Bloodline ✦ Nomin

42

⊱ ─── { Jaemin } ─── ⊰

Jaemin...if you can hear me...if you're asleep too...please...find me.

Jaemin collapses onto his hands and knees on the solid white floor of his room and begins violently retching upon hearing that familiar voice fill his head. He feels his body shaking so badly that he was practically vibrating as a sense of dread settles in and poisons his spirit. He was having such a violently visceral reaction to hearing the voice that you'd have thought he suddenly came down with a terrible, potentially life-threatening sickness. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Jaemin would argue that it's much worse.

Jeno was trying to communicate with him.

He should have expected this. He should have known Jeno would have tried doing this at some point if he truly wanted to reach out. 

He didn't know how or why, but he managed to reach Jaemin in his sleep. He knew damn well Jaemin didn't want to talk to him and that he traveled as far away as possible to get away from him, yet it was clear that not even physical distance could stop the man from attempting to reach him. Jaemin wasn't sure what compelled Jeno to think it was okay for him to beg to meet mere days after the spell was lifted, but he wished he would take the hint that he wanted nothing to do with him.

"Leave me alone!" he screams despite knowing Jeno wouldn't hear him. He'd be lucky if he did, but it would be impossible for him to know either way unless Jeno manages to respond, somehow.

The situation forces Jaemin to come to the realization that he now has to avoid sleep as much as possible just to evade Jeno. If he was trying to meet him in their sleep, then his dreams were no longer a safe haven for him. But it was inevitable that he would have to sleep eventually. He determines that if he does manage to find himself roped into meeting Jeno, he could either hide from him or refuse to hear him out. Surely that would work.

Jaemin gags yet again just as the door to his room flies open to reveal a wide-eyed Chenle barging in.

"Jaemin! What happened? What's wrong?" he asks frantically whilst practically throwing his whole body down at Jaemin's side.

"Jeno is trying to contact me telepathically," he answers as he gags one last time before the sickness lessens in intensity.

"Oh no...let's get you settled in bed, and I can go tell Jisung what's going on. Maybe he can ask Jeno to stop and leave you alone," Chenle offers as he grabs ahold of Jaemin's arm.

"N-no, it's okay. Not yet," Jaemin denies as he allows Chenle to help him up onto his feet, "I'll wait and see if he tries again. If he does, then we can bother Jisung about it."

"I promise you, it won't be a bother. We're here to help, remember? Anything you need done to make this whole thing more bearable, we'll take care of," Chenle tries to assure him, but Jaemin shakes his head dismissively.

"It's okay. I'm giving him one more strike before I ask Jisung to do something. I'd rather him think he can't reach me and give up trying than to alert him that it was working in the first place...I'm not sure if that makes sense, but..."

"No, I get it. I still think we should have Jisung tell him to knock it off, but if you want to wait a bit longer, then I'll trust your judgement," Chenle concedes, "But speaking of Jisung, he should be back any minute with dinner for you. I'm not sure if you're up for it though. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need a couple minutes to–"

Jaemin finds himself unable to speak...unable to move...unable to breathe. He tries to take a few breaths, but all he can do is wheeze. It feels as if his airways were being restricted, causing an intense pressure builds in his head.

Like he was being choked.

Jaemin loses his grip on his surroundings as everything goes black. A weightless feeling is quickly replaced by that of him sinking...or perhaps it was drowning. He tries to thrash his way out of the abyss, kicking and screaming, but it felt useless.

He wasn't in control anymore. He was trapped. Stuck in a state of dormancy he could never escape.

Jaemin suddenly jolts forward, inhaling sharply.

"Jeno!" he screams at the top of his lungs.

"Jaemin? Jaemin!" Chenle uses his shaky hands to turn Jaemin's face towards him. He becomes abruptly aware of the fact they're both now on the floor with Jaemin pulled into his arms. "Are you okay? What just happened?"

"I-I don't know," he finds himself unable to answer, feeling the back of his head stinging like hell.

"Why did you scream Jeno's name?" Chenle asks.

"I...I don't know," he repeats himself, though an unbearable pit forms in his stomach. It makes him want to vomit all over the floor with how intense it feels.

Jaemin touches the back of his head where it's paining him, but the feeling of something warm and wet makes his heart stop in fear. He hesitantly looks at his fingers and finds blood adorning his fingertips.

"O-oh god..." Jaemin swallows hard.

"I can fix that," Chenle hastily places his hand near the back of Jaemin's head, and within seconds, he feels much better. Though...the healing magic doesn't remove the pain and discomfort riddling his body after whatever he just experienced.

Something was wrong...very wrong...and something in the deepest pit of Jaemin's soul was telling him it had something to do with Jeno.