Breakfast
The Howling - Part IV: Inevitable
The walk down the hall to the bedroom was torture, the food in front of Joonmyun teasing and taunting him with everything it had, making his mouth water and stomach grumble with hunger. The grumble reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything in the past week, and hadn't eaten proper meals for at least a month. Sunny was right; he was thinner than before, the way his jeans hung loose and low on his hips only confirming that. But now that things were finally settling, his health would come back to him. Or so he could hope.
By the time he reached the bedroom door, his stomach was raging at him, protesting at him for not being fed when food was /right there/. Joonmyun ignored it as he used his elbow to push down the on handle and then his foot to nudge the door open. None too suprising, Jongin was finished with his shower, lounging in an armchair, obviously waiting for his return.
"I have breakfast," he said in a slightly sing-song voice as he shuffled over to the boy. His announcement was unneeded, but he didn't care too much, giving Jongin a smile as he set the tray on a small table and handed the boy a plate and a set of utencils. "Sunny says, and I quote, that she doesn't want to see one scrap of food left on our plates when we're finished."
To be honest, Joonmyun wasn't all that hungry, but he knew that he at least needed to try. So, after taking a long drink of orange juice, he picked up the other plate and a fork before curling up on one of the other armchairs and getting to work on the enormous amount of food. Maybe for the others, who needed all the calories to support their wolf halves, needed this amount of food, but Joonmyun could have survived two days just off this one plate. If he didn't finish, hopefully Sunny would understand.
Jongin caught Joonmyun's scent long before he caught thearoma of the food the elder male was returning, and as a lazy smile met his lips, he let himself sink into the warmth and security he received from just knowing that Joonmyun was alive. Alive, and safe... and his. He tilted his head up when the door opened, not noticing how hungry he'd been until his stomach growled in earnest want.
"Thanks," he murmured, fingers curling around the offered plate and utensils before he hummed in delight. A quick glance in Joonmyun's direction, and at the look on his face had Jongin chuckling, and as he was chewing on a piece of bacon he tilted his head to one side. "If you can't finish it all, don't worry... I haven't eaten in a week. I'll be able to finish whatever you leave..."
A moment later and his eyes widened, his fork halfway to his mouth with a serving of eggs before he realized what he'd said. "N-not that I expect you to not eat... You should eat as much as you want, or can... or want, because Sunny cooks big for most meals. In the future I can ask her to cut down your plate sizes, if you like?"
He offered Joonmyun a sheepish smile as he spoke, and gave him another careful look before digging back into his food, sating both his stomach and the wolf within.
"I understand, Jongin," Joonmyun spoke with a chuckle as the younger boy stuttered to fix what he'd said. "I'll eat what I can and give the rest to you." He took a bite of the seasoned potatoes -- which were wonderful and amazing and delicious -- chewed thoughfully, and swallowed before speaking again. "I was actually going to tell her earlier, but I think bigger portions would be good for now. Sunny says we've both lost a lot of weight, which is why she wants us to eat everything." Besides, Joonmyun only had so many clothes he could wear, and it would be nice if he could actually fit into them.
Instead of focusing on one thing and eating it until it was gone, Joonmyun made his way around the plate, making sure he got a little of everything; it would make Sunny happy to know that he at least tried it all. He was surprised by how much he actually managed to eat and by the time he set his plate down, most everything was gone, particularly the potatoes, the fruit, and the pancakes, which happened to have cinnamon in them.
After wiping his mouth, Joonmyun grabbed his glass of orange juice and sat back in the chair, knees pulled up to his chest. "Sunny really is a good cook... and I think I see now how our little hole-in-the-wall market manages to keep open." For years, Joonmyun had expected that place to close down; rarely anyone went in save for older women housewives. Now he realized that most of their earnings probably came from when Sunny or another pack member went to stock up, because there was no way feeding a pack was cheap.
Jongin hummed softly in response, a slight smile on his lips as he slowly and almost methodically dug into his breakfast. Maybe not eating well for as long as he had had been a bad idea, because he found that by the time he'd finished his plate and set it down, it was clean and he was still hungry. Or maybe it was just Kai. Or the energy required to keep both natures strong. His eyes lifted to Joonmyun, and he almost hesitantly leaned over, spearing a couple of the remaining slices of bacon on the elder's plate before dropping them onto his own plate.
"Yeah. A couple of the pack members went to university so they could get into hhigh paying jobs; bit of a necessity when you've got so many people in one place. They send Sunny the money every month; she distributes a certain amount amongst the pack, though most of it goes towards food and other items we need, then the rest goes into a private savings account she's got," he explained as he finished chewing, using his fingers instea of the fork to rip apart the greasy pieces of bacon. "Some of the vegetables she cooks she grows herself, and she makes her own bread so we've never needed that from town; but she buys all our meat from there, and everything else. Se also buys stashes of candy for Taemin and I..."
His eyes filtered past Joonmyun, and he chuckled a little. "There's a box about the size of a small suitcase under my bed, stuffed full with both savoury and sweet snacks. Everythhing a growing werewolf needs, huh?"
Shaking his head, he his fingers clean and wiped them on a napkin before sitting back with his glass of juice, fingertips tapping at the glass gently. Sitting there relaxed, he took a chance to breathe in again, sighing out softly at the comfort of Joonmyun's scent as he smiled at the elder male.
Joonmyun watched Jongin as the boy finished his own plate and then the bacon that the elder had left. Then, when he spoke, Joonmyun listened, nodding here and there where he deemed it appropriate. And everything he said connected and made sense, and the older male now understood why the market was always short on flour, basic ingredients, and meat, always short on meat.
Not to mention the constant shortage of sweets from the candy shop that was across the street from the market; it wasn't a big shop in the first place, but now it made sense. Joonmyun couldn't help but chuckle at Jongin's sarcastic statement, and he finished off his glass of juice before nodding. "Yes, just what any growing person needs."
He sat back once again, taking a moment to ponder what Jongin had said before an idea came to mind. "Do you think.... if I wrote a letter that Sunny would get it to Baekhyun?" Joonmyun's eyes were hopeful, though on the inside he wasn't building past that; things were always sketchy around here, and even the simplest of things weren't easy to accomplish. "It's just... I left in a hurry, and I didn't explain... but Baekhyun is my friend and he deserves more than that." So much more.
Draining the last of his juice, Jongin his lips once more and placed the glass down on the table beside his plate, before he let out a very pleased sigh and stretched out in the chair. "Ah... so much better. I'm never starving myself again..."
He dragged his fingers through his hair before sitting up straighter and giving Joonmyun a bright smile. "She usually goes shopping the last week of every month... Which is a few days after the full moon, so if you write something before then, I'm sure she'll be able to get it to Baekhyun for you. I understand, that he needs an explanation and needs to know that you're okay...Any friend would."
Again he felt the slight pang of jealousy, could feel Kai bristling, but he wasn't annoyed, or angry that Joonmyun still had time to think about Baekhyun. He /knew/ Joonmyun had come back to him of his own free will, and he understood that Baekhyun and Joonmyun ha such a long history, that it was only natural for him to want to let Baekhyun know that he was safe. And Jongin didn't have a problem with that.
"So... what are we doing for the rest of the day?"
Okay guise! There is a new feature and I'm going to abuse the hell out of it! WOOOO!
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