Visiting
The Howling - Part IV: Inevitable
A/N: Hello there. Been a while, hm? Sorry about that, but school and conflicting schedules are always a hassle at the beginning of the week (Sunday for me/Monday for her though Wednesday for me/Thursday for her). Anyway, hopefully we'll be able to give you lots of updates before the start of next week. Also, I'm working on something special, which will be co-written (possibly) by Saphyra, so keep an eye out for that. Love you guys! <3
The boy was lost in his thoughts again, eyes unfocused as he waited for Joonmyun to join him, and almost jumped when he felt the elder's hand slid into his, their fingers linking together. He blinked several times, looking up at Joonmyun as he pursed his lips.
"Oh... right... let's go," he smiled, cheeks pinkening as he smiled gently at the boy, squeezing his fingers tightly before he followed him out into the hallway. "By the way... the others are pretty beat up too. You saw Yunho hyung? Changmin hyung and Jaejoong hyung look possibly just as bad."
He didn't tell Joonmyun why, he didn't need the boy freaked out while they were walking around when he'd just gotten him back, and instead he nudged Joonmyun's arm a little, giving him a lopsided grin as he led the way down the hall to Taemin's room. Once there, he knocked slightly before pushing the door open, nudging Joonmyun forward as the caramel haired boy perked up in his bed.
"Taemin, I brought a visitor for you..."
The way that Joonmyun's heart fluttered when Jongin smiled was no longer as concerning as it had been; he knew there was a bond between them and he knew it wasn't easily severed -- if anything, trying to break it apart only made it stronger -- and so he didn't even try to pretend anymore. Whatever was going to happen, he was going to let happen whether he liked it or not.
When Jongin mentioned the boys, Joonmyun nodded, having only glanced at them but still having seen their injuries. Someone here, in the manor, had done that, but even with as sure as Joonmyun was about that, it still didn't bother him all that much. He knew that no one could truly hurt him; they could try, but Jongin -- or the boys or Taemin or Sunny -- would always be there for him.
Joonmyun's breath caught in his throat when they reached Taemin's door, when Jongin knocked, and when they made their way inside. The last images he had of the younger male weren't the most pleasant, and he wanted to forget them, but he couldn't rid himself of what he'd gone through, the innocence he'd lost. He remembered holding him in the hall, clinging to his small, shaking body, and a shudder ran up his spine. He couldn't let those thoughts linger, and so he pushed them away as he strepped inside.
Peering around Jongin, he offered Taemin a smile. "Hey there, Taemin," Joonmyun said softly as he stepped out from behind the other male and approached the bed before sitting on the edge of the mattress. "How're you doing?"
The first few days, while Jongin had been unconscious and delirious with fever and a concussion, Sunny and the boys had taken care of Taemin. He knew that he was still pretty shook up over everything that had happened with Yoochun, knew he had every right to be shook up, but when he'd gone to visit his little brother, before the Alpha had interfered, Taemin had only cried once, before he was smiling gently and hugging Jongin as if nothing had changed.
He knew it had something to do with Sunny. The woman was more like Taemin's mother than their own - since Taemin had been so young when she'd passed - and having Sunny around did wonders for the boy. He also knew that with Joonmyun back, Taemin might get better - he'd gotten rather attached to Jongin's mate in the short time they'd hung out.
When Joonmyun stepped around him to go to Taemin, he slowly let go of the elder's hand, ignoring the grins from te three boys sitting in the armchairs against one of the walls, and folded his arms as he closed the door and followed Joonmyun, sitting at the end of the bed as Taemin offered Joonmyun another smile.
"Hi hyung, you came back..." he murmured, his eyes bright as he reached out and unexpectedly - at least it was for Jongin, and probably would be for Joonmyun - hugged the elder boy tight. "Thank you... for coming back. Jongin hyung was so sad without you..."
Joonmyun was only vaguely aware of the other three's presence, but he paid them no mind as he turned his attention completely to Taemin. His eyes widened in surprise when the boy reached for him and pulled him into a tight embrace. It took the elder a moment to react, but when he did, he wrapped his arms around the smaller male.
After watching Taemin for a moment, listening to him, Joonmyun glanced up and offered Jongin a soft smile. He looked tired, both boys did, but he couldn't blame them, not after what they'd been through in the past week. "To be honest," he said quietly, lifting his hand to rest gently on the top of Taemin's head. "I wasn't very happy while I was gone, either." 'Unhappy' was a mild word to use to describe what he'd been through, but it didn't matter now. All that would pass quickly and everything would be better in a day or so, but Taemin wouldn't have it so easy, and Joonmyun's chest ached for him.
"It's good to see you again," Joonmyun spoke again, tone more lively this time as he pulled back just enough to see Taemin's face. "It's good to see all of you." He turned slightly, finally acknowledging the three in the corner, and he gave them a smile before glancing at Jongin, soft gaze lingering on him for a moment before he went back to the boy in his arms.
Unsure of what to do now, he pulled the boy in for another tight embrace, offering Taemin every bit of gentle, sincere fondness that he could. Joonmyun was glad to be back, but there was a sudden foreboding, a warning, that coming back was just the beginning of their troubles.
Jongin ignored the little chuckles and grins from the three boys as he leaned against the edge of the bed, his eyes focused on Joonmyun and Taemin as if nothing else in the world mattered. His smile grew a little at Taemin's words, and he fixed Joonmyun with a half amused shrug and a look that said 'i didn't tell him to say that'.
After a moment, he straightened, the warmth in his smile fading as he got a bitter taste in his mouth. It slid own is throat, constricting his lungs and making his stomach churn as he realized that it was coming from Joonmyun, a sense of worry and concern. Joonmyun was worried, worried of things that were possibly coming.... danger... He swallowed sharply, shaking his head as he tried to shake off the feeling.
"Things will be okay..." he said softly, speaking more to Joonmyun than to anyone else, and he pursed his lips as the elder hugged Taemin again and took a moment to think about things before he smiled and sat back again. "it'll be fine..."
Beside him, Joonmyun felt Jongin tense and he pulled away from Taemin to glance at the other male. His smile had faded and he looked worried, just as he himself was. The elder had known before -- or rather, he'd thought about it in passing -- that the link between him and Jongin was more physical that he'd first expected, what with the pain and the fever. Now, this only added to that belief; what he was feeling, the younger felt also.
So, Joonmyun swallowed back the worry and pushed forth a smile, nodding to Jongin as he let his arms fall away from Taemin and back to his side. He had to trust that everything would be okay now. Yes, they would have a long road ahead of them, but without Yoochun there to torment them there was less danger. Thinks would be okay; that's all he had to believe.
After a moment, he glanced over to the corner where the other three boys were still lounging. The moment his eyes fell on Yunho and Jaejoong, questions popped into Joonmyun's head and he pushed himself off the mattress before shuffling over to one of the chairs. He sat there for a long moment, trying not to feel awkward as he formed the questions in his head before speaking.
"So, what's it like? Imprinting, I mean." Joonmyun wasn't sure if it was his place to ask, and he was positive that he was over-stepping his boundaries in asking Yunho and Jaejoong about their personal life, but he was curious, and the more he knew the better. "It has to be weird, right? Not knowing who you're going to be with, and then suddenly there's this person who you're bound to for life." Yes, boundaries were being pushed, but he still wanted to know.
Okay guise! There is a new feature and I'm going to abuse the hell out of it! WOOOO!
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