Yesterday's Devil

Chapter 23

Jongin

I was very surprised as the doorbell rang. "Who could it be?" I asked out loud. Jongdae would have called first.
I put the bowl with chicken down and stood up to answer the door.
"Kyungsoo?"

"Hey, I... I was nearby and... I thought I could see how you were doing."

"Jeez, are you alright?" I asked. "What happened?"

"This?" He asked and pointed at the wound that had dried blood on it. "I hit my head."

"Get your ass in here." I grabbed his jacket and pulled him inside. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," he assured me. "Really."

"Let me clean it up." I pushed him towards the kitchen and made him sit on a chair at the table, while I got the aid kit. "Are you just clumsy or lying to me?"

"I'm not lying." He quickly replied. "Were you eating?"

"Kind of." I returned with a wet washcloth and sat down next to him. I grabbed his head by his cheeks, "now sit still."

"I wouldn't dare to move," he joked. "Where's Mon- ai!" He squirmed in my grip. "That hurts."

I rolled my eyes and continued with dabbing the wound. "Be a man."

He chuckled, but kept pulling weird faces. "Damn it Jongin. I was trying to ask where Monggu is."

"I think he's in the living room." I answered while wiping the blood away.

"Isn't he happy to see me?" He pouted. "I thought I had finally found someone who would be excited when I arrive."

I laughed. "Don't worry, I'm happy to see you."

A smirk appeared on his face, "are you?"

"I'm not gonna repeat myself," I said and dabbed the washcloth a bit too hard on his head, making him close his eyes in pain. "Poor thing."

"Are you talking about me?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Maybe." I searched for a band aid and put it on the wound. "There you go."

"Thank you." He stood up and asked, "can I get something to drink? I'm really thirsty."

"Help yourself," I gestured to the fridge and started to collect the things I had used.

"You want something too?" He turned his head to look at me.

I nodded, "you wanna watch tv?" I stood up and grabbed the bowl, taking it with me to the living room.

"Sure." He followed me with two bottles of ice tea and plumped down on the couch, reaching out to stroke Monggu, who in return lifted his head and licked Kyungsoo's hand.

I started eating the chicken and offered him some, but he shook his head. "I'm fine. You like chicken don't you?"

"How do you know?" I asked, faking a surprised expression. "You sure you don't want one?"

"I'm positive." He pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them.
He was looking so broken at the moment it made me stop eating. And yes, that's quite amazing when it comes to chicken. The cut on his cheek, the band aid on his head and the still blue and purple bruises on his skin. I wondered what happened to him, because I'm not dumb. He didn't hit his head and he didn't want to tell me about the wounds. What was going on?

Kyungsoo

I felt his eyes on me and turned my head to look at him. He had been staring at me. "Something wrong?" I asked unsure.

"No." He seemed to get out of his trance and smiled at me. He then took out a piece of chicken and held it in front of my face. I opened my mouth and he gently put the meat into it. It tasted good and Jongin held another piece in front of me. "It's your food," I protested.

"Shut up." He shifted on the couch to sit closer to me and kept feeding me. "You should feel special because I don't share my chicken with just anyone."

This made me laugh. "Oh you idiot," I shook my head with a chuckle. "I do feel special now."

The grin Jongin was wearing on his face grew wider. He grabbed the ice teas and handed one to me. "Good."

"Jongin?" I unscrewed the cap and took a swig. "Do you mind if..."

He turned his face to me to let me know he was listening and waited for me to continue.

"Can I... Can I stay the night?" I couldn't forget what Kris had texted me and it was haunting my mind. I wanted to make sure Jongin was doing alright. That was all.
"I can sleep on the couch, I just-"

"No, it's fine." He cut me off. "My bed's big enough if you want to stay."

I watched how he put his lips around the bottle and looked away. "Thank you."

"Hey, are you blushing?" He asked.

"No." I tried to sound like I was not lying, but I think I failed.

"Yes you are." He came closer, but I moved away. "Then why are you hiding your face?"

"Go away," I pushed him back and showed him my slightly red cheeks.
I had to say, no one ever made me blush before. There was something about this guy. He could make me nervous and even stutter. I never did that. I was the asshole that didn't care about others.

"It's okay," Jongin chuckled and pinched my cheek. I slapped his hand away and he laughed.

We watched a random television show until Jongin asked me if I was tired. "Are you?" I asked back and he nodded.
He told me to get upstairs already as he walked Monggu, but I refused and walked with him. I didn't dare to leave him alone.

When we finally were laying in bed Jongin asked, "do you think something can be your fault even though you didn't do it?"

I rolled onto my left side to look at him. "Depends."

"On what?" His brown orbs were staring at me and it made me think about the first time I saw him. The deer-eyed eyes I couldn't scold at.

"Did you do something you shouldn't have done or did you have to do something that you didn't?" I pulled the sheets further over my body and slid my hand under the pillow beneath my head.

"I'm not sure." He seemed to think for a moment before moving a bit closer. "I didn't cry when it happened."

"Are you talking about your father?" I asked, hoping I didn't guessed it wrong, but he nodded.

I reached out my hand and caressed his cheek. "People express their sadness in different ways."

"It didn't make me sad," he whispered with glistening eyes.

I opened my mouth again, but wasn't sure of what to say that would comfort him.

"I'm sorry." He took my hand in his and held it against his chest. "I shouldn't bother you with this."

"It's alright." I assured him and leaned closer to kiss his lips softly, they tasted a bit salty. "Are you crying?" Because of the lack of light I couldn't see his face clearly.

"No," he said in a weak voice and wiped the tears away with his arm.

"Come here." I pulled my hand out of his and opened my arms. He snuggled closer, and laid his head on my chest. I placed my hand on his head and started stroking his hair, whispering sweet words to him.
Soon his breathing became slower and I could close my eyes too, knowing he was alright.