[SJFF] 100 SJ Fic Challenge - 030 Warmth (2/100)
Youngwoon let out a weary sigh as he glanced out of the windows of the dorm, reflexively retreating away from the glass panes when a bolt of lightning flashed warningly across the night sky. He wasn’t one to be scared of thunderstorms, no; he was just caught off-guard by the suddenness of it. The heavy rain that was pouring down relentless outside weighed down on his heart a little more as the seconds ticked by, and he subconsciously rubbed an open palm against his own arm vigorously in order to generate some heat to warm himself up.
Youngwoon crinkled his nose in distaste as he shuffled towards his own bed, not being quite fond of the low temperature that accompanied the thunderstorm. As he was about to tuck himself in under those warm, inviting sheets, a soft knock on the door caught his attention. He looked expectantly for his guest to barge in just like that - because that’s what all of his group members did whenever they were at home, anyway - but no one entered even after three silent minutes ticked past.
Thinking that it might be a lousy prank that the rest were playing on him, Youngwoon grunted and prepared to pull the comforter over himself once again, only to be interrupted by yet another series of soft rapping of a knuckle against the wooden material of his bedroom door. Annoyed, he stormed towards the door and threw it open, mustering his energy to lash out at the prankster for disturbing his sleep. Nonetheless, most of his irritation dissipated when he registered the sight of a very fidgety Donghae looking at him.
“Hae, what are you doing here at this kind of time? Shouldn’t you be in bed right now?” Youngwoon asked, sounding a little more pissed than he really was. His mood wasn’t really in the best state at the moment, especially when he was feeling tired at the same time.
“But Kangin hyung, I’m cold… Can I sleep with you tonight?” Donghae asked, glancing hesitantly at the older male. He sensed the hostility coming from the direction of Youngwoon, but he just couldn’t help himself, not when the dorms were eerily quiet at this time of the night due to the low number of occupants in the unit.
“Can’t you turn up the heater or something? Or just go cuddle up to Teuk-” Youngwoon started again, only to hold his tongue when he remembered that Jungsoo was in the hospital, recuperating from the accident that he had suffered along with Kyuhyun, Shindong and Hyukjae. His mood turned around completely in the next moment, as he sighed and stepped aside to let Donghae in after muttering a soft ‘fine’.
Donghae stood by the window as he allowed Youngwoon to crawl into bed first, before making himself comfortable on the floor, muttering a soft ‘good night’ as the older male flicked the switch to the lights. Looking at the sleeping form of Donghae from his position on the bed, Youngwoon couldn’t help but feel a little sad for the boy. He had been quite affected when the accident had occurred, especially considering the fact that he was close with both Jungsoo and Hyukjae, and that Kyuhyun had nearly lost his life from it. But Youngwoon also knew that Donghae was trying to prevent the others from worrying about him, when there were four others who required that attention even more.
Sighing for the second and final time, Youngwoon gingerly got up from his bed and grabbed his sheets, spreading them on the floor next to Donghae. In the dark but with the aid of the occasional bolts of lightning, he could see Donghae’s huge, watery eyes looking at him curiously, as if quietly asking him what he was up to. Nonetheless, all of the younger male’s questioning thoughts dissipated into the thin air when Youngwoon threw his comforter around the both of them, and pulled Donghae close to him.
And while the darkness engulfed them once again, Youngwoon now knew that Donghae was feeling warm enough to fall asleep properly. The slow yet rhythmic rise and falls of his chest was more than enough evidence of it.