The Rules | JAEMIN

Chapter 16

Jaemin was beyond shocked when he found Zhilan crying alone in her room with the lights off, making his way to her side immediately. He knew that being emotional was a symptom of her withdrawal, but this was much worse than anything Jeno had ever experienced.

"Shh, I'm right here, come on." Jaemin whispered softly, lifting her head from the pillow. He moved the pillow aside, taking it's place as he held the crying girl in his arms.

"Why?" Zhilan muttered into his body as Jaemin rubbed her back. "Why did he have to break my heart like that? Why did he cheat on me?"

Who?

Jaemim desperately wanted to ask but knew this wasn't a good time as Zhilan continued to spew nonsense out of her mouth.

"Like I get it, no one likes me, alright? I get that I'm waste of resources. I never got good grades, was never up to your standards, but why? Why did you leave me on the streets? Why couldn't you have at least dropped me off at a foster home, so I didn't have to wander all night, begging for someone to take me in?"

Jaemin didn't even know what else to do as he stayed silent, letting Zhilan continue rambling, softly rubbing her back in hopes that it would comfort her. It didn't seem to work.

"And the whole gang business, like I get that I'm not Jiayi or anywhere as perfect as she is. I'm not smart, I'm not pretty, and I'm not talented. I get that I'm useless and the only thing I can do is throw a knife but with guns, that's not even useful anymore. Why am I even here? Why is Renjun even bothering to take care of me when his friends like Jaemin don't even like me?!"

"That's not true."

Zhilan stopped talking the second the words left Jaemin's mouth, as if she had finally realized he had been there all along. She sniffled, removing herself from Jaemin's body but he didn't let her get to far.

Jaemin grabbed a few tissues for her, letting Zhilan dry her tears and blow her nose.

"I'm sorry." Zhilan whispered. Jaemin shook his head.

"Don't be." Jaemin replied. "It's clear that you had a lot on your chest, it's good that you let it out."

Zhilan ignored him though, glancing at her desk. "I can just eat and you can change my bandage and continue on with your night."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Jaemin asked her. "We don't have to talk but I can just stay by your side for a bit, watch a movie or something?"

Zhilan bit her lip, which was enough to tell Jaemin that she was considering it, meaning that she probably wanted him to stay. He got up, grabbed the food from her desk before passing it to her.

"It's a little cold but I promise it still tastes good. Eat up to gain a bit more energy and I'll change your bandage then we'll watch a movie." Jaemin suggested.

Zhilan didn't say anything but took the dish from his hands so Jaemin went to go get his laptop from his room for the movie.

...

Jaemin didn't ask a single question about anything Zhilan had said. His only question was whether or not she was comfortable as he let her rest her head on his shoulder, an arm around Zhilan's body as they watched a random movie.

Zhilan had no idea what had happened. All she knew was that she was overwhelmed with emotions and when Jaemin came to hold her, all she could do is let the words fly out of her mouth.

Zhilan stared at the screen, the movie not being a particularly interesting one but enough to keep her brain occupied once the action began. The two of them watched the movie in silence and before she knew it, the credits were rolling onto the screen.

Jaemin closed his laptop, picking it up. As he got up though, Zhilan reached out, grabbing his arm.

Jaemin stopped moving, looking back at her. "Something wrong?"

Zhilan was silent, not knowing what to respond. She had no words in her mind, her body moving as it wanted to.

"I'm just going to put this on your desk and come back, is that okay?" Jaemin said, referring to the laptop. Zhilan nodded her head, letting Jaemin go so he could put his laptop down.

Zhilan's eyes followed the male as he quickly got up and placed his laptop on her desk. He came back to her side, and Zhilan moved over so he could slide into her bed again.

It was definitely weird, the two being silent and using actions to communicate. Jaemin lied down first, gently patting the space beside him, wanting the girl to lie with him.

Zhilan hesitated before letting herself rest between Jaemin's arms. Jaemin adjusted his position so that her head was resting on his chest, gently running his fingers though her hair.

"If you're tired, just sleep." Jaemin whispered, closing his eyes.

He's probably exhausted too.

Zhilan nodded her head, closing her eyes as well. The sound of Jaemin's breathing beside her soothed her mind, his soft movements as he lightly ran his hand over her back helping as well.

She took a deep breath, exhaling it to calm herself down before letting sleep take over for the night.

...

Jaemin had so many questions that he wanted to ask but he stayed quiet, keeping them all in for Zhilan's sake. It was clear that she did not want to openly talk about any of her problems, so he made sure to respect that by staying silent.

He was tired, exhuasted from school but Zhilan's mental health was his biggest concern right now. Jaemin was glad that whatever he was doing to comfort her worked, and the girl in his arms was now sleeping peacefully.

Jaemin's head snapped towards the door as it opened, Renjun entering. Renjun's eyes immediately went to Jaemin and Zhilan, his mouth opening but Jaemin put a finger to his lips faster, keeping Renjun quiet.

Renjun nodded his head, gently closing the door and dropping his bag down. He then made his way to Jaemin, staring at the two of them.

Is she alright? Renjun mouthed, motiong to Zhilan. Jaemin nodded his head.

I'll explain tomorrow. Jaemin mouthed back. Renjun understood the situation, moving towards his dresser to get ready for the night.

Renjun closed one of his drawers a little harder that he had intended to, and the sound of the drawer slamming close made both males freeze.

Jaemin watched as Zhilan shuffled in his arms, a soft groan leaving her lips. He was scared that she had woken up but as she snuggled into his chest again, he let out a breath of relief.

That was a close one, Jaemin thought as he gave Renjun a look. The male had a small smile on his face, rubbing the back of his neck in embarassment.

Renjun grabbed his towel before leaving the room, Jaemin and Zhilan alone together again.

Jaemin looked at how Zhilan was clutching onto him tightly and figured that it would be impossible to leave without waking her up.

I guess I'll just sleep here tonight. Jaemin thought as he took a deep breath before slowly adjusting his position, ready to fall asleep for the night.

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Hehe this is so fun :)