Brute

Part 26

Joong

The walk home was somber. Nine still sniffed from time to time, wiping the side of his eyes and looking down at the gravelly, muddy road. The weather was windy; it seemed the sky was getting a bit dark; maybe not long after this, it would rain.

"Nine...", I called him gently, he just answered with a hum, signaling that he still didn't want to talk. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a stop. Nine gave a heavy sigh, for he had walked a little ahead of me, all the way back, not wanting me to see his swollen, still teary eyes. I wiped the wet trails on his cheeks. "Please... stop crying... ", I begged him again, "no wonder back then, you always bit your lips in front of me, you really couldn't stop crying, once you start, hmm? Oi, such a baby", I teased, trying to calm him down and pinching his nose. My hand was swatted away in annoyance, and Nine raised his face to look directly at me.

"Who said I bit my lips not to cry? I was holding myself from scolding a stubborn, injured puppy!", Nine said defending himself.

"Really? Why didn't you just scold, then? Maybe that was the best way to knock some sense into his head?", I bantered back.

"I couldn't do it. He already heard too many harsh words from everyone, I won't add another one", Nine's word caused a smile to bloom on my face. I laced my hand with his, and pulled him to walk beside me.

"I regretted it", I said as we walked.

"Regretted what?", his voice was laced with confusion.

"Not listening to you. If I was a bit rational, things wouldn't escalate too much, till we fell apart...", I said quietly. I could feel Nine held my hand tighter.

"Joong...", he started, "we could wallow in what ifs?, but things already happened. We both made not so sound decisions, but, again, it eventually was what forced us to grow, though, just not in a conventional way. Instead of wallowing, let us move forward, together. But first, could you promise me something...again?"

"Let me hear them first...your request for a promise; always made me feel nervous, Nine", I said honestly. I won't make blind promises, that's not who I am.

"Alright. As I had promised you all the time on my life; I want you to never again feel or think your life is worthless, and give up on living so easily. If you ever do that again, just consider you have killed me too, Joong", Nine said so seriously, his voice stern.

"Are you ready to hear more, then? Maybe after that, you won't feel I am worth all this worry, Nine...", I asked, with a bitter taste on my tongue.

"You're so good at not giving me your promise!", Nine whined in exasperation, "but, I've said my piece. Urgh, my eyes too swollen, that I see through just two slits now. Though I really wish to hear more, but maybe not now, baby...".

"Excuse me? What did you call me? Who is the one who couldn't stop crying again?"

"Joong, that's not a tease...dummy, eyyy! ", Nine pulled his hand off from my hold and walked faster ahead.

"Ha? What was it then?".

"Nothing!", Nine was not angry, more liked annoyed... and, embarassed? I remembered Jay's word that I was a fool in other thing. Wait...

"Nine..wait!", I walked faster to catch up to be beside him again, then kissed his cheek soundly with a huge smile curving my lips. He was elbowing me to move  away. And I kept pestering him. We became liked cat and mouse; one was teasing and one was annoyed. But the thunder started booming on the sky, and that made us walked a little faster.

We were too invested with each other, that we failed to sense, the eyes and feet that were following us, taking pictures; and sent them directly to the person waiting on the other line.

The rainstorms, it seemed had fallen earlier than we thought; on this peaceful land; drowning us under the heavily pouring rain, before we even safely reached, home.

Jay

"You got that?", the voice on the phone was full of scorn, "I found his little one for him, won't I be able to always send someone there, again, too?", he laughed, knowing my time was limited.

"You are fast...", I said, hating the person more and more.

"Then, send me things that I asked for, don't you understand that when I ask you to think, meant, it must happen? It is not a choice".

"Why should I abide by your term again?", I wanted to know his move. Which one?

"You could only save one; Joong or Nine. Either one, ermm, shall I say, would not be in his place. Gives me something, everyone is safe, gives nothing, hmm, whom to hurt? Ah, maybe I could have a double strikes; let hurt the one he protected the most. Oh, that would be entertaining, seeing him goes beserk!"

"You are demented..."

"Yes. I am. And not playing around too. So, think about it...again, you know now what it meant". The call was cut before it could be traced. Shit! He kept changing his number, it's so difficult to trace them as evidence.

I immediately called Joong, "Whatever it is between us, lets forget it for now. Please try to coax Nine out of that place without him feeling alarmed. He just called, Joong, with shit dream in his head to harm both of you, liked hell, will I let that to ever happen!".