I wish you won't be afraid...
The Howling - Part V: Restless
Jongin tipped his head to one side, pressing the tip of his nose and his lips to the soft, warm expanse of skin at Joonmyun's throat where his shoulder met his neck, and he breathed in slowly before sighing out against the skin. "You smell good," he murmured, fingers curling a little tighter into Joonmyun's waist in an attempt to keep himself upright.
He straightened a little, forcing back the dizziness so he could walk without knocking or pulling Joonmyun over, though his upper half still leaned into the elder's body. It wasn't like he hadn't done this loads of times alone, several times he'd even had to crawl to get to the bathroom and then haphazardly filled the tub while trying not to pass out, so this... shouldn't have been as dificult as it was.
"I'm fine...G-Go keep an eye on the bath," he mumbled as they neared the bathroom door. "Don't want it overflowing..."
Accentuating his words with a little nudge, he carefully slid his arms away from Joonmyun and half stumbled, but managed to catch himself before he dropped, though he wasn't going to be standing for long.
"J-Jongin.. focus..." Joonmyun stuttered as he felt the searing heat of the younger male's lips pressing against his neck. If it hadn't been for the way Jongin burned, the elder would have lost himself, but the heat was a blessed reminder of the task at hand.
As they neared the bathroom, Joonmyun felt the way Jongin pulled away but the boy was out of his grip before he could stop him. "I don't think so," he snapped back, slipping his arm back around Jongin to catch him before he fell. "I only just started it. Besides, you're more important than a bit of water." Water could be cleaned up easily, whereas an injured Jongin wasn't as easy, even if he did heal faster than a normal person.
Joonmyun helped him the rest of the way, making sure he was seated safely on the edge of the tub before letting him go; the elder himself was covered in sweat now, Jongin's sweat, but he didn't mind it. "Clothes off before you get in," he said as he moved to shuffle through the cabinets for towels, an excuse to give Jongin a moment so that he could strip and slide into the tub.
The younger whined, voice breathless as he pressed another heated kiss against the elder's throat, before he realized what he was doing and plled back. "S-sorry, hyung," he hummed, arms sliding back around the elder's waist as Joonmyun refused to let go of him. He smiled a little, leaning back into the warmth and strength the other offered as he ducked his head and let Joonmyun lead him to the bathroom.
The tiled room was infinitely cooler than the bedroom, but Jongin didn't feel any better, at least not until he was sitting. Then Joonmyun was out of his arms an moving to gather towels while he ordered him to strip. Jongin stuck out his tongue at the back of the elder's head and started tugging his clothes off. The tank top was the first to go, landing on the floor near Joonmyun's feet in a icky pile, and he awkwardly stood and used one hand to tug his boxers off before he slid into the tub, cheeks flushed with more than just the fever.
"I'll... I'll be all right by tonight; I'll Change when the moon rises..." he murmured as he sunk down into the cool water with a happy sigh, head tipped back against the edge of the tub and hands resting on the sides. "When i-it happens... you can't be afraid. It's not what you've read in books, it's smoother and not as painful, but I haven't changed in months. So i don't know how it's going to affect the Change..."
Despite that Joonmyun knew Jongin's temperature ran hotter than a normal human's and that it spiked incredibly high when the full moon was upon them, but his instincts still told him that this was dangerous, that something was horribly wrong. Over and over again, he had to tell himself that this is what happened and that everything would be okay in a few hours, and then in a few days, it would all be gone. For now, he just had to take care of the boy the best he could.
Once Joonmyun had heard the displacement of water he turned around, a clean set of towels in his arms, and shuffled over to the tub to turn off the tap. He listened almost absently as he dipped a cloth into the cool water before wringing it out and folding it over the boy's forehead. He understood that he should be afraid, but he already knew -- somewhere, under the worry that had begun to fill his chest -- that there was no reason to be afraid; neither Jongin nor Kai would hurt him.
"I.... I'm not-" His whispered words were cut off by a lump in his throat, and he dipped another cloth in the water and began dabbing at the rest of Jongin's exposed skin. "I just.... it's the unknown, Jongin, and it's natural for us to fear that which we don't know." He paused, trying to give the boy the most convincing expression he could. "For you.... I'll try to not be afraid, because... I trust you."
Jongin's eyes closed, and he let out a soft hum of delight, head tipping back more to reveal a slender column of throat as his adam's apple bobbed. He knew that what Joonmyun said made sense, and he knew that he'd be afraid if he was to be faced with what the elder would be, but... a part of him - one that was still very much vocal - didn't want Joonmyun to see him as wrong, didn't want to see him as the beast.
"W-What I mean is..."he opened his eyes slowly to look up at the elder with a weak smile. "It's... something that I wish you won't be afraid of. I understand that there are so many things that have been happening lately, and you've probably earnt the right to be afraid... But... I wish you never to be afraid of me..."
The last words were spoken in a broken whisper that was barely audible, his eyes lowering as he reached up one hand to find Joonmyun's, needing the warmth and comfort that the elder's touch offered.
When Jongin's hand found his, Joonmyun automatically linked their fingers together and gave the boy's hand a squeeze. "That's why I asked you to let him out, Jongin. I trust /you/; I'm not afraid of /you/, but I need to know that the same goes for Kai." Even if Kai terrified him, he wouldn't leave, couldn't ever leave because he still needed to be with Jongin; if Kai terrified him, then they would work things out, just like they had before.
After watching Jongin for a long moment, Joonmyun leaned in an pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to the boy's lips. They were warm, hot and burning, but the elder found that he couldn't care less because the bond was quick to pull him in and make him forget everything. The only thing he could clearly think about was Jongin, the wamr haze that his kiss put over his nerves, and he almost let it pull him down completely.
But before he could get too wrapped up, he pulled away, cheeks now a soft crimson. Giving Jongin a smile, Joonmyun rewet both cloths and placed one back on his forehead before using the other to keep his cheeks cool. It seemed as though the cold bath was helping, but the younger male was still flushed. Joonmyun knew the fever wasn't going to go away, that it was likely to get worse over the next few hours, but the elder would do his best to make the boy as comfortable as possible until then.
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