i missed you | jaejin & daeshim
As badly as Jaejin had wanted to run to see Daeshim the second he’d gotten back in the country, it hadn’t been an opportunity he was able to afford. Despite the fact that his group members were still shaken up from the trauma of a car accident and his best friend was apparently missing some of his memory, an unfortunate piece of knowledge he’d learned from Moontae, they still had to go on with their lives like normal. VI3E and Infin8 might’ve gotten away with not having to go all-out with their holiday promotions, but LifeLite hadn’t despite the fact that Baekyung and Jaesang had been part of the accident as well. They’d been doing various events, some with their shaken-up hyungs, and some without, and working on promotional pieces for the nearing holidays. When they had breaks, Jaejin checked in with Moontae, but they were still at Daeshim’s family home and he couldn’t get a long enough break to actually travel out there to see them.
Jaejin had managed to put together a small get-well package by the time he got a chance to see Daeshim, and he’d bundled it together along with the silly, sparkly Santa hat that he’d worn in their games they’d played during the day, and made his way up to the VI3E dorms to see his best friend. Jaejin had barely had a chance to knock on the door before he was greeted with a smiley Evan and an, “Oh thank goodness.” His brows furrowed a bit before Evan began to explain that they had been waiting for him and that Moontae was not willing to leave Daeshim’s side unless there was someone with him that he trusted, and then proceeded to get pouty about the fact that Moontae did not seem to trust any of them with Daeshim just yet.
“I’m sure that’s not the case,” Jaejin said weakly, not entirely sure what was happening as he was being ushered into the dorms, but then Sora began explaining that they were going to take Moontae to get some fresh air and a change of perspective, which seemed like a bad idea to Jaejin but he wasn’t going to push it. He had no idea what state his best friend’s boyfriend was in, but the texts that they’d exchanged seemed very concerning, and the paparazzi and fan photos that had been taken at the airport did not make him feel any better about the situation. He was worried about the state of their relationship, and really wanted to spend some time talking to Moontae about it, but that wasn’t something he could do if Daeshim was waiting for him and the boys were trying to drag Moontae out. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jaejin didn’t know what to add to the conversation, and before he could figure it out, Moontae came out of their room.
He looked horrible, like he still wasn’t sleeping much, but he also looked less pale then he had in the photos Jaejin had seen. He immediately stepped forward, ignoring the rest of VI3E as he walked up to Moontae and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, hyung,” he said in a tiny voice, not missing the way that Moontae’s breath seemed to stutter in his grip. He hugged him for a few moments longer before Moontae pulled away from him and pushed him towards the bedroom the two shared with a quiet, he’s waiting for you. Jaejin wanted to stay and ask how Moontae was doing and what was going on with him and if he really wanted to leave or if he wanted to stay with them, but he words were lodged in his throat, unable to speak them despite his concern around all the others, especially when they were watching him. He hated being watched, hated knowing that eyes were on him and listening to the words he hadn’t even yet said, so Jaejin nodded and walked to the bedroom, quietly twisting the door handle before he pushed it open.
The room looked so sad. It looked like no one lived there, deprived of the colourful banner that depicted their relationship’s start and the dozens of photos that were once plastered up to display his friends’ relationship. The most jarring part was probably seeing the beds separated by a nightstand between them, but Jaejin couldn’t even take the time to properly process that as his eyes landed on his friend. “Daedae,” he breathed out in a soft voice before he stepped over to the bed, dropping the bag on the floor before he leaned in and wrapped his arms warmly around him, gripping tight but not too tight in case it hurt. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I wanted to, I really did. I missed you.”