INSOMNOS

3: He is Reckless

Sunday, December 22nd 2017, 3:29AM

"But if your cat wants to kill me again, I'll just have to let it happen."

Jaemin tilted his head to the side, confused at Jeno's random response.

Jeno elaborated, gesturing towards the front door. "I didn't jump off the hill because I wanted to die. The cat was chillin' on the sidewalk in the middle of a thunderstorm so I swerved. What kind of cat likes the rain?"

Jaemin used to travel a lot when he was younger and he didn't settle down in this house until the 7th grade when his parents separated. His dad was generous enough to buy the house for Jaemin and his mom. His housewarming gift was Nyx. Not only was the cat Jaemin's emotional support companion, but she was also more of a resident than his father was. She was there for all of Jaemin's ups and downs, but this was the first time she ever brought trouble to him. Like any other cat, she loved gifting Jaemin dead mice, but never a dying boy.

"Nyx is her own breed of demon." Jaemin joked. He stood up and walked towards the stairs. "She only goes out when it rains...I wouldn't have let her if I knew she'd been trying to kids this whole time."

Jeno let out a deep chuckle. Jaemin could sense that the rebel was finally getting comfortable and he was relieved to say the least. The prince had walked outside during the thunderstorm to look for Nyx, but he ended up finding a horribly scarred punk in his driveway instead. When Jaemin saw Jeno lying on the ground, laughing like a maniac, his heart practically catapulted out of his mouth. He wasn't ready to see him, especially at such a low state of body and mind. Maybe Nyx was the reason Jeno was thrown off the bottom of the hill, but Jaemin knew that it was his own fault that the rebel just laid there with no motivation to get up. The prince didn't feel pity, he only felt pained guilt and sympathy. For having a savior complex, he really did suck at helping people when it mattered the most. This was what his dad warned him about. That psychopath was wiser than I thought.

Jaemin placed his left foot on top of the first stair. The wooden surface was cold beneath his feet.

"You can take a shower to wash off all the mud and blood." Jaemin tapped his finger on the railing. "The bathroom is upstairs, first door to the right and you can use whatever towel's on the counter. I'll be in my room getting some clothes for you."

Jaemin walked up the stairs, letting Jeno follow behind. The rebel didn't respond, maybe because he was surprised at how casual Jaemin acted. Emphasis on act. Jaemin knew this night was going to expose himself almost completely, more than he had ever shown to anyone before. It had to be done though, he owed that much to Jeno for mentally beating him up into a pulp.

Jaemin went straight down the hallway as he heard Jeno open the bathroom door and walk inside. The prince exhaled. This next part was going to be overwhelming. He saw Nyx loafing at the end of the hall in front of his room and approached her.

"You want him to go in there too, huh?" Jaemin bent down to pet the black cat. "If anything goes wrong, it's all on you."

Nyx simply turned herself over so Jaemin could rub her belly. After a minute of tending to Nyx's clinginess and his own anxiety, Jaemin got up and entered his room. He loved living in this gothic house so much. He and his mother spent years establishing a look to suit both of their antique tastes. Every little piece of macabre furniture or accessory was chosen by the both of them and no one else. His mother's sense of style was more on the modern and creepy side of goth while Jaemin's aesthetic was more vintage and old school. Their opposing styles showed how much of a youthful energy Jaemin's mom had, versus Jaemin's old soul. His father may have bought the house, but Jaemin and his mother were the ones who truly made it a home.