Come Back to Me
The Howling - Part IV: Inevitable
A soft noise left Jongin, something akin to a whine as he offered Joonmyun another smile, his head finally clear enough that he finally realized it wasn't a dream, that Joonmyun was sitting beside him... holding his hand, brushing his hair out of his face.
He'd come back to him.
That thought made Jongin's chest tighten, and he pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning against the head board as he looked over the elder carefully. Was he hurt? It was the first thought that ran through his head, and he let his eyes take him in properly before he breathed out in relief. Not hurt... but maybe feeling just as crappy as he himself did.
"Don't worry about me," he murmured softly as he felt one of Joonmyun's hands - the one not linked with his own - brush against his arm. "Nothing that won't heal in a couple of days. Things are going to be okay..."
His voice faded as he took in the last of the elder's words, his eyes widening a little before he swallowed. It was then that he realized his head didn't ache anymore, and he could actually breathe properly. But, Joonmyun's words were making his heart thump off beat in his chest, and for just a moment he wondered if he was sick again until he actually realized what Joonmyun had said.
He was willing to 'try'? Try what... being mates? His gaze dropped to their hands, and he couldn't stop a smile from forming as he gently rubbed his thumb over Joonmyun's knuckles.
"We'll take it one step at a time...hyung."
"I... I don't think I can just not worry about you anymore, Jongin," Joonmyun murmured, voice surprisingly steady as he kept his eyes locked on the boy. Some part of him knew now -- now that he wasn't fighting a fever, that his head wasn't trying to kill him, that he could move for more than five minutes without vomiting -- that he'd been worried about Jongin since he'd left. It might not have been the most apparent of worries, but it had been there nonetheless.
As the younger male's eyes went wide, Joonmyun glanced down, eyes suddenly finding an interest in Jongin's hands; it wasn't a useless interest meant to be only a distraction, but a true interest, because he wanted to know what was so special about him that made his fingers set off sparks beneath his skin. Joonmyun was going to have a lot of questions over the next few days, but he was sure that Jongin -- or someone -- would be more than willing to answer.
At Jongin's words, Joonmyun looked up, a soft smile on his face as he nodded. One step at a time, that's how they'd handled everything so far, so it would be how things would go now. Really, the elder couldn't see how else they /could/ handle it; setting a plan wasn't much of an option, because things were always changing last minute. Besides, they had nothing to do during the day, so why set a schedule when they had all the time in the world.
Patting Jongin's hand once more, Joonmyun let go before pushing himself off the mattress. "I'm... going to go make some ice tea," he said, looking down at the male. "Is there anything you want me to get for you?" The elder knew, either way, that he come back with something to drink for the both of them and most likely a snack. It'd been days since he'd eaten anything, and at least ten days since he'd eaten any sort of proper meal.
Jongin was silent for a long moment as Joonmyun's gaze lowered to their hands. He didn't know wht to say, didn't know how to say anything and he wasn't sure if anything really needed to be said. Instead, he smiled, breathing out as he let his eyes just focus on the elder's features, committing each line and curve to memory so he'd always have something to hold on to.
"Well, you should try not to worry about me too much," he murmured in a soft voice, lifting his free hand to ruffle Joonmyun's hair playfully. "And trust me, this..." he motioned to his face and shoulders, "looks worse than it feels."
He sat up a little more, stopping the small whine from bubbling past his lips when Joonmyun let go of his hand. He knew things would be okay for now... the alpha wouldn't do anything to Joonmyun with his uncles so worked up, and especially not when Jongin had just demonstrated how easily he'd kill for Joonmyun, but that didn't stp him from freaking.
"Sunny said there was some left overs in the fridge. I haven't eaten anything since you left... so if you wanted any, you can have a look. M-Maybe some ice cream?" he asked, hoping his face didn't betray just how concerned he was. "...And....c-come back to me?"
The last sentence was a soft whisper, one that he hoped Joonmyun didn't hear as he pushed the blankets back and stretched out on the bed, his body aching in certain parts but not so much that it was painful. After a moment, he looked up, offering Joonmyun another smile.
"I- Of course I'll come back," Joonmyun murmured, reaching out to brush his fingers along Jongin's jawline before his hand fell back at his side. He gave the boy a gentle smile before turning and exiting the room. Out in the hall, he paused, leaning back against the wall as he took a moment to gather himself, his emotions, his thoughts. He knew he was trying too hard to make this work, to make it seem like everything was completely okay; it wasn't, not at the moment, but it was all going to be fine in the end; it all /had/ to be okay.
When Joonmyun finally made it to the kitchen, he found Sunny at the counter, cutting up vegetables for what he assumed would be that night's dinner. She looked surprised to see him, but that initial expression faded into a kind smile as she approached him and gave him a gentle hug, patting his cheek with a murmured 'welcome back' before returning to her cooking. The male gave a smile in return and went about gathering what he'd come for. At one point, Sunny had chuckled at him before pulling a tray from a cabinet and placing what he'd pulled out on it: reheated soup, a few rolls of day-old bread, the half tub of ice cream he'd found, and a pitcher of lemonade with two glasses.
After giving Sunny a thanks, Joonmyun took the tray and made his way back to the room, the delicious smells in his arms making his stomach grumble the entire way there. He found it amazing how much better he felt now after just a few minutes, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of a hell Jongin had gone through; the boy always had the worst end of it, and while it made sense that he would, Joonmyun thought it was unfair.
Once he reached the room, he pushed all those thoughts aside, deciding to leave them for a later time after things settled. Perhaps, in a day or two, he would consider sitting down with Jongin for a question and answer session. Today, or what was left of it, would be their time to rest, relax, and regain their strength. Inside, the went to place the tray on the bedside table before returning to his spot on the edge of the mattress.
"I found ice cream," Joonmyun said with a smile as he pointed to the container. "And there was some soup and bread." He wasn't sure how much Jongin would want, but he was at least trying and that's all that really mattered; at least, to him, that's what mattered.
When Joonmyun left, Jongin sighed, fingers dragging through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling. God, he'd never been so damn clingy before. Then again, he'd never had a mate before. He'd never really had anyone closer than Taemin. Pursing his lips, he winced as he rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow. He could still smell Joonmyun where he'd been sitting beside him.
Groaning, he pushed himself up onto his knees and turned so he could watch Joonmyun come back into the room. As he waited, he fixed up his bed, climbing off so he could straighten the blankets, and crossed to his cabinet to find a pair of sweats. He didn't particularly want to look like crap around Joonmyun like he had when the boy had turned up. Not that he'd expected Joonmyun to come back, not when he'd gotten hme... not when he'd returned to Baekhyun.
Jongin's heart skipped a beat, and he closed his eyes as he settled back on his bed, head bowed and fingers drifting across his chest. The knowledge that Joonmyun had /willingly/ left Baekhyun to come back to him... that he was willing to try with... whatever this was between them, made him feel infinitely warm, and he was still smiling when the boy returned, a tray of food in his hands.
"Hi..."
He couldn't help but smile and speak softly when the elder sat back on his bed, and he hugged one knee close to his chest before resting his chin on said knee. Things were different, he knew that.
"It smells great.. I was actualy a little hungry," he admitted sheepishly, gaze hidden beneath locks of unruly brown hair as he looked up at Joonmyun. "How... how are you?"
Joonmyun was relieved to hear that Jongin was hungry for more than just ice cream, because after the hell he'd gone through, such a sugary treat alone might not settle well. A few scoops would be okay, but only after he finished something else and they waited to make sure it stayed down.
At the question, he gave Jongin a soft smile and a slight nod. "I've been better, but I'm doing okay now." Joonmyun was exhausted, but he was sure that was because of the hike and not that he felt like he was dying just a bit ago. In fact, he was sure he'd never felt better; no headache, no stomach ache, and his fever was gone.
"Here," the elder said, picking up one of the bowls of soup and handing it to Jongin, along with a spoon. "While it's still warm." After making sure the younger male had a good hold on the bowl, Joonmyun turned to his own, taking a small bite and humming quietly in delight as he savored the taste on his tongue. He had missed this. He'd missed Sunny, Taemin, the boys, and how they all opened up to him so quickly and did what the could to care for him -- but there was something else he'd missed more, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
Jongin. He'd been there from the beginning, taking care of him, doing what he could, making him feel at home... protecting him in every way possible. Joonmyun had made things hard on him, but the boy had only ever taken everything in stride and did his best to handle it. Thanks had been given, but suddenly the elder didn't think it was enough for everything that had been done; what could he do, though? What was there for him to do now that he was trapped again?
He sat there in thought for a long time, absently eating his soup and picking at his bread, and then an idea came to him. Whether or not Jongin would like it or not -- though, eventually he probably wouldn't -- Joonmyun still had to, because it would show that he was trying.
Slowly, he set his bowl down and rose to his feet. "I'll be right back," Joonmyun said, reaching out to brush his fingers along Jongin's arm to reassure him that everything was okay. With that, he turned and shuffled back out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. Sunny would help him, he was sure of it; even the other boys might be willing to pitch in if he asked.
Okay guise! There is a new feature and I'm going to abuse the hell out of it! WOOOO!
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