Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 200: Awkwardness

Chapter 200: Awkwardness

Sky blinked awake, disoriented for a moment by the beautiful ceiling with dim chandeliers above him and the quiet hum of medical machines in the background. The pillow was too soft. The sheets too crisp. And the very faint scent of antiseptic confirmed he was definitely not in a familiar place.

His body felt heavy, like it had just finished running through a storm. He shifted slightly—and froze. This wasn’t just any bed either.

He wasn’t home. He wasn’t even in school.

Before he could fully sit up, a figure moved into his blurry line of vision.

"Sky."

The voice was soft, familiar. Urgent.

Chris.

Wait, Chris?

What the hell!

He had thought it was a dream.

Sky turned his head, slowly, eyes struggling to focus. Chris looked like he hadn’t slept. But he was here, hovering like he’d been sitting there for a few hours, maybe longer.

"What...?" Sky’s voice came out rough and confused.

"You’re awake," Chris said, a forced calm in his tone. Like he was trying hard to play it cool but his eyes gave him away—relief, exhaustion, something sharp and deeply buried.

Sky groaned and tried to sit up, but Chris was already at his side, hitting the bed controls. The mechanical hum lifted him into a more comfortable position. Chris then grabbed the pillows and fluffed them, adjusting them behind Sky like he might break if left unsupported.

Sky noticed. How hard Chris tried not to touch him. How awkward he was. Even he too was awkward.

It all felt strange.

And he was embarrassed by this situation right now.

Sky blinked. His head was still fuzzy, but Chris’s face slowly came into clarity. He was still in his hospital clothes, hair—red one— pulled back in a messy bun, dark circles under his eyes like he’d been on night watch duty. He looked better than he did in the pictures online—those brutal headlines—but also... worse, like life had been heavy lately.

Then Sky noticed the table beside him.

Fruit cut into little cute shapes. Sandwiches stacked with almost neurotic precision. Four different kinds of juice. Bottled water. Even a tiny bouquet of slightly wilting flowers that looked like they’d been bullied on the way over.

"Uh... are we having a picnic?" he croaked.

Chris followed his gaze. "I... panicked."

They fell silent. A bit too long.

Chris rubbed his hands on his knees. "You’ve been asleep for fifteen hours."

Sky’s eyes widened. "For... real?"

Chris nodded. "You were exhausted. Dehydrated too. They gave you fluids." He nodded toward the IV Sky hadn’t noticed until now.

"Oh," Sky said quietly.

There was a stillness between them that made Sky all too aware of the hospital beeping faintly in the background. The soft air conditioning hum. The fact that they were alone in a very expensive VIP room, which somehow made the space feel even larger and more awkward.

Sky broke the silence.

"Sorry, by the way. For... showing up. And for... this. I didn’t mean to—y’know—add to your already very dramatic life."

Chris opened his mouth like he had a million things to say. Then closed it and shrugged. "It’s fine. I mean... you showing up was... unexpected. In a good way. Except the part where you scared me half to death."

Sky gave a crooked smile. "Right. Always the dramatic entrance."

Silence again.

The kind that wasn’t entirely empty. There were things there. Sitting between them like invisible bricks. The long, drawn-out distance neither of them had filled.

"Do you want to eat something?" Chris finally asked. "I got you stuff."

Sky looked at the table again. "Did you raid a hotel lobby?"

"I didn’t know what you would prefer to have first," Chris said, almost defensively. "So I got everything I found."

"You got me three different kinds of juice."

"I was covering all flavor moods. In case you woke up craving mango-pineapple."

Sky rolled his eyes, but the twitch of a smile gave him away. "Nice," he muttered.

Something suddenly occurred to Sky and he quickly looked down at himself. There was a flicker of unease on his face.

Chris caught it immediately. The panic which eventually settled when it seemed like he found what he was looking for.

"I told the doctor not to change your clothes," Chris said quickly. "We only took off your shoes and stuff. Nothing else." Chris explained. He could already guess Sky must have panicked, thinking they had probably stripped him. And knowing how much Sky didn’t like to reveal himself for some reason he still didn’t know.

Sky exhaled, visibly relaxing. "Thanks," he murmured. "Can I... freshen up now?"

Sky glanced toward the restroom door.

"Sure. Everything is ready in the restroom. If you prefer to do that first before eating, that’s also fine. But you may want to wait for the next 15 minutes to finish the last fluid." Chris motioned to the IV. "It’s the last bag. You’ll be clear to move after."

"Okay."

More silence.

"This room’s... really nice," Sky said, trying for light conversation.

"Yeah," Chris said.

The line hung in the air a bit too long. Chris grabbed a juice box, stabbed the straw in.

"You want one?" he asked. "There’s peach. And... mystery purple."

"Peach sounds tragic," Sky said, holding out his hand. "Purple."

Chris passed it to him carefully, like it was something delicate. Or maybe Sky was.

Sky took a sip. "Tastes like... awkwardness and food coloring."

Chris smirked. "Perfect for the occasion, then."

The tension didn’t go away, but the corner softened a bit.

Chris stood up after a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm... I’ll just go see the parents for a while. You can freshen up when you’re done with the IV. That’s the call button there if you need the doctor. He just wants to check you’re stable."

Sky nodded. "Okay."

"I’ll be back in like an hour or so. Not long."

Chris started toward the door, then hesitated. He turned around briefly, almost said something, then gave a small wave instead.

Sky watched him go, juice box still in hand. He stared at the closed door for a long time.

There were too many words to say. But all were left unsaid. For now.