Here it is Again
The Howling - Part V: Restless
Whatever had happened over the course of the past few hours, something had changed in them, in the way they acted around each other. Or maybe... Jongin was just an idiot and had never noticed before. For a very long couple of seconds - no more than ten at the most - he found himself staring at the elder male as he shed off his jeans and tossed them in the hamper, gaze taking in the pale limbs and the boxers, before he groaned under his breath and shook his head.
Joonmyun was going to be the death of him one day.
Glancing away, Jongin carefully unbuckled and ped his jeans, cheeks flushed a faint pink as he nudged the denim down his hips and kicked them beside the hamper, leaving him clad in the same get up as Joonmyun before he dropped the sweats back in the drawer and wandered over to the bed.
"...Before you say anything... I had completely forgotten about the fever; thanks for reminding me," he mumbled, thankful he could now pass off his flushed cheeks as being because of the oncoming full moon.
He tugged the top blanket back from the bed, leaving the top sheet and a thin blanket - not that they'd really need it, not with his current temperature - before he slid under the covers and pushed them back for Joonmyun, curling himself into the pillows as he waited for his mate. "Come on, I don't bite; that's Kai's department."
Joonmyun didn't glance up again until he saw Jongin's figure approach the bed, and when he did look up an oh-so slight blush tinted his cheeks. He stifled a soft chuckle, and to the boy he replied, "You don't have to make excuses, Jongin. You have the freedom to where whatever you'd like." So long as he wore something, because he wasn't comfortable with nothing just yet.
At Jongin's next words, Joonmyun scoffed playfully, making a slight face as he seized a pillow and hit the younger boy over the head. "Yah~ Don't play around like that or I'll make you sleep on the floor." He might have liked the way it felt when they touched, when they kissed -- and he might have been completely bluffing -- but he didn't like jokes like that, especially not when he didn't know if Kai would actually bite him or not.
After hitting Jongin once more, still just as playful, Joonmyun slipped under the covers and curled up as close to the boy as he could get. Without hesitation, he leaned in and pressed a deep, lingering kiss to the boy's lips before pulling back -- rather reluctantly, too -- and snuggling against his chest. "Good night, Jongin."
Jongin wheezed a little, flapping his hands over his head to protect his face from being whomped with the killer pillow of death, before he whined and stuck his tongue out at the elder. "I was kidding; I'm the one who bites. Kai wouldn't bite you..."
As if to prove his point, when Joonmyun slid under the covers and curled into his arms, Jongin softly sank his teeth into Joonmyun's lower lip. Not enough to draw blood, of course. As soon as he pulled away, he swiped his lower lip across the bite so as to soothe it, before nuzzling his face into the elder's hair.
"Good night, Joonmyun; sleep well," he whispered, arms tightening around the elder's body as he smiled and breathed in the elder's scent, the aroma heady and just as intoxicating as Joonmyun's kisses.
The bite had come as a surprise, though it hadn't drawn blood, but Joonmyun didn't retaliate against it; to be honest, he kinda liked it -- especially the way Jongin soothed it afterward, which sent a slight shudder up his spine -- but he didn't want Jongin to do it again. It was too much, too soon, and even though the bond would only pull them closer together, he wanted to take things as slow as possible.
With the whispered words of goodnight echoing in his mind, Joonmyun settled into the heat of Jongin's body, almost not needing the blanket that cover them. He left it alone for the time being, deciding that if he got too hot then he could just kick them off and all would be well.
As he drifted off, a warm haze settled over his mind, pleasant and comforting, and he held onto that as he let the darkness pull him away.
--
Joonmyun woke several times that night. The first time had been to kick the blankets off when he'd woken up nearly drenched in sweat, and then he settled right back into Jongin's arms. When he woke the second time, what seemed like only moments later, it was to fetch several cold cloths from the bathroom to place over various spots on Jongin's body in an attempt to help soothe the younger male's burning flesh.
It was still early morning when he settled again, the sun not yet up, but when Joonmyun did settle it wasn't as close to Jongin as he had been. The boy's touch had gotten to the point where the elder could only spend a few moments at a time curled up against his chest before he felt like he was suffocating. Before drifting off again, Joonmyun began to wonder if maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
He woke again only an hour or so later, the sun just barely above the horizon, and a heat tickling at his front. Jongin was drenched in sweat, entire body flushed a deep red, and just one touch had Joonmyun scrambling off the bed and sprinting into the bathroom where he started a cold bath. As he let it run and full the tub, he returned to the room to wake the younger male.
"Jongin-ah," he spoke clearly, giving the boy's shoulder a nudge and a squeeze. "Jongin-ah, can you wake up? I have a cold bath ready for you."
Jongin smiled, chuckling under his breath as he curled up into Joonmyun more. Things tomorrow were going to be interesting, not just because he'd agreed to let Kai out, but because he didn't know how Kai would react to being let out. Or how the fever would take hold now that he wasn't fighting against it.
He got his answer shortly after dawn. The first thing he was aware of was the way he burned from the inside, his body aching at every angle and his lungs struggling to gather the oxygen he needed to breathe. At the nudge and squeeze from Joonmyun, he gasped and whined, voice hoarse and husky as he rolled back over to face the elder.
"...Hyung...?"
For a while he simply stared at the elder, sweat trickling down his chin and tickling at his nose as he looked up carefully at the elder male. It wasn't until clarity hit him that he realized it was Joonmyun. Wincing a little, he struggled to push himself up into a sitting position, limbs shaking and head swimming. He had to hold onto the bedding just to make sure he didn't tip back over as a wave of dizziness hit him.
"...I-it wasn't this--... this bad before," he gasped, head bowed as he dragged the fingers of one hand through his sweat soaked locks.
Breathing out carefully, he reached out to the elder, holding him carefully as he slid off the bed and haphazardly rose to his feet. "I-I'm okay. As long as I move fast, I won't..."
He trailed off, arm shifting around Joonmyun's shoulder and body half slumped against the elder's. He found himself glancing up at the elder through his bangs, almost as if he himself didn't understand what was happening, before he offered him a small smile and leaned into him more.
Joonmyun watched Jongin carefully as he stirred, not moving as he saw the way the boy's eyes were foggy and unfocused, the way that he swayed and shook when he sat up. The elder could see clearly now, the thick sheen of sweat that covered every inch of his body, dripping down his face, soaking through the tank top he had on. When the boy ducked his head, he reached out and pushed the hair from his face, none too surprised that his hair, too, was soaked.
Biting his lip, Joonmyun matched Jongin's movements, sliding up beside him to offer himself as a crutch. He wasn't sure how much he'd be able to hold, not when the boy was taller than himself and weighed more than he could lift, but Joonmyun would try.
"It'll be okay," Joonmyun soothed as he did what he could to support the boy, shifting slightly so he could hook his arm around Jongin's waist. "We'll go slow and you'll be alright." He waited a long moment before starting off for the bathroom, taking it slow, moving only at Jongin's pace.
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