Matching Key (JoongNine AU)

Code XXVII

Nine

He was taking a shower as I sat on the sofa, waiting for the food that we'd ordered to arrive. My lips felt a little swollen, but in a good way, that brought a smile as I replaying it. Chen was getting bolder, and I kind of liked him to be that way. Ah, we were in a state of finding out things; anything new brought a certain excitement and also would help to bring us closer.

A little bit after the food arrived, he also finished showering and came out from the room to eat together.

"You looked a bit thin, Chen. Not eating well when I'm not around? Eyy, you'll fall sick that way...", I nagged because I was worried.

"What about you? Didn't you lose some appetite too?", he said while looking at me to hear my answer. I put down the piece of pizza that I was about to eat.

"Ermm, couldn't help it, caused someone asked to break up, when the relationship is only just in the budding state. So, food is the last thing on my mind. You connected? Why? Just give me a call, if you're that worried".

"I'm giving you some space in our time apart; so that, you could think about us, carefully. Lucky, that Joong was there to give you comfort, right?". He'd stopped eating too, hand was clenching the fork so tight that it could bend.

I laughed a little, "Try to say that without having that murderous expression on your face", I said, while reaching out and caressing the back of his hand gently, to let him loosen up a bit, "You're now, being jealous".

His eyes blinked, astonished, and he cleared his throat as he looked down and continued eating again. "Why does jealousy feel liked this?"

I was quiet a bit, "Did you..feel it?"

"I don't know if I did. But, I wanted to snap at no one in particular, and cursed myself for being a little mad for something that I should've rooted for".

His jealousy was a balm to my hurting heart, and also gave me hope that he could change his mind. I munched my food carefully before talking again, or else I'd choke, "If you saw everything, then didn't you already know, whom exactly, definitely the one I'd cried for? Then, why do you still feel that way, if you're ready to let me go?"

He was quiet, eyes darting in confusion. I reached out and held both his hands, "I'd made it clear to Joong, that I couldn't be with him, because my heart had been taken by you, whom I really want to be with. It's not that I chose you over him, Chen. I have never let you go, even a bit".

Chen eyes widened, and tried to pull his hands away, but I held tight, "You can let me go, if you don't want me, but you can't push me to be with someone else, when I am still this much into you. Whether you feel it or not, at least, I have told you how I feel, sincerely".

I let his hands go and looked away, my eyes felt prickly. I took a deep breath again and again, trying to compose myself, but failed. I stood up and went into the room to be alone.

Joong

I hesitated to open the closed door. But, after a while and Nine still didn't come out, I decided to just come in, whether he liked it or not. Nine sat with both knees up on the bed, burying his face on his arms. There's no sound of weeping, so I didn't know he was crying or not.

"Nine...", I called and tried to pry his crossed arms open. He raised his head, face heated red, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Joong told me not to cry", he said something that I knew, so I nodded, and he continued, "I'm holding back, not to remain strong, but so you won't be confused and told me something that I want to hear just out of concern, not what you have decided".

I moved closer, hugged him tight for a while to comfort him, and let go to be able to talk while looking at his face, "I was being a fool; thinking of the test", I started. Nine's eyes darted, "Remember the first time that you talked to me, and grabbed my hand, here, because I ignored you?". Nine nodded. "That was the first time that we connected, imprint; that's what it's called. You can't see it, but here on my wrist, the time line is shown liked a glowing tatoo. The lost of glow, meaning the remaining time is coming to an end".

"Where are you going with this, Chen?", Nine must had sense, the reason I was telling him now. His voice was quivering. I held his face tenderly and looked at every inch of it to plant it to my memory, "It's getting closer now, there's not much glow, left. I was thinking of the test, and thought that the dying bloom, is referring to your relationship with Joong. There must be a reason for me to look just as he is, and that you're my key. I concluded, that in this earth, he is supposed to be your fated mate, whereas in the future, your genetic sequence didn't make it during transfer, and thus, I was made without a matching key".

"So, in the end, I am just an end to complete a test?", he asked, and I nodded, "That's what a key supposed to function as, Nine. I'd told you from the start". Nine breath was getting heavy, he was again on the verge of tears, but he shook his head and calmed himself again.

"You're right. You never lead me on otherwise, it is all me, who felt too much, and messed this up".

"No. You didn't mess anything, Nine", Nine looked at me with questioning eyes, and I continued, "I...don't want anything to do with the test anymore. You're hurting. Since our path crossed, I'd given you too much pain. I realised, there's no difference in what I see now, to what I saw you bear in that memory. In the end, unconsciously, all the event of the memory is repeated again; only with some changes, because it happened in a different time, at a different...earth".

"You'd given up? But, then, you'll be...gone?", Nine said quietly and shook his head, wanting me to deny it. I just nodded, "To tell you the truth, before you came back, I'd gone to see the Hunters, to surrender myself and let go...".

Nine was consumed with frustration and anger. It was apparent in his face, and the sudden, hard push on my chest. "You're right, Chen! Your memory really came true...", the tears that he had been holding, running down liked a broken dam.

"Out of everything that had happened, that, hurt me the most! How dare you chose that, and said it was for my sake!", Nine was trying to leave the bed, but I grabbed and caged him under me, immediately holding him tight because he was resisting and struggling to break free. I couldn't let him go back home, in an emotional wreck, liked this.

"I'm sorry...Nine, calmed down, I'm so sorry, please...", pain, my heart was in huge pain, every sounds of his broken sobs tore my heart to a shred too. I kissed his temple and teary cheeks, again and again to calm him down. As I felt that his struggle was getting weaker, I loosened up my tight hold to not crush him with my weight. But, he wrapped his arms around me instead, embracing me tight, and brokenly said, "How could you leave me, Chen, before I could say, how much...I love you".

And suddenly, the world around me, turned black.