clears his throat.

"so, how've you been?" he asks with a smile. his lips curved wider than they'd wanted them to, hooking the mask that was now on his chin off his ears, pocketing it.

jeongin gulps, not a nervous one, but sort of a preparatory gesture before he talks, "better," he shrugs. his eyes land on the older male's features, observing discreetly but closely. his skin looked soft even without touching it, his lips were a light tint of red, and no trace of acne on any of his cheeks. he had perfect features, perfectly showing off how much the older's skin was being taken care of.

not much as changed in the physical aspect of the older, making jeongin mentally hum. he was still as handsome as how he remembers him to be.

"how 'bout you?" jeongin follows up before putting the straw in between his lips, maintaining his gaze on the other's face. "i'm doing okay, i guess," chan chuckles as he too takes a sip of his own coffee. they finish drinking and put both cups on the table, silence falling upon the pair once again, but unlike before, it was the kind of silence that somehow let them know that the other couldn't think of anything to say.

"i.. i've got a job now.." jeongin finally speaks up after a few more moments of rather awkward silence, "i got into this school... i'll be working as a nurse in the infirmary..." jeongin mumbles while fidgeting with his own fingers.

jeongin just graduated earlier this year and is now a registered nurse. unlike others, jeongin applied for a spot in a school clinic instead of a hospital because he wasn't quite a fan of working under pressure. he'd rather work in a small air-conditioned room, applying medicine on wounds little children get from falling off the school playground swings and have more free time to talk to his co-workers in his free time than having to literally poke strangers' skins with needles. he wouldn't really want that.

also, jeongin was quite a slacker. he figured he wouldn't have the to do so if he does decide to work in a hospital so he chose a school instead. this may or may not have been the actual reason, but jeongin wouldn't tell anyone that.

chan hums in approval, recalling the times the younger boy has told him of dreams of being able to tend to the needs of others, the thought of jeongin's goals being fulfilled painting a smile on his face.

"what about you?" jeongin asks again. he shrugs.

"do you still dance?" he asks in a much softer voice, his gaze tearing away from the older's, tone noticeably turning into that of a concerned one, trying to make the words come out of his mouth as carefully as possible. the tone was more cautious than curious, chan noticed, like he doesn't want to ring any bells.

"sometimes, when i have free time," chan plasters a reassuring smile, as if telling the younger everything's okay, before continuing, "i'm busy trying out different things. a lot of things."

jeongin nods slowly.

and silence falls upon them yet again.

despite the older telling him through his smile that everything was alright, jeongin was afraid to ever speak again after the question had accidentally slipped his mouth. if there was one thing he was trying to avoid, it was chan walking away from him even before he gets to the point of why he even asked to meet him here in the first place.

chan noticed jeongin's efforts to keep their conversation going, and in that moment, he wanted to be the one to initiate instead, wanting the younger to feel more comfortable in his company as he would keep fiddling with the hem of his hoodie, now looking anywhere but the older's eyes, but he couldn't find the right words to say, and even he himself was surprised.

between the two of them, jeongin had always been the shy one. he would always be shy around people at first until he gradually becomes comfortable around them. chan, on the other hand, was the friendly type of guy that would talk to literally anyone, often being described by his friends as overly enthusiastic.

now that the roles have somewhat changed, they can't help but mentally cringe at how awkward and uncomfortable the situation turned out to be instead.

after the longest awkward silence of the day yet, san chuckles, "god, we're so awkward."

his chuckle turned into laughter, both of them now letting out hearty laughs at the situation they were currently in.

"pfft, i know, right," jeongin says while still giggling.

the laughter went on for a couple more seconds until they both calm down, this time, however, the moment of silence was something they both enjoyed. it was long a pause, their chests becoming way lighter as the uncomfortable weight were lifted off of them, finally being able to speak their minds.

"remind me why we're so awkward again?" jeongin jokingly asks, small giggles in between his words as he reaches for his coffee cup.

chan replied in the same joking tone, pretending to be trying to remember something while looking up, before abruptly looking back to jeongin, eyes slightly widening as if a light bulb clicked above his head, "we're exes."

jeongin laughs softly after gulping, placing the coffee cup back to where it was, "oh, right," before laughing again. jeongin's soft giggles and chan's smile eventually turned into the same hysterical laughter they had before, this time even more comfortable than ever, and they knew the night was still young.

✧