Crumbling Bridges {YuJae} | complete

seventeen

Today is a weird day with too much going on in my head and I can't settle into doing anything so have a random update I guess <3 I think I might start uploading whenever I finish editing the next chapter because I'm done writing it now ^^ so look forward to more than one update a week, providing exams don't kill me... my first one's on thursday :0

╭──────༺♡༻──────╮

Jaehyun feels amazing. Really amazing.

There's no trace of a lie in the feeling, no dark holes in his chest or clouds of stormy doom circling his mind like a lion does its prey, and it's utter bliss. He fell asleep to the memory of Yuta's murmurs and warmth, then awoke to the promise of another day spent with his boyfriend. They both had the morning off work, so decided to stroll around town and try the chocolate muffins from all the cafés along the high street.

"Why are you smiling?" Hyejin's voice cuts through Jaehyun's train of thought. The sudden intrusion startles him, and he spills his coffee on the table where he's sat reading a poetry book Yuta lent him. He slams it shut and doesn't answer the girl's question until he's fetched some kitchen roll to wipe the spillage.

"I'm just happy, sweetheart."

"Right." Hyejin's stare doesn't waver. Jaehyun examines the dark circles around her eyes. The instinct to scold her pricks the tip of his tongue. He doesn't want to spoil the day by arguing over her excessive time spent in front of video games, but it fades with another sip of coffee, despite the liquid having cooled to a disappointing lukewarm by now.

"What's wrong with being happy?" Jaehyun asks, eyebrow raised.

"The fact that you're never happy. Not like this, at least. Is the book that good?" Hyejin surprises him by sitting down opposite. Something in Jaehyun jolts when she reaches for the book, wanting to snatch it from her and keep it as his secret, but she's too quick and he's too used to letting her do as she pleases, recoiling back as though he's the one scolded. He waits with bated breath while she flicks through it. He mentally curses how she treats him like a casual flatmate, not a father figure, the boundaries blurred and neither making a move to rebuild them. "Poetry? Since when are you into poetry?"

Jaehyun scoffs and keeps the book tight in his grip after Hyejin throws it back down. The gesture pains him as though she attacked Yuta, not just a mere book that means more to him than it probably should.

"Where'd you get it from?"

"A friend." Jaehyun replies quickly. A little too quickly, he realises when Hyejin leans back and twists the end of her ponytail around a finger, entire aura oozing heavy judgment.

"You have friends?"

He could say the same for her, but he doesn't. It wouldn't be fair. Not after years of coaxing her to meet more people, without much success.

"From work." Jaehyun says. He widens his eyes and is desperate for the girl to get the memo and back off, but a smirk crawls onto her lips and he knows he's cornered so he downs the last of his coffee, frowns at the bitter, cheap aftertaste, and runs his finger down the spine of the book. It's so cracked from being often read that the blue paper has paled. "His name's Yuta."

"Yuta." Hyejin tries out the name. Jaehyun isn't sure he likes the way she says it. The suspicion in her voice taints its beauty, turns it into something he should disagree with. "Did you go into town with Yuta this morning? Was it with him? Was it a date?"

Jaehyun falters. He bites his tongue, the answer seconds away from being leaked. He fears her reaction.

"Don't worry. You can do what you want." Sadness deflaters her voice. "I'm hungry." She rummages through the fridge and makes a cheese sandwich. Dinner is due in less than an hour and Jaehyun doesn't tell her to hold on, nor does he get up to start preparing anything. He remains glued to his chair.