Jeno couldn't sleep. They'd stayed awake together all night, talking about things that didn't matter enough for him to remember. Anything to move away from the topic of their dead boyfriends, anything to distract themselves from their sad reality.
Maybe it was the overwhelming guilt he felt for kissing Donghyuck. Maybe it was the fact that said boy was now in his bed. They hadn't done anything, of course. But Donghyuck didn't want to be alone . . . alone three feet away in his own bed, that is.
Jeno was okay with letting Donghyuck sleep with him. They both needed to heal, and if this was going to help speed the process along, then he was all for it. And despite his guilt, he knew that Donghyuck needed the comfort even more so than he did at the moment.
Jeno looked down at their intertwined fingers, and Jeno's heart wrenched in his chest as he was reminded of Jaemin. Donghyuck was very different from Jaemin. Neither of them were anything like each other, despite being close friends. Still, looking at him now, Jeno could see why Mark was so enthralled by the boy. Even in the dim light, his skin shone like honey. His plump lips brushed against Jeno's neck as he suddenly pulled his body further up the bed, and Jeno shivered. Donghyuck's body was like his own personal heater. His skin was on fire, and Jeno would've been worried if he hadn't remembered Mark mentioning it before.
He remembered how Jaemin looked when he slept, his long, dark lashes resting against his cheeks, his lips parted slightly as Jeno clung to him like he was afraid he'd disappear if he let go. But Jaemin never complained - not that he would have ever noticed. He was a crazy heavy sleeper.
Just as Jeno was about to close his eyes, a soft knock sounded at the door. Jeno didn't say anything, nor did he move in fear of waking Donghyuck. The door was cracked open slowly and Hwiyoung stepped halfway in the room.
"Are you two coming to dinner?"
Jeno furrowed his brows. "Dinner?"
"Yeah."
Jeno hadn't thought he'd fallen asleep, but he must have. There was no way he'd been lying there for over twelve hours if he hadn't fallen asleep at some point. He was exhausted, even now.
He gently pulled his body out from under Donghyuck, but he didn't wake up. He didn't move, or show any sign of discomfort. Once the idea of food settled in his mind, his stomach rumbled loudly. He chuckled. "Yeah, I'll come down. Can I bring some back down for Hyuck?"
"Of course," Hwiyoung said, like the question was ridiculous. "Kid looks like he needs the rest. So do you."
Jeno forced exhaustion from his thoughts as they climbed the metal steps. The bedrooms were all underground, a way of escaping from the freezing nights that weren't really much of an issue anymore.
They reached the top of the stairs and Hwiyoung paused.
"What?" Jeno asked. Hwiyoung shushed him and looked around. People were talking and visiting with each other in the cafeteria down the hall, but aside from that, Jeno couldn't hear anything else
Hwssa, Hwiyoung's second in command, waved at them as she started to walk by, but Hwiyoung stopped her.
"The security system,"
"What about it?"
"It's off."
"What?"
Hwasa stood still for a few moments, her brows furrowed as she listened. Once Hwiyoung mentioned it, Jeno realized that he could no longer hear the buzzing of the security system.
Above them, the lights flickered. Just as Jeno looked back at Hwiyoung in confusion, a loud BOOM sounded over them. The power shut down immediately, leaving them in complete darkness.
