Jeongin stretched his legs out on the couch, draping the blanket over him in order to cover himself fully. His eyes were glued to the television screen, but his brain hadn't really been processing anything. The low volume of whatever show was playing gently echoed through the room.
His room had felt too stuffy lately. This is why he began to spend most of his time in the common room or in the training rooms.
"You want something to eat, Jeongin?" Changbin asked from the kitchen, currently engaged in grabbing a packet of chips from the cabinet. "There's pretzels, cookies, and... oh, m&m's!"
"I'm good, hyung," Jeongin said, his eyes not leaving the images flashing on the screen.
"You sure?"
"Yeah..." Jeongin nods. "Don't really have an appetite."
"You're okay, right, Innie?" It was Chan who spoke. He had just entered the room in order to get himself a glass of water.
"Are any of us really okay?" Jeongin chuckled sadly. "It's been a week since Felix hyung was taken, and we haven't heard from him since. We haven't seen or spoken to our families and friends for over five months. We've had no training whatsoever. And we don't know how long we're going to be stuck here."
"Jeongin..." Chan sighed sadly, looking over at Changbin, who could sense the exhaustion on the older's face. Changbin simply nods and mouths 'I'll handle it hyung, you go'. He knew how tired the Chan was and was willing to take over for him. Chan smiles gratefully, disappearing into the hallway as Changbin decides to sit down with Jeongin and offer some comfort.
Chan gulps the water in one go as he makes his way to Felix's room. It had become sort of a routine for him at this point. He had always made sure to spend at least an hour a day in Felix's room. Chan would write music there, play the guitar, or just simply bask in whatever essence of Felix was left behind in the remnants of his room.
That is why when he opens the door of the room, he's a little taken back when he finds Hyunjin already in there, buried under Felix's bedsheets, curled up into a ball.
"Hey, Hyunjin," Chan said softly, not wanting to startle the fellow member. Hyunjin looked up with red-rimmed eyes, a silent acknowledgment passing between them. Chan took a seat on the edge of Felix's bed, giving Hyunjin a moment.
After a pause, Hyunjin whispered, "I just... needed to be here, you know? It still feels like he could walk in any moment."
Chan nodded, understanding the sentiment. "We're all feeling it, Hyunjin. It's tough, but we'll find him. And until then, we stick together."
Hyunjin sighed, leaning into Chan's reassuring presence. "I know, it's just... hard."
Chan placed a hand on Hyunjin's shoulder. "We'll get through this. For Felix and for each other."
Hyunjin nodded. A moment passed before he spoke up again. "I'm sorry, hyung."
"For what?" Chan questioned.
"For lashing out on you that day," Hyunjin looked down in guilt and embarrassment. "I let my emotions get the best of me, and that was a shitty thing to do."
"Hey," Chan chuckled softly. "It's a completely normal reaction. Anyone in your place would have acted the same way. I need to apologize as well. I'm sorry for getting you riled up like that. It wasn't mature of me to do something like that."
Hyunjin smiled slightly, but his smile faded away just as soon as it appeared. Sitting up more properly, he faced Chan. "Hyung... can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, of course. What is it?" Chan asked, inquisitive.
"Is it true?" Hyunjin began. "Everything you said about you and Felix?"
"Ah," Chan cringed at the memory of how bitter he had been when he told Hyunjin and the others about Felix.
"That... yes, it's true, but I swear, it wasn't done out of anything but my love towards him. I might've internally realized that you two had something, but I still kissed him anyway because... well, I was in denial. It was a shitty thing to do, Felix knows it, too. We've addressed it for the time being, and he said he needed some time to sort out his feelings. I truly am sorry, though. I know how upset you must've felt when you found out. I really didn't mean for you to find out like that. Like you said, I let my emotions get the best of me, too."
Hyunjin looked a little surprised at the confession. Chan had poured his heart out to him and even asked him for forgiveness.
"Thank you, hyung," Hyunjin replied. "For being honest with me. I understand your intentions, and I think I'm starting to understand your love for Felix as well."
"That little human has us wrapped around his finger, isn't it?" Chan laughed, and Hyunjin joined in. "He knows how down bad we are for him, I'm sure of it."
"Who could not love him?" Hyunjin answered with a soft smile. "Felix is just so...."
"... so Felix?" Chan completed the sentence.
"Yes," Hyunjin replied. "I don't know how else to explain it."
"Oh, no, I completely understand," Chan said, standing up slowly. "I'll get going, then. Give you a little privacy. I won't disturb you anymore."
Hyunjin smiled, a genuine one. "Thank you, hyung. I'll be out for dinner in a while."
"Minho and Hannie are making ramen, nothing too special," Chan chuckled.
"I'll be looking forward to it, nevertheless," Hyunjin answered.
"Okay," Chan smiled, making his way to the door. Before he could leave, he turned around for one last time. "We'll get him back safe, Hyunjin. I promise."
Hyunjin was still for a moment, but his lips quickly grew into a smile. He nods sternly, and Chan opens the door and exits the room.
Meanwhile, Changbin and Jeongin sat in the common room, both lost in their thoughts. Changbin decided to break the silence, "Jeongin, we can't lose hope. Felix is strong; he'll find a way back to us. And we'll do our best to find him, too. This will all be over soon, I promise. You'll get to go home and finally live a normal life."
Jeongin looked up, a mixture of determination and vulnerability in his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. We have to keep going for Felix."
"And for ourselves," Changbin smiled, patting Jeongin on the back.
As the group leaned on each other for support, the uncertainty of Felix's whereabouts lingered, but their solidarity became the anchor in the storm of uncertainty that surrounded them.
┈─────── ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-
[A/N]
Sorry for such a late update. The next one will be posted very, very soon, I promise! Hope you guys liked this one.
There'll be roughly ten more chapters left until this story is over, so stay tuned! And please show this fic and skz lots of love <3