“you’re back.” it’s a simple, obvious statement. taekwoon closes the book and sets it on the nightstand, placing his hands on the bed as he pushes his body into a straighter position. he winces a bit at the strain to his muscles—the lack of proper training taking a toll on his body after what feels like forever being bedridden. “i was wondering if you got distracted. you tend to do that a lot, you know.” he offers a small smile—trying his best to appear to be normal, like he isn’t falling into a hole of self-doubt and loathing.
Jonghyun knew that he didn’t have it as bad as others after the Mansion of Death™ and that was evident after a stern talking from one of Daybreak’s doctors. “Be sure to rest your vocals as much as possible,” they instructed, clearly overworked and stressed. “Have some throat coat if the pain is bothering you and be sure to avoid any alcohol, smoking, and caffeinated drinks.” While he mostly succeeded in following the doctor’s orders ( alcohol was sure one hell of a drug ), it was not difficult to follow them-- considering it hurt like a bitch to talk and his voice was off at God knows where. Physically, there were just a few bandages for the scattered small cuts and his bruises were already starting to yellow. His ears rang just slightly, but he could already tell that they were healing up fine. The only real annoying thing was the bandage for the cut above his eyebrow tended to itch, and his body still ached in some parts. Visibly his neck was alarmingly colorful with bruises, but all in all he was unscathed and perfectly functional aside from his vocals.
It wasn’t like his leg was broken or that he had gone partially deaf.
In the recent weeks he spent most of them practically waiting on Taekwoon’s hand and foot. He can only imagine how painfully boring and terrible it must be to be cooped up in the infirmary for weeks on end-- and judging by the other’s newly bandaged hands, it must be eating away at his mentality. Jonghyun notices the small changes, but never says anything about them. He doesn’t scold Taek for not staying in bed, casted let propped up on a fluffy pillow and all. It wasn’t his place, and the guilt from that night washed through him whenever he thought about it.
Regardless though, he still loved his best friend dearly and a shitty time like Death Mansion™ wasn’t going to scare Jonghyun off that easily. He didn’t have many people to fall back on, and with him being almost loyal to a fault, Jjong was ready to cling to everything the two of them had.
There was one thing slowly eating away at his mind, however. In recent time, Taekwoon learned a lot about Jonghyun’s woes-- the woes he tried so terribly hard to shield away from the world. Yet for whatever unknown reason Taekwoon sought him out and Jjong’s mouth opened and out they came like a gurgling stream. It was more than what Jjong ever wanted to share with the other-- he was certain that basically everyone had it worse than his Daddy issues and lack of volume control.
But it was painfully evident as Jjong was playing over the events before the mansion in his mind that he doesn’t know as Taekwoon as well as he thought.
Did Taekwoon really have it worse? Jonghyun truthfully didn’t know. The taller was always stoic and dealt with Jjong’s intoxicated bullshit like a reluctant angel, yet the only thing the sonic screamer knew about the vigil was that he could throw him out of a window at any moment’s time and that he wasn’t as scary as many people liked to assume upon first glance. He knows little facts about the other-- like physical traits and how he liked his ramen-- but Jjong didn’t know anything of substantial worth. Sure, Jonghyun had a number of stories about their adventures, both good and bad, but there wasn’t really much he knew that most other people wouldn’t know about Taek. Just how did Taekwoon become who he is today? Jonghyun didn’t even know where he was from. He only knows about Taekwoon’s therapy through passing but he never once addressed why. He was always afraid of tipping the other off since Jonghyun knows just how annoying he can be.
Were they really as close as Jonghyun liked to believe they were? The mutant was beggining to doubt it.
Pushing troubling thoughts aside, Jonghyun reenters the room with two fairly large boxes of fried chicken. Doing menial tasks such as getting food wasn’t ever something Jjong minded ( especially since he knows how terrible hospital food can taste and chicken was so much better ). He was wearing a cream turtleneck sweater today-- one with a nice cable knit and brass buttons on the cuffs. It was ridiculously soft and Jonghyun liked it because it was cozy and helped to cover up the majority of his bruises. He was sure Taekwoon noticed his increase on wearing high-necked shirts and scarves, but the latter has yet to make a comment on them.
“With chicken!” His voice is healing still, saying that it’s hoarse is almost too generous as his vocals immediately protest against their use. He ignores the pain, regardless. He shakes the boxes side to side for emphasis, a smile breaking across his face. His stomach rumbled for probably the nth time since he entered the chicken shop and he honestly couldn’t wait to eat them. Juggling the boxes, he sheds his coat and hangs it up nicely before starting his way over. At the latter’s next comment, Jjong’s face twists in protest. “List’n,” he defends, plopping back into his chair next to the latter’s bed, dropping off one box on the tray table attached to the bed as he holds onto the other.
“I only ended up in Bucheon, once, ok?” He opens the top of his box, and immediately looks for the wad of napkins he swiped from the storefront, only to realize that he left them in his coat’s pocket and ultimately decides that he’s too lazy to get up and get them. He takes a bite of a wing, absolutely starving, then uses it to point at the other as he continues around a mouthful. “You gotta admit though-- those doughnuts were great.”