Sineater

Sixteen

"You want to know what I think?" Thomas was sitting up in bed. He still had yet to be released from the hospital. His wounds had been too severe and he had gotten a blood transfusion that morning.

Jin glanced up at Thomas from the piles of photographs and newspaper clippings scattered on top of the blanket beneath which Thomas laid. "Do I have a choice?"

"I think he's evil," Thomas began, twin looks of disdain and disgust crossing his face simultaneously. "I do not think you should have given him the dagger. And mostly, Seokjin, I do not think he will take no for an answer." He was getting worked up just thinking about his dearest friend having anything to do with that freak of nature.

"It's the only answer I have to give him." Jin placed his hands around the metal footboard of Thomas's bed and looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed into deep concentration.

There was a moment of silence as they both reigned in their emotions.

Thomas broken the silence first. "Namjoon trained us for what?"

Jin tapped a hand upon the metal before turning around and leaning against it, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm-I am not a priest anymore, Thomas-"

"For what?" Thomas had risen his voice. He rarely yelled, so Jin knew he was in deep trouble.

"To dispatch ghosts, demons, and all manner of undead." Jin threw his arms up in the air and spoke the words fast, as if running them all together like that would make it easier.

Nodding, Thomas said, "That's right." His brow was furrowed, eyes narrow and his lips were pursed. He was becoming angry with Jin, well angrier than he already was. He should not even be entertaining such thoughts as becoming the next Sin Eater. It was preposterous.

"Well, you said so yourself," Jin said, turning back around to face Thomas. His eyebrow raised and his teeth clenched. "Jung is a living man."

"Well, I was wrong." Thomas clipped the words. "And as soon as I can move, I'm going bsck underground. I am going to see if Chirac knows where we can find the rest of this." He held the Vellum up and slightly shook it.

Leaning against the foot of the bed, Jin said, "It's time to walk away, Thomas. Let it go."

"No walking away, Jin." Thomas shook his head vigorously and began trying to get up from the bed. "Take Brielle and run. Get as far away from here as you can. Lose yourselves somewhere-"

Jin hurried over to his side and, placing his hand on Thomas's chest, pushed him back against the bed. "Don't, Thomas. Thomas, please." He helped him lie back against the mattress and cover his legs back up from where he had thrown the blankets aside in his haste to get up. "Please, Thomas, get some rest. Eat some Jell-O. Do something. I'm-I'm gonna go visit Brielle." Thomas exhaled a grunt of pain and stared at Jin. "I will be back here later."

"Jin, I'm being serious." He tried to express his worry and concern for Jin and Brielle in his tone of voice, but it was too shaky.

"Yeah," Jin said. "And I am starting to laugh."

Nothing could have shut Thomas up faster, not even if Jin said he'd grown feathers and began to quack. They stared at one another for a long few moments.

"Just like you told me to."

There was more silence as Thomas stared at Jin in wonderment and thought there was nothing that could make him happier than Jin finally laughing. He sighed as Jin but his lip and patted his leg. He just wished he could speak.

"Get some sleep."

He watched Jin walk out of the door, thinking to himself and wondering what the hell just happened. Jin's footsteps echoed against the emptiness of the hospital hallway. Determined, Thomas began going through all the sheets that were on his bed. He had to have kissed something. Maybe he could find something that would help Jin against the Other.