Apocalypse ✦ Nomin

82

⊱ ───── { Jeno } ───── ⊰

Jaemin, Jisung, Chenle, Mark, Donghyuck, and Xiao all watch on as Jeno points at Renjun's glass casket and gently lowers it into the ground. Jaemin's eyes gloss over with tears as he takes one last look at Renjun's face. Jeno knew it would be the last time he ever got to see it, so he waits.

"Goodbye, Renjun. You did well," he utters so quietly that Jeno wasn't initially sure he spoke at all, but the slight croak in his voice that followed at the very end of his statement alerted him otherwise.

Jaemin turns into Jeno and buries his face into his shoulder as he breaks down. Jeno wraps his arms around him, holding him close and rubbing small circles into his back to comfort him.

"Wh-why can't we j-just do what you did and b-bring him back?" Jaemin weeps as his tears already begin to soak through Jeno's jacket.

"It nearly killed me when I tried it," Jeno states in a solemn voice laced with deep sadness, "And I don't think there's much we could have done. We don't know how long Yuta had him or when he placed the curse on him or if there would have been a way to save him. It took Renjun sacrificing himself just to kill Yuta...I don't think we would be lucky enough to defeat him twice."

Jaemin begins to cry a little harder as he struggles to take any proper breaths.

"I'm so sorry...I should have done more. I should have stopped Renjun. I-"

"It's n-not your fault," Jaemin dismisses him.

"I know...I just wish I could have done something. You and Renjun didn't deserve this," Jeno kisses the side of Jaemin's head, his heart feeling heavy like someone filled it with lead.

Jaemin doesn't respond. Instead he continues to cling to Jeno and cry into his shoulder.

"We're so sorry, Jaemin," Jisung speaks in a soft voice as he takes Chenle's hand in his.

"So are we," Mark nods as he and Donghyuck approach the others.

"Renjun was a good man," Donghyuck adds, "We were happy to have worked alongside him while he was here."

Jaemin tries his best to calm himself down enough to speak to them, but his breaths are still very much uneven and tears remain present in his bloodshot eyes.

"Th-thank you," he barely manages to speak.

"If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to call for us, okay?" Mark offers, "It doesn't matter how busy I am, I'll make sure to drop everything to come see you."

"Us, too," Chenle speaks up.

"Thank you, guys," Jeno responds, "We should probably start wrapping things up, though. It's getting late, and Jaemin and I have to arrive at the apartment by eight in the morning."

"Let me guess, you haven't started packing yet?" Jisung inquires with a slightly teasing tone despite the intense sadness that fills each and every person there.

"Yeah, it was kind of hard getting much done when we were both so focused on..."

Jeno's sentence drops off abruptly. He couldn't bring himself to talk about the days leading up the the hastily planned funeral. It was mentally and emotionally taxing for both Jaemin and Jeno. They had to make hard decisions such as whether or not it was a safe idea to try and alert his family of his death or if it was best to leave it all as a missing persons case. Considering the amount of damage control and lying they would have to do to explain what happened, they decided it was best to leave things be and hold an unofficial, private ceremony amongst themselves.

"It's okay, we understand," Chenle nods, and Jeno flashes him a very feeble smile.

"Well, we won't be seeing you before you leave, so...have a safe trip. And take care of yourselves," Mark tells them.

"You, too. And congrats on the promotion. Try not to fuck it up," Jeno replies, earning a small nervous laugh to escape the man.

"Yeah."

He and Donghyuck bid them goodbye before vanishing in a flash of light.

Jeno glances towards Xiao, who's standing at a distance with his arms crossed. Their eyes meet, and Jeno exhales deeply.

"How about you guys head back home. Jaemin and I need to finish up a few things here before we go," he urges them.

"You sure?" Jisung asks.

"Yeah. We'll meet you there," Jeno confirms.

Jisung looks to Chenle, and the latter nods in confirmation.

"Alright, see you then," Jisung concedes, and just like the other two, they vanish in a flash of bright light.

With all the others gone, Jeno watches as Xiao strides up to him and Jaemin.

"So...you're starting your new lives tomorrow. How does it feel?" he asks in a relatively civil manner.

"Aside from dealing with all of this...it feels like we can finally breathe for once," Jeno answers, earning a supportive nod from Jaemin to confirm this to be true.

"Good. Hopefully you both find yourselves satisfied and have...well...some sort of normalcy. It'll be nice to not have to deal with either of you again for a long while," Xiao admits.

"Likewise," Jeno agrees.

"Well...here's to new beginnings and not having to be at one another's throats. May we all prosper in our new lives and live our own versions of happily ever after," Xiao hums contently.

"Agreed."

"I guess this is farewell for now. Enjoy your end of the deal."

"You as well," Jeno offers him a polite smile.

With one final nod, Xiao snaps his fingers and dissipates in a cloud of black smoke.

Jeno exhales a deep sigh as he squeezes Jaemin into his side.

"Are you okay, baby?" he questions in a very gentle tone.

"No...but I will be, eventually," Jaemin murmurs.

"Is there anything I can do to help comfort you?"

Jaemin's eyes flicker to the grave that has yet to be filled in. He stares for a few seconds before shaking his head dismissively.

"I just wanna go home and sleep," he informs Jeno.

Jeno swishes his finger, and the dirt moves into the grave, burying Renjun's body. He kisses Jaemin's forehead ever so softly.

"Okay, baby. Let's go home."

-end of book 3-