Monster

20

Nothing hurts quite like waking up with a horrible crick in your neck and the sudden memory that your boyfriends have been lying to you for weeks. Or longer, probably, Jinyoung doesn't know for sure. He stares out his window into the dark trees for a moment, breath fogging up the glass.

It takes him a little while to work up the motivation but he manages to slide off the cushions, stretching out his stiff arms and legs before walking to the kitchen. The house is as quite as it is almost every morning, dark, and full of shadows. Standing in the kitchen, in front of the open fridge looking in, he can't even think about what he wants to make for breakfast. Hes not hungry anyways.

But that shouldn't matter, half the time he doesn't even eat the breakfast he spends an hour making.

They like sausage, he tells himself, and hash browns. I can make omelettes.

He pulls the ingredients out of the fridge, setting them down on the counter. His limbs feel heavy, the food an unnecessary weight in his hands. Looking down at it all, he wants to puke; just thinking about the smell it will make is turning him green. He puts it all back. They can have cereal. It won't kill them.

He grabs down the boxes, setting them on the table along with bowls and spoons so they know. Leaving the milk in the fridge so it doesn't sour, he heads back up to his room to shower and get dressed. Even though he has the time, suddenly, he can't bring himself to stand too long in the shower, out before he really wants to be, getting dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a shirt Jaebum got him—

He chooses a different shirt.

But all that only took him a half hour and hes back in the kitchen, looking for something to do, but no one is awake yet, so there are no dishes to clean, the kitchen isn't dirty, neither is the living room or the hall or even his own bedroom.

He goes to the front door, choosing a pair of sneakers, he laces them up. Opening the door as quietly as he can, he slips outside.

Jaebum is the first one up and ready, anxious to get downstairs and see Jinyoung. But when he gets there, Jinyoung isn't in the kitchen, bowls and cereal laid out on the table. Coffee isn't even brewed.

He checks Jinyoung's room first, and then Youngjae and BamBam's. But he isn't in either of those. Worried, he checks in on Hui, but Jinyoung isn't there and Hui is asleep on top of the bed. His hands are resting on his stomach, in thick mitten like bandages. Jinyoung must have done that yesterday. He imagines Jinyoung breaking Hui's fingers one by one back to at least looking normal, Hui crying, Jinyoung apologizing.

When he doesn't find him, he goes back into the kitchen.

He'll turn up, Jaebum tries assuring himself, its alright.

The words are not very assuring though, especially since he doesn't believe them. The car was still in the garage, so Jinyoung didn't go anywhere. Jaebum tries to act like his heart isn't racing with anxiety. He brews coffee, but it comes out weak and gross. He abandons it quickly. Instead, grabbing out the milk and filling a bowl full of cereal.

Yugyeom is up next, just as confused as Jaebum is, but he doesn't ask, mostly because he doesn't want to talk to Jaebum right now. Yugyeom goes for the coffee.

"Jinyoung didn't make it, its weak" Jaebum warns him, biting his lip when Yugyeom doesn't respond, beyond pouring it out in the sink, leaving the cup there. Yugyeom's usual seat is the one on Jaebum's left, but he doesn't sit there, picking Jinyoung's seat instead. Jaebum pretends he doesn't care.

Both Jackson and Mark seem as confused when they come downstairs. Jackson dodging away from Marks arm when he tries to lean on him.

"Is Jinyoung still asleep?" Mark asks, sending Jackson a confused glare as he sits in his chair on Jaebum's right. Jaebum shakes his head.