"P'Nine come out! P'Nine!" Joong shouted outside the gate.
"He's been at it for almost 15 minutes. I tried to open the gate for him but he said he's not moving unless it's you." Earth handed Nine an umbrella.
"P'Nine! P'Nine!" Joong continued to shout his name.
Nine took the umbrella and headed to the gate. The rain as expected was a heavy dowpour. Nine could see how Joong's shirt clung to his skin.
The moment Joong saw him, he immediately reached out his hand with the flowers. He flashed Nine a drunk smile. His wet hair all over his face.
"P'Nine!"
Nine opened the gate. All he wants to do is wrap Joong with a warm blanket and dry him off but Nine felt that he needs to be tough on him right now or else Joong wouldn't learn anything.
"Joong what do you think you're doing?"
"P'Nine f-flowers for you.. It's cute l-like you.." Joong answered, his words was almost too slurry to understand.
"No!" Nine slapped Joong's hands away causing the bunch of flowers to scatter.
Joong immediately and anxiously got on his knees to pick it up one by one.
"No.. The f-flowers.. P'Nine w-would be angry at m-me if I don't give him t-these.."
Nine couldn't help himself but to pull Joong up and hug him under the umbrella. His anger was now nothing but worry for Joong.
"P'Nine the f-flowers.." Joong was trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
"Come inside the house. We can pick it up later." He told Joong.
"O-okay.." Joong nodded.
Nine could feel Joong trembling from the cold. As he led him inside the gate, Joong would look back repeatedly on the flowers.
"Nine here are the clothes." Ben placed it on the bed.
"Thank you."
"Here's the flowers that Joong dropped outside. I figured he would want it back for you." Earth had put it in a vase.
"We'll leave you to it then. You have a lot to do." Ben closed the door, leaving Nine and a soaking wet Joong alone.
Nine looked at Joong and pointed the bathroom. Joong wobbly walked to it's direction.
"Take off your shirt and shorts. Okay? Then go into the tub." Nine felt like he was going to bathe a child.
Joong obediently followed him, his eyes were droopy, a sign that he must be sleepy or just too drunk. Nine sat on the rim of the tub full of water scrubbing Joong's broad back and shoulders. He shampooed Joong's hair, Nine let him create bubbles and play around. Joong was easier to work with if he was distracted.
When Nine was done with Joong, he was half asleep. Nine changed his clothes even Joong's underwear. He managed to do it with his eyes closed.
Joong was fast asleep on the bed and Nine could only stare at him, his jealous gremlin, his Joong.
A thought occured to Nine. If he want things to get better for them, Joong needs to change. He got up from the bed. He covered Joong with a blanket and kissed his lips.
Nine wrote a note and slipped it through Ben and Earth's bedroom door before he disappeared into the night.
The following morning when Joong woke up he was expecting to see Nine but instead Ben had given him a note.
