jaeyong ✧ skindeep

Twenty-two

Jaehyun groggily sat up on the bed, his hair attractively messy from sleep and his eyes barely adjusting to the morning sunlight. Donghyuck lightly slept next to him, Doyoung and Mark asleep on the opposite bed, Johnny and Ten laid on the couch and Taeyong sleeping on the accent chair in corner.

Jaehyun reached over to the bedside table, pulled his phone from his charger and clicked the screen on. Once realizing what time it was, he lazily sat up, his fingers running through his brown locks and heading to the bathroom.

While Jaehyun brushed his teeth, Johnny seemed to wake up. Half-asleep, he walked to the bathroom, standing next to his friend and snatching the tube of toothpaste.

Jaehyun leaned in the sink, spitting out the toothpaste in his mouth,"We have to check out by twelve o'clock."

Johnny kept one hand over half his face, his eyelids softly shut as his toothbrush hung from his lips,"Next time, can you not pick a time that requires discord to happen?"

Few minutes passed before everyone else awoke, although it seemed more like they were half-awake.

Doyoung rubbed his tired eyes, his gaze being directed at Ten and Johnny,"Did you guys have to be so loud last night? The bathroom makes that shit sound louder."

Jaehyun walked behind the couple, hotel toiletries in his hands, stuffing the items into his backpack,"Seriously. I thought Ten was dying."

~~~~

After what took close to forever, somehow, the seven of them checked out of the hotel and back into the van they were.

Once the drive began, almost everyone in the back of the van, excluding Ten and Donghyuck, had fallen asleep. Taeyong connected his phone to the Bluetooth of the car and silently played Concealed the Outro by K.A.A.N.

A soft glace was exchanged between Jaehyun and Taeyong before being interrupted by Ten and Donghyuck's arguing in the background.

"Shut up, I'm probably your damn boss in another universe. Johnny probably makes you think he loves you then kills your stupid ass."

"Rat, are you high?"

~~~~
i really don't know what that was
i just really wanted to reference impassive

Taeyong's head rested against the headrest of the seat, his gaze falling to outside the window, watching as the familiar dirt roads returned and replaced the city they'd known for few days.

His head turned to Jaehyun only to see the other's gaze already there. A small shade of pink tinted his tan cheeks,"Eyes on the road before you crash us."

A small huff escaped Jaehyun before his lips curved into a crescent and he turned his head back to in front of the wheel,"If you're the last thing I see before I die, I won't even mind the fact that I'm dying."

At this point, it was just a game to see how much longer Taeyong could go without dying from cardiac arrest.

His blushing cheeks and pulsating heartbeat surely seemed as if that moment was now. Nevermind the fact that he also felt like tearing up; it was those words he still never expected to be directed at him.

Jaehyun moved one of his hands down from the steering wheel to Taeyong's hand which rested over the glove compartment. His fingertips rested on the older's knuckles before trailing his fingers and clutching his palm.

Taeyong's jaw tightly clenched at the action, his nerves feeling on edge before he pushed against the seatbelt and pecked Jaehyun on the cheek. It was only a second but it was enough to give Jaehyun that same heart-tightening feeling. For once, Jaehyun was the one whose heart had exploded.

Taeyong pulled his knees to his chest, leaning his head against them and his hand turning to return Jaehyun's tight grip. His face flushed in embarrassment as he heard a delicate laugh leave Jaehyun's lips.

The drive continued, significantly more silent then the ride to had been. If they weren't arguing, eating junk food or watching movies on Ten's laptop then they were asleep.

Night eventually grasped the daylight, the moonlight being the only source of lighting. Taeyong's eyes surveyed Jaehyun, the brunette silently and huskily singing along with whatever song came up on the playlist.

Taeyong began, fatigue lacing his words,"Jaehyun, you should pull over so you can sleep a little."

"Hm, I'm fine for now."

The raven-haired's phone began to buzz in the glove compartment. Taeyong picked up his phone, his eyes adjusting the light of the phone, seeing as it was a call from an unknown number. He swiped the green button and placed it to his ear,"Hello?"

Taeyong abruptly sat up in his seat,"What? Okay, thank you. Bye."

He seat his phone down from his ear, remaining silent for Jaehyun questioned.

His worried gaze shifted from the road to Taeyong,"What is it?"

"They found my dad his car. His liver failed from the alcohol and he died there."

A heavy burden clenched over Taeyong's heart. Sure, his father was a terrible person who he grew to hate ―and to some opinions, didn't deserve to be called human―, but the fact that he was gone felt unreal.

"Are you okay? I can pull over and we can talk if you want."

He shook his head,"Um, no, it's okay. You know, I'm tired. I'll just try to go to sleep."

Taeyong turned his back towards Jaehyun, his body curled facing towards the car window, watching as the starry sky became a blur. He actively felt like crying or felt as if he should but, no tears fell.

His finger trailed the scar on his forearm that he had received from his father once; the cigarette burn that blotched the nape of his neck.

Maybe the melanchony he felt over him wasn't from the fact that his terrible father was gone. It was rather because he had no memories if him that didn't include a cigarette between his fingers or a half empty bottle in his grasp.

Nevertheless, his eyes fluttered closed and he eventually fell asleep.

~~~~