Epidemic ✦ Nomin

07

Jeno lies in Jaemin's guest bed–his bed–and stares up at the ceiling. He couldn't deny the luxuriousness of it with the abnormally soft nature of the bed, but he couldn't manage to fall asleep. Maybe it was the stark difference in quality that his body was currently rejecting. Or maybe it was the house itself that he has found himself in that makes him uncomfortable. Both were likely answers, but he could not determine which one it truly was. Part of him did not particularly care. He was exhausted and nothing would help. Not counting, not breathing slowly, nothing.

Jeno lets out a low grumble and rips the blankets off of him, tossing them off to the other half of the rather large bed. He slumps out of it and shuffles towards the door.
Out of habit, Jeno had locked his door to keep out any unwanted company, though he knows this house was certainly not filled with anyone of the likes that would intentionally break into his room. Still, he felt safer keeping it locked despite the extra barrier that keeps himself from getting out of his room.

He unlocks his door and begins his venture out into the pitch black hallway. Jisung had told Jeno to always bring a candle with him if he should ever find himself wandering the house at night, but Jeno could not find it in him to care to go through the hassle of lighting one. Unfortunately for Jeno, this proves to be a disadvantage as soon as he reaches the first step of the staircase. Despite shuffling ever so slowly in the dark, when the floor drops off, Jeno nearly slips and tumbles down. He has to desperately cling to the railing to stop himself from doing so. Jeno mutters curses to himself under his breath and continues on, crouched close to the ground. The stairs creek loudly under his feet, and Jeno instinctively shushes them, afraid that they will wake Jaemin, should he be a light sleeper.

Though Jeno starts to immensely regret not taking a candle with him, he finds that once he reaches the bottom step, the house was much more visible due to the silver moonlight seeping in through various windows.

He manages to just barely navigate through the parlor, but still accidentally bumps into one of the chairs before reaching the other side of the room. It's there that he is met with the sight of two sliding doors. He pulls them open, making an awfully loud shifting noise which he didn't anticipate. He shushes the doors aggressively before slipping away into the kitchen and neglecting to slide them shut behind him. The less noise he generated, the less likely it would be that he awakens Jaemin.

He counts his lucky stars that there is just enough light to see in the room and that he was properly able to move about without being too blind.

Jeno begins his search for a tea kettle, but upon reaching the stove on the opposite side of the room, a bright yellowish light floods in from behind him. He spins on his heel and finds a groggy Jaemin standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his face illuminated by the light of a gas lamp. He rubs his left eye with his wrist before speaking.

"May I ask what you are doing awake at this hour, rummaging through the kitchen?" Jaemin yawns.

"I couldn't sleep," Jeno admits, "I thought maybe some tea would calm me and help me settle in better."

A soft, tired smile forms on Jaemin's lips as a faint chuckle escapes him.

"Then how about you go sit in the parlor and wait for me. I'll go fetch Jisung to make us some tea," he nods towards the other room.

"No, no! Don't wake him for that!" Jeno quickly insists.

"He's the only person in this house who knows where everything is. The faster the tea is made, the faster we can drink it, and the faster we can both sleep soundly in our beds," Jaemin brushes his argument off.

Jeno bites his lip anxiously as he considers this.

"Will it matter in the end if I object?" he inquires.