A/N: Okay, guise..... sad day. Because of mine and Saphyra's school schedules and the fact that they are annoyingly conflicted, this might be the last update for a few days. Hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday there will be something to post. I'm not making promises though. So.... uhm...... maybe, if I have time tomorrow between classes (and with the permission of my lovely co-author), I'll post something completely new that we've been working on. Anyway.... love you guys to death! <3 

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Jongin was aware of the words exchanged between Joonmyun and Taemin, heard his younger brother speak to the elder and apologise, heard Joonmyun's words in response, and bowed his head even more, his face half pressed into his sleeve as he drew in breath. He should've just told Joonmyun from the start what imprinting meant. Sure, Joonmyun would've most likely gotten angry with him, but he wouldn't have lied... and then there wouldn't be the trust issue.

 

He caught Joonmyun's scent on the air before he heard the elder speak, and was already tilting his head up to watch the elder male with dull amber eyes in place of the usual chocolate brown, his fingers still curled into the railing. "Joonmyun...---"

 

He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to make things better. And he noticed the way Joonmyun stayed at the door, almost afraid to come closer. Whether it was because of the full moon or Jongin,  he didn't know, but it made his chest tighten painfully.

---

 

There was something about the way Jongin curled his fingers into the railing, the almost whimpered name, that made Joonmyun concerned that he was in pain. He had no idea what Kai would be like without the sedatives, but if it was half as bad as it was the night before, Joonmyun knew he should be wary. Kai wouldn't hurt him, at least that's what Jongin had said, but that didn't make him any less afraid. 

 

"Jongin... maybe you should come inside," Joonmyun whispered, taking a careful, measured step forward. "We could play a game, or watch a movie, and there's still that tub of ice cream that Taemin brought from the kitchen..." He had no idea what he was doing, but offering something seemed like the best thing he could at the moment. 

 

A few long moments later, Joonmyun approached the railing -- he was still several feet, a safe distance, from Jongin -- and crouched to the boy's level. "Listen... I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you; you're having a hard enough time right now, and I should have waited. It's just... I'm still trying to adjust, and with all these new things.... I got scared. That doesn't mean I can yell at you, though. So, I'm sorry."

---

 

Jongin breathed out slowly, releasing his grip on the railing as he heard Joonmyun's voice, and he glanced up carefully, his eyes still the same dull amber as he met the elder's gaze, before he shook his head. "Aniyo, it's my fault. I should've... told you about it when you first asked me...You have every right to be scared, every right to yell at me, regardless of when it is..."

 

He pushed himself away from the railing slowly, standing as he let out a soft sigh and centred himself, before he turned to face the elder male properly. "Honestly? I just want to lie down..."

 

As if on cue, his temperature began to rise as the full moon finally rose over the line of trees in the distance, and he pressed his hand aganst the wall to stop himself from falling over. "I know you're not a big fan of movies... but I don't think I have the capacity to play a game right now. Ice cream sounds good too... if there's any left."

 

He tried to smile, though the look faltered a little, and he glanced up at Joonmyun before carefully, awkwardly, stepping past him and into the bedroom. Taemin sat on his mattress on the floor, chewing on what appeared to be some of the nut bread as he watched a movie - some Disney one, Jongin mused - and he looked up at the two older males with a grin, before settling himself back down in his blankets as he watched the movie. Jongin smiled a little at that, and gave Joonmun another careful look before he made his way over to the bed, stumbling a little but managing to land on the mattress rather than on the floor.

---

 

Joonmyun didn't even try to counter the apology; it would be useless and the last thing they needed was another argument. Instead, he nodded and rose when Jongin rose, watching him with understanding as he turned down the offer to play a game -- which Joonmyun wasn't too displeased with -- but accepted the movie and ice cream; inside, the elder knew they both probably wouldn't last long once a movie was started, but they'd both had long nights, so complaints weren't likely to come. 

 

Quietly, he followed Jongin back into the bedroom. Joonmyun gave a quick smile to Taemin before turning his attention back to Jongin just as he stumbled; luckily, he landed on the mattress, because the elder was too far and not fast enough to be able to have caught him. He was still concerned, though, that Jongin was in some sort of pain. 

 

"You okay?" He asked with a soft tone as he approached the side of the bed, settling down on the edge before turning to give the younger male a careful look.