Phone Call
The Howling - Part I: New Beginnings
Joonmyun's heart sank as he watched Jongin shake his head, the action destorying any hope he had of contacting his friend or family; an uneasy feeling washed over him and he just knew that he wasn't getting out of here, not alive anyway. He'd never see his family or Baekhyun again, never get to apologize for leaving, never have a normal life again. And--
Before Joonmyun could dig too deep into his misery, he caught the boy's movements, watching as Jongin brought a finger to his lips before swiping it across his neck. He glanced at Sunny, who was busying herself with prepping sterile objects to finish stitching him up, and then back to Jongin, eyes wide and hopeful. The boy knew something, had something, and wanted to help Joonmyun, but Sunny couldn't know about it, so he kept his mouth shut. Mostly.
A sharp yelp escaped Joonmyun's lips and he in a quick, deep breath of air as the skin of his arm was first cleaned -- damnhell that was painful -- and then pierced as the young girl went on fixing his arm. It hurt -- god, it ing /hurt/ -- and the boy turned his head to clench his teeth around the pillow beneath him. It was at that moment he begged for the blood transfusion to do what it was supposed to, to make the pain go away, to heal his arm so he didn't feel so helpless.
Once she'd finished, he lay still for a long moment, only listening as she moved around, took out their IVs, set up their food, and left. Joonmyun only opened his eyes when Jongin spoke, voice somehow sounding relieved and alarmed at the same time. Why wouldn't he, though? He could have been exposed, all because Joonmyun was desperate to contact someone to let them know he was okay.
Earlier, he had come to the conclusion that Jongin's rules were strict, but he had no idea the severity until now. The boy was -- not to make a bad pun or seem mocking or cruel -- on a very short leash with the alpha; he couldn't do anything, go anywhere without having someone breathing down his neck. Joonmyun was wondering how he was able to interact with the others so comfortably without being threatened.
Ignoring Jongin's suggestion to eat while the food was still warm, Joonmyun snatched the phone and when through the sequences required before coming to the dial pad. There were several numbers he had forced himself to memorize over time, and Baekhyun's had been one of them. His fingers flew over the numbers and in a matter of seconds, he was holding the device to his ear and listening to the ringing, heart pounding in his chest as he waited... and waited... and--
"Hello, this is Baekhyun." Joonmyun's heart stopped when he hear that familiar voice, one that sounded scratchy and broken and like he'd been crying; of course he'd been crying, and Joonmyung would have been stupid to expect anything else.
After a too-long moment, Joonmyun spoke. "Baekhyun..."
"SUHO?!" The boy shrieked his nickname and Joonmyun had to pulled the phone away for a moment. "Suho. God, Suho, where are you? We've all been worr-"
"I know, Baekhyun." Joonmyun cut him off. "Just listen and don't ask questions." He paused, and when the boy on the other end said nothing, he continued. "I'm okay, alive anyway, but I can't leave where I am without getting hunted down and killed. You have to trust me when I say that I'll be okay; there's someone here who is taking care of me." Joonmyun paused again to give Jongin a half-hearted smile. "Listen, Baekhyun, you can't come looking for me, okay? They'll kill you if you try."
Baekhyun was quiet, too quiet, and Joonmyun knew he wouldn't understand, but he knew something that he might get. "Baekhyun... get back before dark; you know what happens if you don't." That was the last thing the boy had said to Joonmyun yesterday, and if he didn't understand, then he and anyone else who came looking would die.
"Call me when you can, okay?" Baekhyun was trying hard not to sob, Joonmyun could hear it.
"I'll try." And with that, Joonmyun hung up, taking a deep breath before handing the phone back to Jongin and giving him another partial smile. "Thanks."
The wolf sat back, tearing apart pieces of the still warm bread that Sunny had provided with their soup as he listened to Joonmyun on the phone. He was able to pick up the sound of another male's voice through the phone, someone who sounded relieved at hearing the human's voice... someone who he obviously held close to his heart.
Grinding his teeth, he chewed on the bread silently, dunking bits into the creamy soup before eating them. he action of using both arms ached a little, and he was slow, contemplative in his actions. He smiled faintly, nodding his head as he pocketed the phone, before letting out a soft sigh.
"Sorry for snapping," he murmured, holding up a half loaf of bread for Joonmyun. "It's just... the Alpha doesn't like it when I have links to the outside world. I'm not even supposed to leave the manor. So the less he knows, the safer it is for both of us."
After a while, he sat back, bowl of soup in his good hand as he used his other hand to carefully lift spoonfuls. "So... Was that... was that your boyfriend?" his eyes lifted, watching Joonmyun carefully as he spoke.
His inner wolf growled, his eyes flashing amber a little as he waited for the elder male to reply. His wolf really hoped that wasn't the case, hoped Joonmyun didn't have a boyfriend, hoped that he would be interested... one day.
Joonmyun nodded, understanding that Jongin would be in trouble if anyone found out about the phone, the obvious trips out to the village that he shouldn't be taking. He wouldn't say anything to anyone -- not that he would have in the first place -- because if Jongin got in trouble then so would he, and Joonmyun wasn't sure if he wanted to go through that again.
Quietly, almost ignoring Jongin for the moment, Joonmyun reached out and plucked the chunk of bread from the plate, taking testing nibbles. Just before he took an acutal bite, Jongin questioned him and he froze, glancing up as a light pink tinted his cheeks.
"What? Boyfriend? N-no. Just a... close friend." There was no way Jongin would by that, not with how he sputtered and stumbled over his words, speaking too fast for his own good. Baekhyun was just a friend, even if he hadn't always been. They'd known each other since elementary, hung out everyday, had most classes together; at school, people learned that wherever one was, you'd find the other. Then, in their third year of high school, they'd experimented, 'dated' for a while, but that only lasted until they realized that being just friends was better, and so that's how things were.
Joonmyun couldn't deny that he saw that look in Jongin's eyes, saw the jealousy, and he had to admit that it was frightening. After watching the boy for a second more, he turned his attention back to the bread in his hand, taking more small bites as he tested the dexterity of his stomach.
He wished he hadn't asked that, wished his damned wolf wasn't so ing possessive... wished he could just be normal for once. A quick bite down on his tongue stopped the low growl that had been building in his throat, and he winced a little as the sickly taste of coppery blood filled his mouth. Turning away from Joonmyun, Jongin took a quick swig of his soup to wash out the taste before sitting the bowl down on the trolley.
"I see."
He didn't really believe the elder, not with the way he blushed and stumbled over the words. But it didn't matter. If he wanted to say they were just friends, then that was fine with him. It wasn't like Joonmyun could leave any time soon, the Alpha wouldn' tlet him...
"I'm sure he misses you... I'll... I'll try and sneak you out, when you're better," he murmured softly, his eyes still looking away from Joonmyun, head bowed. "I promise..."
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