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The next morning, Renjun was in high spirits, excited beyond belief to see Mark once again. It wasn't as though they didn't see each other at all, but the small occasions when they finally got the chance meant a lot to them.
"How should we bring this up?" Jeno whispered to Jaemin as the pair sat on the couch together, watching Renjun running around, cleaning up and cooking.
They both had mugs of tea in their hands, and heavy thoughts weighing on their minds. Was now even the best time to finally reveal possibly the biggest secret of them all?
"Should we wait?" Jaemin whispered back, sipping his drink tentatively and feeling guilty all of a sudden. Like his shitty past would only ruin anyone's good mood if he brought it up.
"No, he should know. And it's now or never," Jeno pressed, "Mark won't be arriving for another two and a half hours. We have plenty of time."
"Is this your optimism or curiosity?"
"Both? I really do want to know why you went mute....."
Jaemin chuckled softly, loving the forward side of the other. He held nothing back and in return took everything people threw at him in his stride.
"If I have to keep looking at your heart eyes," the older snickered, "I might just throw up."
"So mean...."
"Yeah yeah," he smiled, standing up to bring his mug back to the kitchen, "But I love you too."
"You've gotten so confident since before. I remember when you couldn't even stand being near us."
"Well I remember when you were still using a phone to flirt with me. Shows you how much we've grown."
"Boys! What about the language barrier?" Renjun panicked, clearly working himself up over nothing.
"What language barrier?" Jeno enquired.
"You can't speak sign language yet."
"I know how to say 'hello'...."
"Well done. Gold star," the older shook his head in disbelief, "He can't hear you."
"Relax!" Jaemin hissed, "We can translate. Stop getting so upset over this," he paused, wondering whether to say this next piece.....though deciding to do it anyway, "You don't have to impress him anymore."
"Impress him?" Renjun stopped moving around for a moment, "What?"
"Look, you have to guys who worship the ground you stand on, lounging on this couch. We know how you felt about Mark, but you don't have to panic about impressing him anymore. You've moved on, have you not?"
"I have," the oldest agreed, starting to calm down. "You're right. I have two boyfriends now, Mark is my best friend, and I shouldn't be so nervous."
"Exactly," Jeno smiled.
Then a small silence followed before, "Goddamnit! I'm so fucking nervous!"
"Alright, bedtime," Jaemin groaned, standing up as well and making his way over to Renjun who pouted.
"I'm not five, you know!"
"You're acting it," Jeno disagreed, "Either sit down and listen to a small story Jaemin has to share, or sleep it off."
"Jeno!" The youngest hissed.
"C'mon," the older murmured, "I want to know, and I'm sure it's better if you get it off your chest."
"Okay, what's going on here?" The Chinese frowned, "Have I missed something?"
"I had a nightmare," Jaemin explained.
"I know. You were in bed with us."
"Okay, so don't you want to know what it was about?!" The blonde was getting irritated with how the oldest was behaving. Was this what a socially confused teen looked like?
"Oh, right," Renjun murmured, grasping the situation at hand. "Is this....the secret?"
"Now he gets it," Jeno sighed, sitting down beside Jaemin while Renjun took the armchair diagonal to them.
Now that he was actually given the opportunity to speak, and the chance to unload his burden off his shoulders.....he suddenly felt like a mute again.
The words wouldn't come out, the thoughts wouldn't form. He had no idea how to begin.
"Take your time," Renjun offered, "And remember who we are. Jeno and I aren't strangers anymore.....we want to help you."
I know, the youngest thought, but even you'll find this disgusting.
He started anyway, realising that if he didn't say it now, it would only come up again and again until it's forced out.
"I've been a mute since I was eight. There was someone," he paused, glancing his tongue over his lip nervously, "There was someone who brought out the fear in me. I was reckless and playful before then."
"Who?" Jeno enquired gently.
"My aunt. She's my mother's sister, and was really close to our family. In fact, she lived with us for a while."
The older two started to squirm in their seats, growing more and more anxious as the story prolonged.
"I was a pretty kid, actually," Jaemin tried to chuckle, dampen some of the painful tension. "She saw it too. Auntie was upset because she and her husband had divorced when my baby cousin died after birth. I think she saw me as his replacement, but mixed up her husband and the baby into one person. Me."
"Don't tell me she-" Renjun cringed, hating what he was about to hear.
"It started out small, little kisses where there shouldn't have been, a little bit of uncomfortable touching. But it got worse and worse as time drew on. I wasn't old enough to understand-" his voice cracked painfully, making him wince and cover his face with his hands, "I didn't get it."
"Jaemin, you weren't supposed to understand," The brunette beside him rubbed his shoulder comfortingly, "That's sick."
"Did she ever go further than touching?" Renjun asked, considering finding this aunt of his and slamming her head off some bricks.
"No. She would've if my parents hadn't found her. It wasn't like I could....." he tilted his head, not wanting to say it out loud," Y'know...."
"Get h-"
"Yeah we get it!" Renjun interrupted Jeno's confirmation, "That's a good thing though."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, the oldest getting up to cuddle into them. None of them wanted to move, or speak....
There were no words suitable for that moment.
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Thank god all the secrets are out. They were stressing me out 😪 We're near the end guys~ Thanks for reading, -lily
