The House on Mass. Avenue | Rensung

Untitled Part 22

Jisung felt bile rise in his throat, his stomach heaving as his fingers grabbed the porcelain of the downstairs bathroom toilet, heaving his stomach's contents into the bowl. A hand rubbed his back in a soothing manner, a soft tone ushering out words of encouragement. 

His head spun and he knew he was seconds away from passing out. His body was numb and his mind was blank, his body and mind trying desperately to figure out what he had just been put through. Jisung breathed in deeply through his nose, trying to find the right words to say -- the right words to ask 'what the hell just happened'?

"Take it easy Sung," the same voice lectured as Jisung tried to sit back, feeling himself almost getting sick again as Renjun flushed the toilet again. The bartender looked like he was almost in the same shape that Jisung was upon further inspection. Eyes a hollow sort of emptiness and confusion, dark circles indenting his angular face almost to the point where it seems like a sort of makeup. Tired; confused; angry; concerned. 

Jisung made to open his mouth but felt nauseous again, Renjun's eyebrows arching up as if to tell him off -- yet again. A sharp knock came at the door, drawing Renjun's attention while Jisung leaned back over the toilet, another bout of nauseous churning around in his gut.

"So we didn't have any goldfish, but I found saltines which are infinitely better," Jaemin's cheering and obnoxiously loud voice sounded from the doorway, the crinkling of a wrapper complimenting his words, "So those will definitely help to settle your stomach and I'll go see if I can find one of my tea mixes to help ease the nausea. Deal?"

Jisung groaned in response, finally casting his eyes towards Jaemin. The older was wearing an over-sized t-shirt paired with checkered pajama pants, hair ruffled and an easy smile playing on his lips. He held an unopened pack of saltines in his hand, extending them out for Renjun to take while Jisung watched the room tilt slightly.

He could hear lingering crashes and shatters from things breaking as the residents of the House of Mass. Avenue darted around the house, surveying the damage. An earthquake. That's what they said, but Jisung felt as if it was more than that. He had lived in this house long enough...long enough...

The young author let out a groan, forsaking any higher power as he heaved over the toilet again, Jaemin making a disgusted noise from the doorway. 

"That's disgusting."

"Oh shut it," Renjun bit back, Jisung silently thanking the older for yelling at Jaemin in his stead. The owner's son snorted a bit, ducking back out of the doorway in search for some of his herbal tea. The toilet flushed again and Renjun stood up, grabbing a spare water bottle that Jaemin had brought in a few minutes prior to the saltines. Jisung gratefully took the water, swishing it around his mouth and spitting it back out before drinking some. 

Nibbling on the crackers, Jisung had now moved to rest his back against the toilet sink, Renjun sitting against the wall diagonal from him. The two didn't speak -- they didn't need to; or rather, didn't have the energy to. Questions chewed away at Jisung, but every so often they flew out of his head as another crash and another yell came from somewhere inside the house. 

"You think they could be a little quieter, huh," Renjun finally mumbled, letting out a half hearted laugh, "I'm sure they're breaking more things than were actually broken in the earthquake." 

"Was it...," Jisung started, Renjun's head turning towards him, "Was it really an- an earthquake?"

Renjun shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. I am a bit surprised that that was the first question to come out of your mouth though." Jisung rolled his eyes, bringing his half-eaten cracker up to his mouth. His stomach was more settled now, what after heaving up all of it's contents. "If it wasn't an earthquake, what else would it be?"