= The Man In the Mirror = {[Nomin]}

• Chapter 26 •

•🖤•

•🖤•

Jeno blinked the green hues out of his eyes, the view of the mirror standing right in front of him was almost taunting. He released a breath he had no idea he was holding, looking at the reflected floor and glancing around. Just what has he done?

He groaned and tried to stand from the ground, but the sudden green swirls on the mirror stopped him. He stared into it, suddenly honey hair filling his vision. He quickly caught onto the man that fell limp into his arms, trying to keep him up right but finding it very difficult. He sat back on the ground, Nana's head resting on his chest and knees on either side of his legs.

Jeno felt a lump in his throat form as he raised a hand to his head, running his fingers through the other's soft hair as he began to regret everything.

They were back to square one. And it was worse, they no longer had Taeyong on their side and Jeno's monster now lived in the real world. How much worse could this get?

Jeno shifted himself so that one arm wrapped underneath Nana's knees, and another around his shoulders as he carefully stood, holding the younger bridal style and carrying him over to the couches. He carefully placed Nana down, sitting next to him and resting his head over top of his knee. Jeno continued to play with the strands of his hair, then tearing a piece of his shirt to stop the bleeding from his hairline.

The younger was definitely breathing, which was a huge relief since Jeno didn't know what to think when he saw him sitting limp. The only thing he could say for sure was how cold his heart suddenly felt. He couldn't stop this, he couldn't save Nana from inevitably being trapped in a mirror his whole life. He had failed his promise, and there was no use fighting anymore.

He couldn't explain why he forgave Nana so easily for his little fib, but something in his heart told him to. It could be the fact that Nana wasn't some... monster, to say the least. Just as he had said before, he was an actual human being that deserves forgiveness and a second chance to live his life to the fullest.

The monster was getting into his brain and he needed it to stop. Shaking his head, Jeno looked back down at Nana.

The bleeding subsided from Nana's forehead as Jeno pulled the fabric away, looking at the bruising wound and biting his lip. It looks like he had been struck a second time in the exact place he hit his head in the car, which caused something to stir inside Jeno's stomach.

Silence morphed all around the two of them until all Jeno could hear was their breathing, hating how silent it was when he couldn't talk to the younger. He couldn't imagine being trapped like this for so many years without a single person to talk to.

He hated it frankly, hated the thought of being alone in this dimension, hearing nothing but the low grumbling that started quietly.

Wait, has there always been a grumbling noise?