It's You...
The Howling - Part III: Imprinting
The moment he saw that Jongin was going to join him, Joonmyun made his way outside, blinking at the sudden light of the low sun that hit his face. He paused for a moment to take in a deep breath of the fresh, open air; even at the end of the day, it was much less tainted by life and civilization than the air he was use to and he wasn't going to complain at the crisp feeling that filled his lungs.
His eyes followed the younger boy for a few moments before he joined him at the railing, resting against it as he looked out over the forest and then the garden to the side. Everything cast long shadows, though most were only sillhouettes with the sun nearing the horizon, illuminating it from behind. Still, it was beautiful, and Joonmyun watched for a few moments before the cool evening air sent a chill up his spin.
Glancing back at the blanket, he pushed himself away from the wall and grabbed it, throwing it around his shoulders before going back to his spot next to Jongin. "I know you don't live in the best situation," Joonmyun said quietly, wanting to preserve as much of the serene feeling as he could. "But I think that means you should embrace the good and the beauty around you even more: Sunny, the boys, your place in the garden." After a long pause, he glanced out to the horizon and the now setting sun. "And this. There are good things all around you, Jongin, you just have to open your eyes to see them."
It didn't matter that he likely sounded stupid, because he didn't care; Joonmyun only wanted Jongin to see what was in front of him instead of hiding from all the bad things in his life, things that were far beyond his control. A few minutes later, he turned and shuffled back to the chair and sat down, pulling his knees up as he breathed in the cooling night air.
If Jongin hadn oticed Joonmyun's sudden move to stand beside him, he didn't say anything about it or make it seem like he had, his eyes flicking just slightly towards te elder boy as his fingers curled a little tighter into themselves. He didn't make a noise, didn't move to look athim any more than the eye motion, didn't do anything... save for the smile that lifted the corners of his mouth.
At the elder's words, he found himself holding his breath, and he breathed out slowly before turning to face Joonmyun, his hand moving to gently take the boy's wrist before he'd moved away. He looked up at him then, eyes gentle and full of something that, had he been standing in front of a mirror, he wouldn't have been able to identify, and he smiled (the most honest smile he'd ever given Joonmyun since he'd arrived).
"I know," he breathed, his voice soft as his eyes met the elder's. "...I see them. I didn't before, but I do now..."
I see you.
He let go slowly, and breathed out as he watched Joonmyun move towards the chair. I see you, like I didn't before... and that scares me. You scare me...
He looked away after that, eyes lowered to the ground before he moved to sit beside him, one leg raised and hugged against his chest, his chin resting on his knee as he stared out over the forest.
As he sat there, Joonmyun rubbed at the spot on his wrist where Jongin had held him, a spot that was now warm and tingling in a way that it shouldn't have been. It was just as before, when the boy had brushed his fingers across his ankle when helping him bandage his foot, but there was something different, more intense about it this time, and it left an almost-unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.
That feeling, however, was taken away and replaced by a flutter as he glanced up and saw the smile -- the true, sincere smile -- on Jongin's face. The boy had offered soft or comforting grins before, but nothing had been quite like the one that tugged at his lips now, reaching his eyes and lighting up every one of his features. This is how Jongin should look, always, and Joonmyun wouldn't complain if he got to see a true smile like that everyday.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe, and a blush darkened his cheeks when he did finally inhale, glancing away from the younger male as he came to sit by him. It wasn't long before the sun was nearly gone and a chill was taking over the air. Joonmyun shivered again and shifted under the blanket, pausing just as he was going to pull it tighter around his legs.
Gently, Joonmyun slid closer to the younger boy and threw the blanket over his shoulders as well, leaning into Jongin's abnormal warmth without asking; he knew, without a doubt, that the boy wouldn't mind at all. After a while, he finally spoke again, voice a low murmur. "Is it me?"
Joonmyun wasn't stupid, and he'd seen the way Jongin looked at him, not just now but other times before and he could put two and two together. He was part of the reason why things were so different now, and he wasn't sure sure if that was a good thing or not.
A shiver ran down the length of Jongin's spine, and he closed his eyes in an attempt to stave of the sudden increase in heart rate as Joonmyun shifted closer. His eyes opened again after a moment, and he glanced up at the elder's question, his cheeks flushing a little at his words, before he looked down.
His first instinct was to take the boy's hand, and he did as Joonmyun leaned into him, his slender tanned fingers linking with the older male's pale ones. Even if Joonmyun pulled away, even if he shoved him and tod him never to touch him again... he wanted just one moment. One moment in which Joonmyun could be a little closer to his; just one moment... in which he wasn't afraid of what the next day would bring.
"...It's not because of you," he replied in a tone just as soft, the fingers of his free hand tracing circles over Joonmyun's knuckles. "It /is/ you. It's the way you breathe, the way you smile... the way you live. It's the way you..."
He trailed off, his words fading as his grip slowly loosened before he released Joonmyun's hand. Instead he closed his eyes, resting his head on his knee as he listened to the elder's gentle breathing, the way he nuzzled into his side, the way he shivered slightly from the cold air despite being under the blanket and so close to Jongin's heightened temperature.
"...Because it's you..."
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