INSIDE [jaeyong]

[5]

Jaehyun.

The blue haired peered up at him, not knowing whether or not to believe it. The taller's white hoodie was up over his chestnut hair and framed his face, eyes shut closed — he was still sleeping. Upright, that is; he must've passed out. His arm was lax across Taeyong's waist, and Taeyong imagined that had to of been what he felt in his sleep. It must've fell from playing with his hair as he drifted off.

The smaller tried to register that in his brain again: Jaehyun let him sleep in his lap.

And he was playing with his hair.

A warmth far more intense than the one in his dreams blossomed in his chest as he processed that over and over, and he started to feel sweaty and antsy lying in the taller's benign embrace. He felt like he was doing something wrong although he didn't quite remember how he wound up here. What he did recall was feeling safe, and that made the heat in his chest squeeze his heart a bit tighter.

Taeyong, though much to his own demise, tugged himself away so the blanket fell from his shoulders and into his lap and Jaehyun's arm slid off of his side. The chill of the room held him, and he itched to just lie back down but half of him strongly opposed the idea.

He sat there and gazed at the boy with glassy eyes, the same fluttering notion that woke him beginning to claw inside. Jaehyun was so electrifying and intriguing that Taeyong doubted it was just his visuals that made him feel that way — there was something about him. It pulled Taeyong in and took everything he had, his dignity and barriers that guarded him in four introverted walls. They simply crumbled apart and it made him feel weak in his presence.

The feeling was scary but somehow inviting at the same time. He felt comfortable with his company, but he barely knew Jaehyun. That's what was so intimidating; he didn't know what to expect.

Taeyong's breathing stifled once he saw the other stir and eventually open up his lethargic eyes. Jaehyun appeared shocked when he immediately saw the boy sitting beside him and staring at him intently with big, peculiar dark eyes. A flustered atmosphere hung low over both of their heads, and ironically enough, it made Taeyong feel better that someone else empathized with the weight of their happenings.

The difference was that Jaehyun swiftly collected himself, saying in a slight ridden voice, "You're awake."

Taeyong awkwardly smiled, an embarrassing laugh accompanying it. "Yeah." Jaehyun studied him, his vision rolling over Taeyong's expression carefully and the smaller looked to his lap, shyly twiddling his thumbs.

"Hey, I um— I'm sorry."

The shorter flickered his gaze back up to the boy, his eyebrows perking up and expression morphed in confusion. Jaehyun must've understood the question Taeyong was silently asking him, and he elaborated by saying ungainly, "That you were sleeping so... so close to me. I should've woken you up but I didn't because—" Jaehyun paused, holding his breath for a second before continuing, "because you were really tired. I know that not everyone wants their personal space invaded, especially by someone they just met."

Taeyong blinked, then blinked again, before he assured with a small laugh, "It's fine. If anything, I troubled you. Don't act like that." His grin of amusement softened to a meek smile. "And I don't know if this sounds weird, but I slept well last night and it's been awhile since that happened. So instead of you apologizing, maybe I should be thanking you," Taeyong teased, despite the confession being sincere.

A wash of relief relaxed Jaehyun's insecure demeanor as he questioned with an interested and nearly coquettish lilt to his voice, "What's it about me that made it easier to fall asleep?"

Taeyong visibly froze up, his fist squeezing onto the seam of the blanket and releasing a few times before he managed to utter out any response. "I just— I felt safe for once," he breathed out, not realizing how the statement rolled off his tongue until Jaehyun knitted his eyebrows and stared at the boy more attentively. Taeyong swallowed lightly and shifted in his seat so his legs were crossed. He peered at the alarmed boy through his dark eyelashes, inquiring quietly, "You know stuff about computers, right?"