Apocalypse ✦ Nomin

31

Jaemin swings the door shut, nearly slamming it closed with a loud bang due to his impatient nature. He feels as if he had eaten a mountain of candy with how jittery and shaky he had suddenly become. He instantly jets off towards the narrow staircase. His feet thump harshly against the creaky wood of the steps, making far more sound than he intended. Somehow, despite the darkness which blankets the house, Jaemin doesn't seem to miss a single step. No, he manages to rush up the staircase without tripping even once, and he doesn't stop until he reaches the top.

Jaemin comes to a halt and allows his eyes to flit around the near pitch black hallway. He squeezes his eyes shut and envisions the layout of the hall from memory. He takes cautious steps to his right and places the palms of his hands against the rough wallpaper. He walks along the wall until he feels the texture of the surface change and set just a bit further back. He glides his hands along the smooth surface until he touches the cold metal of the doorknob. He turns it until he hears a faint click. Upon pulling the door open, he finds a room that is just barely lit by the faint light coming from a small window. A large bookcase rests along the wall to the left with only a couple books lying skew on the shelves. A small podium is next to it, set at a diagonal angle from the corner of the shelving. There's also a chair in the far right corner of the room, but nothing else seems to be inside this particular room.

Jaemin's face contorts into a painful grimace as he struggles to remember this room. He tries to recall memories that he knows he has, but he can't. All he manages to envision are blurred out silhouettes with no faces and barely discernable bodies, barren black walls, and vague remnants of what had been said. He swears he recalls a discussion in which he didn't feel well; one where he believes he collapsed to the floor and had to be carried off. Unfortunately, he cannot remember what was said or who carried him away.

A sudden, quiet knocking sound comes from the room beside this one. Jaemin feels his heart stop beating as he nearly jumps out of his skin. He places his face in his hands and takes a deep breath as he attempts to take a second to recuperate.

Jaemin hastily steps back out of the room and just as he intends to shut the door, the one beside him creaks open.

"J-Jeno?" Jaemin whispers as he slowly approaches the cracked door.

No answer.

He nears the door and cautiously pulls it open further until he's able to step past the threshold. He enters inside and looks around the moonlit bedroom for any sign of Jeno.

Before Jaemin can do so much as register the fact he appeared alone in the room, a hand grabs at his wrist and pulls him backward a figure shrouded in darkness swiftly steps in front of him and pushes him backwards into the door, shutting it with a bang as his back slams harshly into it. Before Jaemin can scream, a pair of soft lips crash into his, kissing him hard. The figure snaps their fingers, and several candles placed around the room ignite to reveal the identity of the person before them.

Jeno grins at him, watching as complete and utter shock covers Jaemin's face. He looks nothing like the man he had last seen in Hell. He was not the well-dressed devil with black eyes and a vendetta sitting atop a grand throne. No, this was Jeno. The Jeno he knew. He may still be dressed in black from head to toe, but it was not in a manner which made Jaemin feel as if he had a much higher status than him. It was simply a turtleneck and a pair of jeans.

"Looks like I was right," he hums almost cockily.

"I...I can't believe it..."Jaemin utters out so quietly that it's almost a whisper, "You're...you're really here..."

"I don't know what kind of connection we have that had us meeting in our dreams, but I don't care," Jeno remarks as he slowly raises his and Jaemin's hands. He interlaces their fingers together as their palms gently press against one another's. "We're together, and that's what matters."