CHERRY || yeonbin [ch.2]

chapter forty - two

| 42 |

yeonjun sprints quickly, panting in the heat of the moment when his hand slaps the receptionist's desk, the nurses behind it flinching in their seats.

"r-room 238! where is it?!"

the nurse clears her throat, pointing her pen in the air, angling it to the right, "down the hall, then take a left-"

yeonjun immediately darts away at that, running as fast as he can down the hospital hallways, tears beaming in his eyes.

"jun, slow down!" soobin's not too far behind, groaning when he turns, reaching the space next to the receptionist's desk, just barely catching a glimpse of yeonjun's back before he turns the corner.

soobin curses under his breath, running after him.

yeonjun sniffles, shaking his head as he runs.

~

without looking back, hueningkai raises a leg, kicking the front door back until taehyun is seen standing there, his eyes blown wide, his water bottle slipping out of his hands to hit the floor when the door slams against the wall.

yeonjun gulps, standing straight.

~

yeonjun cries, holding the back of his arm to his face as he runs quicker, the thoughts in the back of his mind screaming at him, clawing at his brain like a shovel in dirt.

~

taehyun, too caught up in the sight of yeonjun standing in the doorway, stays silent, his ears prone to any type of noise, his senses blurred as he looks ahead.

shock.

"hi," yeonjun mutters, "you're... you're taehyun, right?" his voice is small, his throat strained as he speaks.

~

yeonjun stops in his tracks when his eyes land on the numbers... the room number 238 that he been shouting at the nurses not to long ago, right in front of him.

he parts his lips, body slightly slumping, his breathing slowing down, the adrenaline lowering as he stares at the hospital room door.

he takes a breath, reaching out his hand.

~

taehyun just stays silent, his lips parting in more and more shock over time, his cheeks flushed in complete and utter surprise.

"i..." taehyun doesn't know what to say.

hueningkai and yeonjun look at taehyun, both waiting for anything to fall past the boy's lips... anything, any words whatsoever.

~

yeonjun grips the handle, sliding the door open quickly.

his eyes are closed, and he's afraid to open them... afraid to see his so called brother lying in the hospital bed... afraid to let the reality of their relation settle nicely.

but, he eventually opens them, a small, trembled gasp falling past his lips as his eyes land on the blonde boy....

his brother...

all weak and asleep in a hospital bed, cheeks reddened for some unknown reason, the white covers tucked up to his chest, an oxygen mask stuck on his face, covering his nose and mouth.

yeonjun breaths shakily through his nose, arms by his sides, feet slowly taking steps.

the beeping of taehyun's heart rate monitor hurt his head, and he finds himself trembling, forced to take a seat in the chair pushed up next to taehyun's bed.

yeonjun nose tingles, and he feels a couple tears slip past his eyes, trailing down his face, hot and sticky with emotion.

he sniffles, gulping, chest heaving as he sobs harshly, lips stretched as he leans forward, holding a hand to his chest as he cries, the sight hurtful... almost too much.

yeonjun lifts his head after a moment, glossy eyes meeting taehyun's closed lids.

yeonjun gulps, lifting a shaky hand to rest on top of taehyun's, the boy's skin warm, yet chilled with goosebumps.

"taehyun...." yeonjun sniffles, folding his lips together as he looks down at his brother, his chest on fire, heart hurting, "wake up so i can see your pretty eyes, okay?"

taehyun just lays there, stilled.

yeonjun listens to taehyun breathe through the oxygen mask placed on his nose and mouth, hair perfectly matted on the top of his head, skin as soft as a flower petal.

~

"i..." taehyun looks down, frowning with a small shake of his head, "i don't want to see you," he says quickly, so fast yeonjun had a hard time catching it at first.

yeonjun furrows his brows, not even getting the chance to speak as he watches taehyun turn on his heel, bolting down the hallway.

he hears a door slam later.

~

yeonjun sniffles, lips quivering.

"you knew, huh?"

taehyun stays still, chest moving up and down slowly as he breathes.

"y-you weren't jealous that i'd take beomgyu from you..." yeonjun takes a breath, a tear rolling down his cheek as he slides his thumb across taehyun's knuckles.

"you were scared i'd find out..." yeonjun cries, biting his trembling lip as he looks down at taehyun, vision blurred with tears, "you were scared that i'd find out you were my brother,"

taehyun's skin is soft, just as the beating of yeonjun's heart as he sobs silently, lowering his head in a cry, tears free falling down his face.

"why?" yeonjun sniffles, looking up, "why'd you leave me all those years ago? hm?" he heaves, "y-you left me all alone with those evil people," yeonjun cries, "m-mom and dad,"

silence, just the beep of the monitor.

"h-how..." yeonjun gulps, taking a shaky breath, his lip bite once more, so hard he's surprised he didn't draw blood, "h-how'd i not recognize my own brother?" he cries, looking down.

"you l-leave, you change your number, your name...." yeonjun sniffles, holding taehyun's hand tighter, "do you know how much that destroyed me? ....how terrified, betrayed, and shocked i was that you left me with those sick p-parents of ours?"

taehyun just breathes gently, hand limp against yeonjun's hold.

"you can't leave me again, taehyun," yeonjun sniffles, bringing taehyun's hand to his face, pressing the boy's knuckles under his nose, pressed against the curve of his cupid's bow, "you can't,"

yeonjun cries some more, one of his tears falling on taehyun's hand, trailing down the curve of his knuckle.

"don't leave before i can call you my brother again," yeonjun pleads, eyes closed as he prays to whoever will listen, heart wrenched and uncomfortable in a state of beg.

"please, d-don't,"