Angel ✦ Nomin

48

Jeno and Mark appear in Jaemin's bedroom, Jaemin lying in his own bed rather than one in a hospital. It takes everything in Jeno not to storm down the stairs and stab every inch of his aunt until she's nothing but a pulverized mess of blood and guts. Instead, he approaches Jaemin and sits beside him, being careful as to not accidentally touch him in a way that would hurt him further.

"Jaemin?" Jeno speaks in a croaky whisper, causing him to open his eyes and flinch at the sight of him, "Baby...why aren't you in hospital? Why did your aunt keep you here? I-"

Jeno extends his hand out to softly caress Jaemin's face, but he winces under his touch.

"Y-you need to leave," Jaemin speaks as tears already begin to form in his eyes.

"Jaemin, please, I just need to know some things. I-I just want to talk," Jeno begs with solemn eyes.

"I...I want nothing to do with you," Jaemin speaks as his voice cracks, "Y-you're evil. All you do is hurt me. Y-you sc-scare me."

"Please don't say that, baby I...I love you," Jeno says as his heart grows heavy as if it were being filled with lead. Worse yet, he can't help but notice how childlike Jaemin was beginning to sound. He has gone through more torment than someone as sweet and innocent as him could handle.

Xiao has done it.

He broke him.

"Go...away..." Jaemin stammers.

Tears begin streaming from Jeno's eyes at these two simple words.

"Please...I'll-I'll try h-harder. I'll be go-od," Jeno tries to bargain for his love, but it was clear that there was none left.

"Go!" Jaemin cries out as he squeezes his eyes shut and pulls his blankets closer to his face.

Jeno opens his mouth to speak again, but Mark places his hand atop his shoulder, signaling for him to stop.

"Come on," Mark nods in no particular direction.

"No, w-wait, I-"

Before Jeno can properly object to leaving, the two of them disappear in a flash of light. They find themselves now in Jeno's study, and Jeno's wide eyes roam the dark room for any sort of trace of Jaemin. Alas, he is nowhere to be found.

He gets up from the floor and shoves Mark with a great deal of force.

"You had no right!" he bellows.

"Jeno, he's not well! I know you know that! You being there was distressing him more!" Mark exclaims as he throws his arm out in the general direction of Jaemin's house.

"I-I could have done something!" Jeno claims.

"No, you couldn't have!" Mark denies, taking a few deep breaths before going on, "Xiaojun fucked him up. He's not himself right now. You need to respect his space and let me and Donghyuck handle this. Okay? We'll do our best to help him. I just need you to stay settled down here and try not to get caught by the police for escaping from custody. Okay? Fuck."

Jeno stares vacantly at Mark, trying his best to think, but he struggles doing so. His distress over seeing Jaemin in his current state was one of the worst things he has ever had to witness. Even worse, he can't seemingly get a good grasp on the idea that Jaemin no longer wished to be with him.

"M-Mark?" Jeno speaks as his lips begin to quiver, "Did I lose him? Did I lose Jaemin?"

Mark blinks at him and shakes his head.

"I don't know what to say, Jeno," Mark replies somberly, causing Jeno to cover his face in his hands as he cries, "Let me see what I can do."

In the blink of an eye, Mark vanishes. In the wake of this, Jeno wanders to the nearest corner, placing his back against the wall and sliding down until he's sat in the floor with his knees to his chest.

He and Jaemin were always so close to being happy together, yet someone always had to come between them and ruin it. Despite being soul mates, Jeno was convinced this time he lost him for good. Jaemin no longer wanted him. He was alone now. Truly and devastatingly alone.