Paper cuts & Paper rings | JayWon

30. Routine natural pretence

Something still feels wrong.

It's been a couple of days, nearly two weeks Jay thinks, since Kiyun's last invited him to one of those parties he likes to host or even since he's stopped him from seeing Jungwon and Heeseung.

In fact, Kiyun has become so distant it is becoming harder and harder for Jay to predict his next move which was the only pro in spending so much time with him though the pack of friends that hung around him seemed the same.

Everyday seems normal. It mimics the last almost too perfectly and everything suddenly falls into the routine natural pretence that everything was fine.

Except for the fact that Jay hadn't gone to school since that night. The bruises and punctures that remained on his face were still struggling to heal even with all the rest he was giving himself and his parents became worried for his safety so decided it was best to keep at home.

It might have been an exaggeration to say everything had become 'normal'. Both Heeseung and Jiyoon left for university in Busan that week; they had decided to wait until the new school year started but with what had happened in the past week they both decided it was best to leave now before Kiyun hurt both of them further.

Now, that left Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jake, Riki and Jungwon to deal with this and move on the best they could.

Today, Jungwon finally musters up a good cover up to see Jay and he walks up to his door. Surveying the porch, he smiles and pipes down to pick up a rock that fit perfectly into his palm. He takes a few steps back and squints, pursing his lips tightly in a thin line before chucking it up and it hit his window almost exactly in the centre.

"Hey there," Jungwon snaps out of his daze when he notices that Jay's now looking down on him in front of his open window. He smiles awkwardly, missing the way his heart fluttered every time they shared that sneaky smile.

"I was supposed to come yesterday but—"

"That doesn't matter darling," Jay chuckles and runs his fingers through his messy blonde hair, "at least you're here now," he clicks his tongue and lowers down a rope.

Catching the end of the rope, Jungwon gently tugs on it but before he starts to climb he can't help but laugh, "What is this? Romeo and Juliet?" He smiles sheepishly and Jay shakes his head with a cute pout.

"No, it's not." He whispers more to himself than Jungwon as he stares into the distance, down his road.

Giggling to himself, Jungwon steadies himself on the edge of Jay's window, his boyfriend helping him inside. "No?" He mummers with a slight pitch shift as he pulls the rope inside.

"It's not Romeo and Juliet because unlike them," Jay wraps his arms around Jungwon's waist, holding him in place as he attempts to close to window, "we're going to have our happy ending."

"Are you sure?" He can't help but say. After everything that happened it's hard for Jungwon not to question whether this is God punishing him or the universe giving him a storm to appreciate the clear sky.

Jay finally gives Jungwon some breathing space but all he does is turn to face Jay and gently caress the scars that stain his perfect face – even with those bruises he still looked perfect in his eyes. "How can you promise that when I let them hurt you like this?"

His eyes slowly gloss over with tears but he's still smiling patiently as if though genuinely curious as to how he would response. The skin below his eyes are red and puffy but what really catches him off guard is how his fingers are tightly clenched and the smile that he wears wavers as if to contain his screams of pain and sadness.